F (Female in 30’s)
All I can do is…
F was a female in her mid 30s. A few years ago, she was diagnosed with depression, and she could not function without taking antidepressants and sleeping pills. She was often absent from work, and eventually she had to quit. Everything made her tired; she was not interested in anything except eating. F looked much older than her age.
After the first treatment, it seemed that she did not have a good experience because she looked gloomy. I wanted to make her feel better, so I tried to encourage her as much as I could. As she left, she said her body felt a little lighter, but she wasn’t sure.
Signs of improvement
About a week later, F called to make an appointment. After her first treatment, she talked about her worries regarding her job, so I encouraged her by saying that she will find a job that will fit her someday. As it happened, right after we talked about this, she found a job that she felt was good match for her. She thought that if she continued the treatment, more good things may happen to her. I was a bit perplexed by her expectations, but I was glad that she was trying to have a positive outlook for the future, so I scheduled her for the next treatment.
Her progress was very smooth. After 3 or 4 treatments, her facial expression and her overall impression had changed significantly, and I was surprised how beautiful she looked. Then one day she told me that she would quit taking antidepressants completely.
She believes in her bright future
In the past, F had attempted to stop taking antidepressants, but her anxiety had worsened, so consequently she had had to increase her dosage. I suggested to her to keep the medications nearby just in case, but she said she had already thrown away all the medications. She thought that her doctors would be worried and that they would discourage her tfom quitting her medications, so she decided not to go to see her doctors any more.
Honestly, like her doctor, I felt uneasy. I didn’t want F to have a bad experience like before, and I was worried that if things did not go well, feeling of defeated could potentially deepen her depression.
However, F soon disproved my concerns Her mother called me and said that she couldn’t believe her daughter would ever make such a decision on her own, so F’s mother thought it was my recommendation. I told her that it was solely F’s decision. Her mother was worried, so I told her that I would do as much as I could for F and that she should also support her daughter. Her mother cried, saying that maybe they were too strict towards F, and they should have believed in her more. That brought tears to my eyes.
After 5 months of treatment, F fell in love with a co-worker where she worked, and she moved to his hometown. I was impressed by her smile as she said how excited she was to live outside of her own hometown for the first time. In the end I felt that I was the one who was encouraged and healed by Tao Shiatsu. I often use F’s story to encourage other patients.
Jiyu Nomoto
