There is an increasing amount of scientific evidence suggesting that depression can be relieved through volunteerism and service. I have always been skeptical of scientific studies as they seem to be funded by organizations seeking a specific answer that justifies their ability to sell a product or idea. Studies seem to be less than objective. In any case, my life turned out to be my own scientific experiment into the debilitating world of depression.
It’s been a very long time since the cloud of depression plagued every day of my life, but the visceral memory remains, and I have great compassion for anyone who is under that dark cloud. Frankly, I am amused that science is just now catching up to the study I conducted more than two decades ago. My personal scientific study was life-saving, and life-defining. I want to share with you the results, just in case it can inspire you to help yourself or others out of the darkness that seems relentless.
Getting Out by Going In (GOGI) was born out of my desperate attempt to find a reason to keep living. Long story short, when I toured the Federal Corrections Institution at Terminal Island in San Pedro, California, the prison looked like how I felt. My desperation directed me to volunteer inside the prison, and within those walls I asked prisoners how freedom could be found, even when confined to an 8-foot cell.
Depression can be lifted, the dark cloud can dissipate through a service-minded mentality. Once we are willing, or able, to see beyond the heaviness of our own situation, and we are willing, or able, to identify where we can be of service, that is when the sun finds the little cracks and reaches our hearts. Getting Out by Going In (GOGI) is a volunteer-run organization. We have no studies. We have no funding efforts. We have no big donors. We are aligned with no political party or religion. Getting Out by Going In (GOGI) is simply offering a set of Tools that millions of prisoners have found helpful. Funny enough, one of the Tools is ULTIMATE FREEDOM. This Tool is defined by the service we offer to the world. “Being Free is Up To Me,” is the key words. And, “Service Sets Me Free” is the motto.
You can read all the paid-for studies you wish, but you can also start your own experiment. Write down 5-10 kind things you do for someone else. Do this for 30 days. It may be difficult for you to ignore the light that begins to shine within. Freedom from depression does not take a scientific study to figure out. It is simple. Be kind. Think kindness. Know that most other people have it worse off that you. And then simply pick up that piece of trash in the parking lot. Simply return the shopping cart to the rack. Let that angry driver cut you off. Be gentle with the customer service representitive.
Depression, I believe, is within our ability to eliminate from our life experience. At least, my own scientific study proved this to be a fact. Only I am the BOSS OF MY BRAIN. I can, at any time use BELLY BREATHING to redirect my power. I can also use my FIVE SECOND LIGHTSWITCH and move from self pity to service. My study is more than 20 years old now, but it all still holds true. If you know someone suffering from depression, maybe you can offer the GOGI Life Tools to them and encourage daily acts of service. As the study concluded, it is SERVICE that sets us free.
With Love,
GOGI Coach Taylor
