Overcoming Depression Without Drugs

In this revolutionary new book on music and emotion, Dr. John A. Snyder shows us how not to get depressed. Drawing on 40 years of clinical experience as a psychotherapist, he demonstrates that antidepressant pills are dangerous, addictive, and don't work. What does work is listening to feelings and moving toward the very feelings we object to most. Snyder illustrates the special relationship between music and emotion by exploring the inner life of composer Gustav Mahler (1860-1911). Often wrongly portrayed as neurotic, Mahler was actually quite resilient, despite the many tragedies of his short life--a strength that came from his ability to listen to his darkest feelings.


Overcoming Depression explains how all of us can access that same emotional strength in our own lives. Written in a direct, conversational style and filled with personal stories from Snyder's life and practice, the book is designed to be a bedside companion to which readers can return again and again for insight and support.


" Dr Snyder forcefully challenges what is currently being taught in professional schools and to the public about feeling states. His insights are invaluable for any person interested in how we understand and integrate feeling into our daily lives. I especially recommend this book to any professional who works with people suffering from depression." - Dr. William Packard, psychiatrist


"Interwoven with Mahler's riveting life story ,Dr. Snyder has another agenda: a sweeping analysis of how sadness--which should be viewed as a normal part of the life experience-- has been hijacked and given a new identity as a "Disease" requiring "Treatment" with a drug, courtesy of the pharmaceutical industry. -Dr. Donald Kushon, psychiatrist


" Like Leonard Bernstein in his "Young People's Concerts," John Snyder makes Mahler come alive. He traces the emotional threads that are woven through Mahler's life-in-music, creating a tapestry that helps us better understand our own 'life symphony' and how to orchestrate it. The book's lively and straightforward style makes even subtle concepts easy to grasp." -Dr. Judith D. Fisher, psychiatrist