Depression Rewires Your Brain, But You Can Rewire It Back! (Part 2)
By Jordan Ryan, LPC
Welcome back! This article continues from Part 1, where we explored why depression can feel so automatic, how it affects the brain, and why simply “thinking differently” often isn’t enough for lasting change. Now, let’s talk about what actually helps the brain heal.
If you made it to Part 2, this likely means you’re curious, even if another part of you is skeptical and not sure any of this is going to work. And if that’s the case, I want to appreciate that skeptical part of you. It’s likely trying to protect you from getting your hopes up only to be let down again. That makes sense.
The fact that you’re still reading means something in you is open to the possibility that things could shift, even if just a little. And that’s exactly where real change begins. And while there’s no reason to push skepticism away completely, let’s see if it will relax just for a moment while you give yourself to chance to explore what is actually possible for your healing.
If you’ve ever felt frustrated by advice that tells you to “just think differently” or “snap out of it,” you’re not alone. I’m constantly reminding my clients that healing from depression isn’t about flipping a mental switch. We heal depression when we work with your brain, not against it. And that’s exactly what we’re diving into now.
Let’s talk about how to gently, actually help your brain find its way back to joy.
How Can We Heal Your Brain?
If depression has carved deep grooves in your brain, how do you start creating new ones?
There’s no magic switch, but your brain can learn new ways to gently shift out of shutdown.
Some therapies help you think differently, but for lasting relief, your brain needs to feel safe enough to reawaken joy and spark connection.
Mental health therapy for depression should be like physical therapy for your brain. Just like a torn muscle needs movement to heal, your brain needs to engage the very pathways that depression has shut down to rebuild them. Healing happens by gently using the parts of your brain that feel stuck. (How neuroplasticity heals the brain)
Changing your thoughts can sometimes offer quick relief, like adjusting the sails on a boat, but if the current underneath is still pulling in the same direction, you’ll keep drifting back. For lasting change, your brain needs more than new thoughts. Your brain needs to feel safe enough to experience joy, connection, and motivation again.
The brain is automatically wired to heal under the right conditions, just like a broken bone. A cast doesn’t force the bone to heal. Rather, it simply provides the stability and protection needed for the body to do what it already knows how to do. In the same way, healing from depression isn’t about trying harder to feel better. It’s about creating the right conditions - safety, connection, and new experiences - so your brain can start rewiring itself naturally.
We create these right conditions through experiences that gently nudge the brain out of survival mode and into healing. Just like in physical therapy, where moving the torn muscle helps rebuild its strength, we engage the very parts of your brain that depression has dimmed, so they can regain their natural rhythm and function again.
That’s why I work with approaches like:
Somatic Work and Mindfulness, which helps you reconnect with your body’s natural rhythms and signals, so depression doesn’t keep pulling you into numbness or exhaustion. And no, this isn’t about just breathing through sadness and hoping it disappears. It’s about rewiring your body’s response to stress, so you don’t stay stuck in shutdown mode. By tuning into subtle sensations, like the loosening of tension or a small flicker of energy, you start to notice the tiny shifts that signal real change. (Somatic Therapy for Depression)
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) - yes, it’s a mouthful - which uses guided eye movements or other forms of bilateral stimulation to activate both sides of the brain. Bilateral stimulation is one of the brain’s natural healing mechanisms. It’s not a trick or gimmick. Research shows that engaging both sides of the brain this way helps process stuck memories, making them feel less intense and emotionally charged over time. Even if you don’t consciously think about certain past experiences, your brain might still be carrying them in ways that quietly shape your mood, energy, and sense of self. When these unprocessed memories linger, they keep depression in place without you even realizing why. My clients often report that EMDR helps them feel lighter, as if a weight they didn’t even realize they were carrying has started to lift. As those stuck memories lose their grip, they find it easier to experience moments of relief, connection, and even glimpses of joy, sometimes for the first time in a long time.
Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy, which helps you recognize that depression isn’t who you really are. Depression is just one part of you that’s been trying to protect you in the only way it knows how. Research shows that when people build a compassionate relationship with their different inner parts, they experience less depression and greater emotional balance. Most of my clients love IFS because it doesn’t frame depression - or any struggle - as a sign that something is “wrong” with them. Instead of fighting against depression, they learn to understand why it’s there, which, in an unexpected way, makes depression loosen its grip.
Other Treatments for Depression
Of course, therapy isn’t the only option, and for some people, additional treatments can help jumpstart the healing process. Approaches like:
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), which uses gentle magnetic pulses to stimulate areas of the brain involved in mood regulation.
Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP), which can create rapid shifts in perspective, allowing people to access emotions and memories in a way that traditional talk therapy sometimes can’t.
Both of these treatments show promise for people struggling with depression, especially when other methods haven’t provided enough relief.
And while we’re on the subject of treatment options, let’s talk about medication. Medication can help regulate mood and energy, making it easier to engage in therapy and other healing practices. But on its own, it doesn’t teach the brain new patterns. Medication creates the stability for that learning to happen.
Depression changes when we actively engage with the process of healing. You don’t have to force yourself to “work harder” at getting better. You just need to stay open to new experiences, no matter how small, that help your brain learn something different.
In my experience, progress in healing depression isn’t measured in miles, but in inches. And I know that can feel frustrating when you’re desperate for a big breakthrough. Enough small wins, stacked over time, create the big wins. A little more energy one day, a small spark of interest in something you’d forgotten you loved… these moments add up! And before you know it, those inches start to build momentum in ways you never thought possible. 😊
Depression may have shaped the paths your brain walks most easily, but it doesn’t get the final word. The brain is wired to heal, and to create new pathways. And no matter how long you’ve felt stuck, it’s never too late to begin again.
If any part of you is even a little bit curious about what’s possible, I encourage you to follow that curiosity. That’s how change starts.