Treating Depression with AEDP Therapy

If you’re feeling depressed, it may not be because something is “wrong” with you. Often, depression develops when emotions, needs, or parts of ourselves had to be pushed aside just to get through life. Over time, that can lead to feeling numb, stuck, hopeless, or disconnected—from yourself and from others.

Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP) offers a gentle, supportive way to work with depression by helping you reconnect with your emotional experience in a way that feels safe and manageable.

How AEDP Looks at Depression

From an AEDP perspective, depression often shows up after you’ve had to carry emotional pain alone for too long. This might include losses, trauma, chronic stress, or not having the support you needed at important moments. Depression can be a sign that your system learned to shut down feelings as a form of protection.

In therapy, we’re less focused on “fixing” you and more interested in understanding what your depression has been trying to do for you—and what it might need now.

What Therapy Is Like

AEDP is an active and relational approach. That means the relationship between us matters, and you don’t have to face difficult emotions by yourself. We’ll pay close attention to what you’re feeling in the moment—emotionally and physically—and move at a pace that feels right for you.

While we’ll gently explore painful feelings like sadness, grief, or shame, we’ll also notice moments of relief, strength, and connection as they come up. These moments are an important part of healing.

How AEDP Can Help with Depression

In AEDP therapy, we focus on:

• Creating a sense of safety and trust so you feel supported

• Helping you gently access emotions that may have been pushed aside

• Working through those emotions so they no longer feel overwhelming

• Building self-compassion and reducing harsh self-judgment

• Reconnecting you with parts of yourself that feel alive, hopeful, or grounded

Many people find that as their emotions are processed, depression begins to loosen its grip.

What People Often Notice

Clients often share that they begin to:

• Feel less numb and more connected to themselves

• Experience greater emotional clarity

• Be kinder to themselves

• Feel more hopeful and engaged with life

• Trust their feelings instead of fearing them

Is This Approach a Good Fit?

AEDP may be a good fit if you’re looking for therapy that feels supportive, emotionally focused, and deeply human. You don’t need to have the “right words” or push yourself to feel anything before you’re ready. We’ll go at your pace, together.