A novel explanation of the causes of depression and a surprising new cure.

Depression doesn’t happen all at once; it’s the result of a slow process in which the past invades the present. The causes are both an emotional shock and a predisposition for depression. In this instance, predisposition means that the person had experienced trauma in their childhood (abandonment, child abuse, or sexual abuse) and that they have taken shelter in a world of illusion that makes them more susceptible to falling apart. So depression is tied to the loss of an illusion. How can it be treated? Nasio explains his unique graphic-interpretation method that allows patients to learn to think about themselves in less self-deprecating ways than brooding over their earlier failures.