When I am sitting with a client who tells me it's "bad, real bad. This is the lowest I've ever been, it's different, you know?" I think to myself, perception is everything, perception is reality to the individual. What in the world is reality and what in God's name is normal? To counsel others with the most applicable guidance, one must taste their reality. Yep, as unpleasant as that may sound. There really is a plethora of realities that I don't want to taste! But even Jesus said, if a man asks you to go one mile, walk with him two. So that should be our response to the counseling relationship as well. The reality is, that it's a draining process, this is my reality... So what is "really bad"? How low can you go? Isn't it cyclical? -this is what I have observed and I love the word cyclical, everything in creation is cyclical!

An important part of the cycle is acceptance. If the individual can accept the cyclical pattern of low and high points, will the lows feel a little less agonizing? Some can do this easier than others. It takes rationality. Someone who feeling or acting out irrational behaviors will most likely find the state of acceptance an intolerable idea to their situation. What if there is no other answer for the present moment? Doesn't this drive most us to do some soul searching? Soul searching requires guidance too. One usually can't walk that journey through the soul's depths on his own if he's never walked the distance before. That's why people who can afford it go to India and seek wisdom from Brahmin... The awesome part of soul searching is beyond the known path to what is unexplored! To where the real journey begins. It's an awesome path if you have the right guide. 

Or, there's another option. Distraction. Distraction only lasts so long, then what to do with the soul's dark night?