Depression is more than just sadness — it is a whole-body experience that can touch our thoughts, emotions, energy, and even our sense of meaning and connection. It may feel like an invisible weight, a loss of aliveness, or a slow fading of colour from the world. For some, depression shows up as deep sorrow; for others, a numb disconnection from self and life. It can affect how we relate to others, how we see ourselves, and how we make sense of our place in the world. While it is often shaped by many factors — including past trauma, chronic stress, burnout, medical conditions, or significant life transitions — depression is never a reflection of weakness or failure. At its core, it is a sign that something in us is asking to be tended to, understood, and gently supported back into balance.
It is part of our shared human experience to feel sadness, despair, grief, or a sense of heaviness when we encounter life’s more difficult seasons. These emotional states are natural responses to loss, change, and adversity — and often, with time, support, and rest, they shift.
However, when these feelings linger, deepen, or begin to color how we see ourselves, others, and the world around us — and when they begin to interfere with our ability to function or connect — it may be a sign of something more enduring, such as clinical depression.
Clinical depression, or Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), is a complex and multifaceted condition. It is not simply about feeling sad — it can involve a persistent experience of emotional, cognitive, physiological, and relational disruption. For some, it may feel like a weight they cannot lift. For others, a numbing disconnect from life, self, and meaning.
Within medical and diagnostic models, depression — or Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) — is typically diagnosed when a person experiences five or more of the following symptoms nearly every day, over a span of at least two weeks:
Persistent low mood or emotional flatness
Loss of interest or joy in previously meaningful activities
Changes in sleep patterns — either insomnia or oversleeping
Fatigue or loss of energy
Appetite or weight fluctuations
Feelings of worthlessness, guilt, or shame
Difficulty concentrating or making decisions
Thoughts of death or suicide
Yet depression is not one-size-fits-all. Some may also experience:
Irritability or emotional sensitivity
Anxiety or a sense of dread
Disconnection from others or withdrawal from social engagement
Cognitive fog, memory challenges, or slowed thinking
Physical aches, pains, or bodily tension without clear medical cause
Self-isolation, avoidance, or self-destructive patterns (including substance use)
Loss of sexual desire or changes in intimacy
Feeling overwhelmed or emotionally shut down
These criteria serve as a guide, often used to inform treatment decisions and support planning. And yet, many people — especially those moving through grief, traumatic experiences, burnout, or significant life transitions — may experience similar symptoms without meeting the threshold for a clinical diagnosis. The human experience is not always tidy or clear-cut.
Whether these symptoms arise from a diagnosable condition or from a response to prolonged overwhelm, they still deserve care, attention, and support. What matters most is not the label, but how you’re feeling — and what you need to move toward steadiness and healing.
At Sol Therapy, we recognise that depression can take root in many layers — emotional, physiological, neurological, relational, and existential. Our approach is integrative and personalised, weaving together both evidence-based psychological and somatic care to support healing at a pace that feels safe and empowering.
Through psychotherapy, clients are invited into a compassionate and collaborative space where thoughts, emotions, patterns, and past experiences can be explored with care. Together with a therapist, individuals may begin to untangle core beliefs, navigate unresolved grief, understand and integrate painful memories, and make meaning of their life story. Psychotherapy also supports the development of insight, emotional literacy, and self-agency — helping clients strengthen their internal resources, widen their window of tolerance, and move toward greater clarity, connection, and resilience.
Through relational somatic approaches, we gently engage the body’s innate wisdom — working with the rhythms of the nervous system to support regulation, restore a sense of internal safety, and expand one’s capacity to be with emotional experiences. These sessions help build awareness of sensations, emotions, and patterns held in the body, guiding clients to move between states of activation and calm (a process known as pendulation) while staying within a window that feels tolerable. Over time, this creates the conditions for healing not just at the cognitive level, but also at the level of felt experience — allowing individuals to come home to their bodies with more steadiness, agency, and ease.
If you’re noticing signs of depression — whether subtle or pronounced — you’re not alone, and you are not broken. These are signs that something in your system is asking for attention, care, and co-regulation. With the right support, healing is possible. It doesn’t always mean “fixing” — but it may mean learning to live with more gentleness, meaning, and wholeness.
Psychotherapy and counselling offer a supportive space to explore the emotional, cognitive, and relational aspects of depression. Depending on the therapist’s orientation, this process may involve examining core beliefs, understanding past experiences, building emotional regulation skills, and developing more adaptive coping strategies. At Sol Therapy, our team draws from trauma-aware and integrative approaches — attuning to each person’s pace, history, and needs. This work can support individuals in making meaning of their experiences, strengthening self-agency, and finding steadier footing in their daily lives.
Therapeutic breathwork and mindful movement offer a gentle, body-based way to support the emotional weight that often accompanies depression. By consciously engaging the breath and incorporating intuitive, grounding movements, clients may begin to release held tension, shift internal states, and reconnect with a sense of vitality. These practices help bring awareness back to the present moment — a place often clouded by the weight of the past or worry about the future — softening the anxiety and overwhelm that can accompany depressive states. They support nervous system regulation, increase oxygen flow, and gently cultivate inner stillness, spaciousness, or aliveness — depending on what is most needed.
Because breath and movement can access deep emotional layers, it’s important that these practices are guided by a trained therapist who can offer attunement, safety, and appropriate pacing. When used alongside clinical support, this integrative approach can help anchor presence, ease, and embodied resilience.
Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy is a gentle, hands-on approach that invites the body into a state of deep rest and balance. For those living with depression, BCST offers space to settle the nervous system, ease emotional and physiological tension, and support the body’s innate capacity for healing. Practitioners tune into the subtle rhythms of the body to create a safe, attuned space — one that often fosters a quiet return to inner safety, stillness, and regulation. This work complements psychotterapy, relational somatic therapy, hypnotherapy, and other forms of clinical care.
Clinical Hypnotherapy offers a gentle yet powerful way to engage the subconscious mind — where deeply rooted beliefs, memories, and emotional patterns often reside. Through guided hypnosis, individuals can safely access these inner layers to reframe limiting thoughts, ease emotional pain, and strengthen positive internal resources.
This process supports deep relaxation and naturally activates the body’s parasympathetic nervous system — the state often known as “rest and digest” — helping regulate stress responses and promote emotional balance. Hypnotherapy can be especially helpful for those navigating depression, low self-worth, or persistent inner criticism. While it can be used alongside other therapeutic approaches, it is also effective as a standalone modality, depending on the individual’s needs and goals.
Trauma-Informed Relational Somatic Therapy approaches depression not as a flaw to fix, but as an expression of how the nervous system has learned to protect and adapt. Rooted in body-based awareness and relational safety, this modality helps individuals build capacity to feel, pendulate between states of distress and calm, and stay within a window of tolerance that feels manageable. Sessions often involve tracking sensation, movement, and emotional energy held in the body through verbal dialogue — allowing for the gradual release of stuck patterns and the emergence of a more regulated, embodied sense of self. This work is often most effective when integrated with psychotherapy or other forms of clinical care.
Depression can show up in many ways — not always as sadness. You might feel emotionally flat, disconnected from things you used to enjoy, exhausted, irritable, anxious, or like you’re just “going through the motions.” You may notice changes in sleep, appetite, concentration, or energy. If you’ve been feeling weighed down for more than a couple of weeks, it may be helpful to reach out for support.
No. You don’t need a diagnosis to seek support. Some clients come to us feeling “not quite themselves,” overwhelmed, or simply tired of carrying things alone. Whether or not you meet criteria for clinical depression, your experience is valid, and you deserve care that meets you where you are.
Talk therapy, such as psychotherapy and counselling, offers a reflective, relational space to explore thoughts, emotions, beliefs, and past experiences. It can be especially helpful for those who make sense of the world through language, insight, and structured reflection — individuals who find clarity and comfort through dialogue, mind-mapping, and meaning-making. For some, this cognitive pathway feels safer, more accessible, and deeply empowering — especially when exploring the body feels unfamiliar or overwhelming.
Somatic therapy, by contrast, works with the body’s internal rhythms — tracking sensations, movements, and nervous system responses. It invites presence, grounding, and a return to felt safety, especially when words fall short or emotions are stored in the body. This approach can support those who feel disconnected from their physical self or whose experiences live beyond conscious language.
At Sol Therapy, we offer both — not as one being better than the other, but as different doorways to healing. Some clients begin with talk therapy. Others with somatic work. And some move between the two. There’s no right or wrong — only what feels right and accessible for you, right now.
Yes. Anxiety and depression often overlap — both can signal that your nervous system is under strain. We hold space for the full spectrum of what you’re experiencing, without trying to reduce it to a single label. Our work focuses on building internal safety, expanding your window of tolerance, and helping you move from survival toward steadiness.
There’s no one-size-fits-all timeline. Healing is often non-linear — with moments of relief, dips, and gradual integration. What’s most important is pacing your process in a way that feels manageable and supported. We walk alongside you, helping you notice subtle shifts, rebuild capacity, and honour your body’s rhythm.
Some breath practices can be done safely on your own, but we recommend starting with a trained practitioner — especially if you have a history of trauma, anxiety, or overwhelm. At Sol Therapy, breathwork is guided with care, attunement, and pacing to ensure your system feels supported rather than flooded.
Medication can be a helpful part of treatment for some individuals, especially when symptoms feel unmanageable. At Sol Therapy, we don’t prescribe medication, but we’re open to working collaboratively with your doctor if that’s part of your care. We also offer non-medication options that address the nervous system, emotional patterns, and root causes.
Yes. Depression can often show up through the body — as fatigue, pain, tightness, or brain fog. Many of our clients live with chronic stress or health conditions alongside emotional distress. Our integrative therapies gently support both the body and mind, creating space for healing in both realms.
For more information on therapy for depression treatment in Singapore, please WhatsApp us at (65) 89422211 or email us at beinghuman@soltherapy.sg
"The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of those depths."