Read Anna's story of how she was healed of depression after 5 years!..........
When my second son was born, I suffered from postnatal depression. I would spend a lot of time crying in my room and feeling like an absolute failure as a mother. I was very irritable and on edge. I would often tell God that He had made babies wrong and that He had no idea how hard it was. I would collapse into bed at night not wanting to wake up in the morning.
When my baby was nearly one year old, my husband gently suggested that I go see a counsellor. Straight away this counsellor recognised the post-natal depression and got me to my GP who prescribed anti-depressants. Within a week of taking the medication I had bounced back to my usual self – this was such a relief from the struggle I had been through mentally the previous year. I thanked God for medication most days!
However, the antidepressants had a numbing effect, so not only did I lose my real lows (which was necessary), but I also lost my real highs in life. I also lost the ability to feel much emotion. I counted this cost worth it at the time though as it enabled me to be the mother I wanted to be to my boys, and the wife I wanted to be for my husband.
However, four years later, I was still dependent on these meds and I couldn’t really call it postnatal depression anymore as my baby was about to turn five and start school! I had attempted to come off the meds at one point but that was an absolute disaster as I felt like I was completely out of control emotionally and mentally. So I went back onto the meds, feeling like a failure once again.
A year later, my parents suggested receiving prayer at Freedom & Fire. I was nervous about this but wanted to be free from the depression and knew God wanted me to have that freedom. The morning of the prayer time, the Holy Spirit prompted the Scripture “This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.” The first Scripture that was shared with me that morning was this very one. This confirmed to me that God was up to something. And was He ever!
As two lovely ladies prayed for me and commanded the spirit of depression to leave, I felt an overwhelming sense of God’s presence and JOY! As the spirit left, it was replaced with JOY! More and more joy kept flooding in and all I could do was laugh – laugh at the pure goodness of God, laugh at the fact that God was healing me right here and right now, laugh at the incredible power of God.
I have not taken any meds since God healed me of depression and I feel amazing! God has restored to me my feelings and emotions – I am able to cry again (with joy or in sadness) and I am able to live without reliance on anti-depressants. Only God could do this.
All this to say it has not been without its challenges – I have had to be very disciplined in my mind as the battle is very real. I have had to remind myself that life has its ups and downs and that just because I am experiencing a low day or feeling particularly irritable at times, it does not mean that the depression is returning. I recount what God did for me that day and I praise Him! I tell others what God has done for me, and this builds my faith further. I am in awe of what God did for me and very thankful to the ministry of Freedom & Fire.