Depression is a global issue, affecting an estimated 251 to 310 million people worldwide, according to the Global Health Data Exchange. Its impact on relationships can be profound, leaving the affected individual and their partner feeling helpless and confused. Mental health symptoms like lethargy, a diminished ability to express empathy, anxiety, and isolation can erode the emotional connection between partners. This disconnection can sometimes lead to co-dependency or resentment, further straining the relationship.
When emotional connections start to fray, relationships often fall into patterns of unconscious love, where expectations, role-playing, and compromise take center stage. It’s essential to explore the trauma stored in the unconscious mind to heal these dynamics and understand its impact on our relationships.
Often, people are drawn to each other by unresolved trauma or karma. Unhealed trauma can cause long-term pain and developmental challenges, deeply influencing relationship dynamics. Trauma can damage our capacity for trust, connection, and mutuality, making it difficult to form healthy relationships. Moreover, trauma doesn’t just affect the present; it can be passed down through generations, accumulating and intensifying over time. This phenomenon, known as the collective unconscious, can shape our thoughts, behaviors, and actions, even if we aren’t directly aware of its origins. Essentially, everyone carries some form of trauma, whether from personal experiences or inherited from past generations.
Many people struggling with trauma find themselves chronically out of sync with those around them. Throughout history, substances like alcohol, drugs, and tranquilizers have been used to cope with traumatic stress. While these offer temporary relief, they don’t provide lasting solutions. Similarly, psychotropic drugs, including antidepressants, antipsychotics, and anti-anxiety medications, are commonly prescribed in mainstream psychiatry. However, these medications don’t cure trauma; they merely suppress its symptoms without teaching lasting self-regulation. Although they can manage emotions and behavior temporarily, they interfere with the brain’s systems governing engagement, motivation, pain, and pleasure.
The widespread use of antidepressants raises questions about their impact on relationships. A 2011 report by the National Center for Health Statistics revealed that approximately 11% of Americans over the age of 12 are on these drugs. Antidepressants come with side effects, such as disinterest in relationships or sex, insomnia, and agitation, all of which can strain intimacy in a relationship.
In 2016, the medical journal Patient Preference and Long-Term Effects of Antidepressants published findings on the side effects associated with prolonged antidepressant use. The results were striking: 72% of users reported sexual problems, 65% experienced an inability to reach orgasm, 65% gained weight, and 65% felt emotionally numb. Additionally, many users reported not feeling like themselves (54%), reduced positive feelings (46%), and even feeling as if they were addicted to the medication (43%). Alarmingly, 36% felt less caring toward others, and the same percentage experienced suicidal thoughts.
These side effects have a direct impact on intimacy and love relationships. If you’re in a romantic relationship without feeling romance or sexual satisfaction, it begs the question: what’s the point?
These observations highlight the intricate connections between interpersonal dynamics, trauma, antidepressant use, and mental health. Navigating these complexities reveals the importance of living consciously through our relationships. Developing new ways to live more consciously often happens through interactions with others, underscoring relationships’ crucial role in fostering awareness and growth. As a stabilizing force, conscious love is essential in transforming our love relationships.