DEPRESSION AND PSYCHOLOGICAL EXHAUSTION

When the load becomes too heavy to carry alone.

Do you sometimes feel inwardly exhausted, as if your brain no longer has enough energy to keep "holding on"?

Some people describe periods when everything suddenly becomes much harder: thinking, working, responding to others, making decisions, getting out of bed, or simply facing daily life. These moments are often accompanied by rumination, crying spells, deep emotional fatigue, a need to withdraw — or conversely, an impression of continuing to function on the surface while collapsing inside.

Some people say:

"I can't hold on anymore." "It feels like my whole system is shutting down."

What depression does to the brain

Depression doesn't always show up as sadness. For some people, it takes more the form of deep exhaustion, a loss of drive, a difficulty mobilizing the energy needed to face daily life. Others describe a sense of inner emptiness, slowing down, or a progressive detachment from what used to give meaning to their life.

Contemporary neuroscience now helps us better understand these states. The human brain continuously regulates its energy expenditure based on the resources it perceives as available. When emotional demands become too great, when difficulties accumulate, or when the nervous system feels it has to carry everything alone, it can progressively cut back on certain expenditures.

Drive diminishes. Motivation becomes harder to mobilize. Thoughts slow down. Activities that used to bring pleasure lose their appeal. Withdrawal sometimes becomes the only available solution for a nervous system trying to preserve the resources it has left.

From this perspective, certain depressive states can be understood not as a brain malfunction, but as an attempt at adaptation in the face of a load that has become too heavy.

Depression as an experience of absent presence

A dimension of depression that is often overlooked concerns the role others play in regulating our psychological balance.

We tend to imagine the human brain as a system designed to function alone. Yet much research suggests that our brain continuously uses the presence of others as a resource. Trusting relationships, emotional support, the feeling of being understood or accompanied reduce part of the load the nervous system has to manage.

When these resources become insufficient — following a loss, isolation, prolonged relational tension, or sometimes a deep sense of loneliness despite the presence of others — the brain must carry alone what it had expected to share.

The energy cost then rises considerably.

Many depressive episodes arise in this context. Not because the person lacks willpower or motivation, but because their nervous system has long been trying to cope with resources that have become insufficient.

From this perspective, depression can sometimes be understood as the experience of an absence of presence: the absence of support stable enough to allow the brain to release part of the load it carries.

This is also why the healing process often involves a progressive restoration of presence — presence to oneself, presence of others, presence of relationships secure enough for the nervous system to gradually regain trust in its own resources.

How I work

Psychotherapy for depression and psychological exhaustion aims to understand what the nervous system is trying to manage through these states, and to help it progressively regain greater stability, energy, and inner security.

My approach integrates EMDR, trauma-centered therapies, ACT therapy, schema therapy, emotional regulation, and current knowledge from neuroscience. Depending on your situation, the work may focus on reprocessing difficult experiences, identifying certain relational schemas, developing new regulation capacities, or progressively rebuilding a sense of inner security.

The therapeutic relationship itself is often an important part of the process. It offers the experience of a stable, regular, and sufficiently secure presence, allowing the nervous system to progressively emerge from certain survival or exhaustion states.

The pace is always yours. The work is built progressively, respecting your history, your resources, and what you are ready to go through.

In person or via teleconsultation

Sessions can take place in person in Marseille or via secure teleconsultation.

To go further

Depending on your situation, you may wish to consult the following pages:

EMDR – Understanding how the reprocessing of difficult memories can support psychological healing.
Trauma – Better understanding the consequences of simple or complex psychological trauma.
Attachment – Understanding how the brain gradually learns whether it can rely on the presence of others.
Borderline Personality Disorder – Understanding the difficulties of emotional and relational regulation.
Anxiety – Understanding the mechanisms of worry, hypervigilance, and panic attacks.
Depression – Exploring the link between psychological exhaustion, loss of momentum, and a sense of disconnection.
Couples Therapy – Understanding relational dynamics and attachment difficulties within the couple.
Consultations – Practical information on consultations in Marseille or via teleconsultation.

Contact and appointment booking →

For a deeper exploration of the neuroscience of presence, you can also visit The Brain of Presence section.