God and depression

When depression goes too deep, or one is working with schizophrenia, you encounter a situation in which the person doesn't have a relationship to others or even with their memories of others.

At this place, past memory, what is present is their relationship to God. This is touched on by Erikson as basic trust vs. mistrust, and interestingly, such patients can't even let themselves imagine things working out for them, or what a future happy life might be like for them.

At this place were fantasy isn't even allowed, there is always a God to be found that these people are angry with or don't trust. On top of that, they can often feel "spiritually attacked" or "tortured".

It is always important, however, to not just be satisfied with finding one relationship to God. There are the two poles of egoism and altruism, and very often there are at least two relationships to God here. 

Additionally, there is also the relationship to the body at this stage. To talk about God or the soul also means to have repressed the body, and the body is a repository of projections or displacements.

In this place of God and basic distrust, the respiratory system is the salient place of anger (and the chronic muscular tensions that hold it back there).  

I still don't know how to work with the somatic expression here, but I've had success with exploring the relations to God, Body, and oftentimes dreams about the world, as they relate to actual relationships in their lives. Affect comes up that had been repressed there, and some relief is gained. It's not all that is required, but it's a start.