It’s a bit complex, but
everything suggests that
the cells of your immune
system (NK cells and T and
B lymphocytes) are
especially sensitive to
feelings of helplessness...
such as the overwhelming
feeling that nothing can be
done to overcome the
disease — like those poor
rats that were afflicted with
shocks and had no way to
stop them. If it goes on long
enough in can result in the
loss of will to live. Just like
Seligman’s rats.
Humans, unlike the lab
animals, can rediscover the will to live. We can experience a decisive
turning point in the course of a disease.
Reconnecting with anything alive — the tree outside your window,
children running through the hallway or down the street, your dog or
cat, even the breaths you take — can prompt your immune system to
rally and fight on.
Shut down depression before it shuts down your immune
system.