Depression & low mood
Heaviness that does not lift, loss of interest and a body that has stopped mobilising. We work with the physiology of collapse rather than trying to argue you out of how you feel, gently and at a pace that does not ask more of you than you have.
Depression is often a nervous system out of fuel
Depression rarely feels like sadness. More often it feels like weight, distance, or a kind of switching-off, as though something inside has decided to conserve energy and stopped negotiating about it. Getting up costs more. Messages go unanswered. Things you cared about are still there, factually, but they no longer reach you.
From a nervous system perspective this is not weakness or a bad attitude. When mobilising has been too costly for too long, after prolonged stress, grief, loneliness, chronic overwork, or old experiences that were never fully digested, the body can shift into a protective shutdown. That state is intelligent in its own way and it is also miserable to live inside.
So we do not treat low mood as something to be argued out of. We work with the physiology of collapse, at a pace that does not ask more of you than you have.
What people describe
- Low mood that has stopped lifting on its own
- Heaviness, fatigue, or a body that feels weighted down
- Loss of interest in things that used to matter
- Sleeping too much or too little; appetite changes
- Harsh self-criticism, guilt and a sense of being a burden
- Difficulty concentrating or making even small decisions
- Hopelessness, or trouble imagining the future
- Isolation and the exhaustion of pretending to be fine
Important: what this is and isn't
I am a counsellor and Somatic Experiencing® Practitioner, not a licensed psychologist, psychiatrist or doctor in Sweden. I do not diagnose depression, I do not prescribe or advise on medication and counselling with me is not a substitute for medical treatment.
If your low mood has persisted for more than two weeks, is affecting your sleep, eating, work or relationships, or you are considering medication, please also contact your doctor or vårdcentral (1177 for healthcare advice in Sweden). Many people do best with both: medical care for the biological side and counselling for the lived experience.
If you are in crisis or having thoughts of ending your life, please seek immediate help rather than waiting for an appointment: 112 in an emergency, or Mind Självmordslinjen on 90101, available around the clock. My practice is not a crisis service and I will always say so honestly if you need a level of care I cannot provide.
How we work with it
We start smaller than you expect. In a shutdown state, ambitious goals confirm the sense of failure. We look for the smallest available movement, a slightly longer breath, warmth in the hands, the impulse to stretch and let capacity build from there.
We work with collapse physically, not just conversationally. Depression has a posture and a breath pattern. Meeting those directly, gently and without forcing, often shifts mood before insight does.
We make space for what was never allowed. Underneath flatness there is frequently grief, anger or protest that had nowhere to go. When those can move safely, energy usually returns with them, this is often the turning point.
We look at the history without blaming you for it. Loneliness, over-responsibility, early experiences of not being met, long periods of pushing through: these shape a nervous system's willingness to mobilise. Understanding them tends to loosen self-blame, which is itself part of what keeps depression in place.
We go at your pace, including the weeks when nothing much happens. Recovery from a depleted state is not linear and sessions where you simply arrive and are met are not wasted ones.
Practical details
Format
60-minute individual sessions, online or in person in Stockholm. Weekly or fortnightly to start and we can keep sessions quiet and low-demand.
First step
A free 15-minute introductory call. Length, fee and cancellation are set out on the Inside a session page.
Inside a session →Languages
English and Serbian / Croatian / Bosnian / Montenegrin, which often matters when you have little energy for a second language.
Questions people ask me
What is the difference between low mood and depression?
Low mood usually comes and goes and something in your life can still reach you. Depression tends to settle in and stay: it flattens sleep, appetite, energy, interest and hope, often for weeks or months and it stops responding to the things that used to help. The distinction matters for care, not for whether you deserve support, you do not have to qualify as depressed to bring low mood here.
Are you able to treat depression?
I want to be precise about this. I am not a licensed psychologist or a doctor in Sweden and I do not diagnose or treat depression as a medical condition. What I offer is psychological counselling for the experience of depression and low mood, the heaviness, the collapse, the loss of interest and self-worth, informed by my training in counselling, body psychotherapy and Somatic Experiencing®. For many people that works well alongside medical care rather than instead of it.
Should I see a doctor as well?
If your low mood has lasted more than a couple of weeks, is affecting sleep, eating or your ability to function, or you are wondering about medication, please also speak with your doctor or vårdcentral. Depression can also have physical contributors, thyroid, iron, B12, pain, medication side effects, that are worth ruling out. I am glad to work alongside medical care and I will say clearly if I think you need more support than counselling alone.
What if I am having thoughts of harming myself?
Please reach out for immediate support rather than waiting for a session. In Sweden, call 112 in an emergency, 1177 for urgent healthcare advice, or Mind Självmordslinjen on 90101 (open around the clock). Ongoing counselling with me is not a crisis service and cannot hold acute risk safely on its own, but it can be part of your support once you are safe.
I have no energy for therapy. Can I still start?
Yes and this is the most common worry people bring. Depression is a low-capacity state, so the work is built for low capacity: short, slow, quiet sessions where nothing has to be performed. You do not need to arrive articulate, insightful, or improved.
Why work with the body when the problem feels like my thoughts?
Because depression is rarely only in thought. There is usually a physical shape to it: heaviness, collapse in the chest and shoulders, slowed breath, a body that has stopped mobilising. When we work gently with that shape, thoughts often loosen on their own, which is more sustainable than arguing with them.