Meditation can be a very effective means of dealing with depression, even deep depression.  It also benefits those suffering from anxiety.  I personally beat depression and suicidal PTSD with meditation, one that is based on grounding and activating my chakras and energy system.  There are many different forms of meditation and each one will be attracted to what works for them.  

There is more and more medical research into the relationship between meditation and depression, and it is very positive.  It is becoming accepted by the medical community as a cure by itself or treatment in conjunction with medical treatment.

The links below point out that meditation can indeed beat depression, and I'll include a brief introduction and the full stories will be at the links. 

http://www.naturalnews.com/024986_meditation_depression_health.html

Study Finds Non-Drug Meditation Treatment Beats Depression

Tuesday, December 02, 2008

(NaturalNews) Clinical depression is far more than feeling blue. According to the National Institutes of Health, more than 20 million people in the U.S. have persistant depression that can interfere with everyday life, impact health and even lead to suicide. Now, for the first time, a study has shown that treatment based on meditation is an effective alternative to prescription drugs, even for people suffering from serious, long-term depression.

The research, just published in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, found that the group-based psychological treatment called Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) was as good or better as treatment with anti-depressants like Prozac in preventing a relapse of serious depression -- and the non-drug therapy was more effective in enhancing quality of life. What's more, the study concluded MBCT is cost-effective in helping people with a history of depression stay well for the long term.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090423210055.htm

Meditation Provides Hope For People With Depression

http://www.freemeditation.ca/benefits-of-meditation/meditation-helps-with-depression/

Explains the benefits of meditation for depression in a study done by the University of Exeter, UK.  The site doesn't copy but the full story is at the above link.

http://www.altmd.com/Articles/Meditation-for-Depression

Meditation for Depression

Meditation is a technique that can be used to alleviate symptoms of depression. Often it is used in conjunction with conventional allopathic treatments such as the prescription of antidepressants and psychoanalysis. Recent research done by medical specialists has found that meditation works to alter brain activity. These findings are largely documented from the use of brain scans that map brain activity. Western practitioners are also collaborating with Eastern experts in meditation to figure out how meditation eases depression. One such information exchange took place at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, where medical researchers presented their data and exchanged ideas about meditation with his Holiness, the Dalai Lama. Such pursuit of holistic treatment is promising for people suffering from depression and offers tangible solutions to the condition.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/24731/how_meditation_helps_depression.html?cat=5

The current research in the scientific world is proving what for centuries, if not millennia, mystics have been saying all along, that meditation is a key step in the process of purifying the body, mind, and spirit. When we examine the power that meditation has over the spirit, the spirit’s influence over the mind, and then the mind’s influence over mental and physical health, it is made plain to us the interconnectedness of all aspects of the complete person. It has long been accepted that we are what we eat, could it also be that we are what we think? How many times do we feel ourselves stuck in psychological patterns, victims to our own emotional addictions? I believe that meditation can have and does have a profound affect on the physical, emotional, and spiritual well being of all individuals. After having experienced periods of mental duress and depression in recent years, I turned to meditation and now yoga to aid me in taking charge of my mind. I will examine the way that our thoughts can affect our mind and body in addition to our spirit by discussing current trends in neuroscience. Then I will explore one example of how meditation is being used by psychologists to break these patterns using a technique called Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/meditation-for-depression/MY00687

May 13, 2009

Blog: Using meditation for depression

By Gabrielle J. Melin, M.D.

I view meditation as a way to invest time in you and you alone each day. We commit ourselves to many activities every day. Many of these activities likely are commitments to other people. Find a place that is relatively quiet to meditate and devote 10 or 15 minutes to meditation. Make it work for you. You can buy tapes, CDs, written affirmations or other material to help you meditate. Alternatively, you can repeat positive statements in your head, sing a song to yourself or visualize a peaceful place. Try different methods and find what works for you. Meditation is a powerful depression treatment tool and you will see results in a short time. You can use this virtually anywhere, anytime. Empower yourself, and share with others if you've had success using meditation for depression.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/mental_health/article6975797.ece

January 5, 2010

GPs should prescribe meditation for depression, says Mental Health Foundation

Meditation therapy should be routinely available on the NHS to treat recurring depression and to help tackle Britain’s growing mental health problems, according to a new report.

The study, commissioned by the Mental Health Foundation, found that fewer than one in 20 GPs prescribed meditation therapy for patients suffering depression, despite NHS guidance suggesting that it could halve depression relapse rates.

The report calls for much wider use of “mindfulness” treatment, which combines meditation with orthodox “thought training”. The report argues that if more GPs offered the therapy it would sharply reduce the financial burden of depression, which costs Britain £7.5 billion a year.

Mental health specialists said that greater use of meditation would reduce an over-reliance on antidepressants.

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