It's been said that some people look at life through rose- colored lenses. When you become chronically depressed you look at life through ash-colored lenses. It taints how you see everything in your life.

To lend an example... I walked out into waiting room to greet a new client. I extended my hand and introduced myself. The gentleman replied with, "Hello, I'm Mr. Depression!" In all fairness, he said this in a funny manner. We each had a chuckle, but it gave me automatic insight into how deeply depression had sunk into this young man. We'll call him John.

By end of our initial session I was talking with John about how is life might be different if (listen closely here) he was a man "under attack from depression" vs. a man who "is depression." Do you see incredible difference here?

If I AM DEPRESSION... if that's who I am, how in world can I change WHO I AM? John immediately saw how he had over-identified with depression. He had lost his identity. This took about two years. His insight was a huge first step in putting distance between himself and depression.

In later sessions we had some fun. I had him create a name for depression problem. Then he completed a biography statement of depression problem, including traits, goals, dominant feelings etc. In a following session he brought a picture to represent depression problem, introduced problem to me by name and taught me about problem using mini-biography form I had given him.

This added great distance between him and depression. We didn't stop there. His next task was to complete an exercise in re-acquainting himself with who he was at his core (outside of depression).

This was a powerful exercise having to do with death and what was most important to him as he imagined that he was in his final days here on Earth. Although a painful exercise, it is a direct path to heart, making it very powerful.

And once you strip away all clutter in your life, heart holds truth about what is most dear to you --

Your CLEAR WATER!

In this aspect, person's poor tunnel-vision ultimately leads to anti-social or paranoid dilusional behavior. These persons are typically consumed by wreckless and intentional acts that advertantly cause mental and emotional neglect or harm to others around them. Negative tunnel thinkers are also inclined to be less apirational, non-motivated and lack self-restraint and discipline. Negative tunnel-vision thinking is a learned behavior, and may take years of psychological counseling to repair.

If there are any practicing psychologists, psychiatrists or counselors who have encountered this form of learned, mental behavior, I would like to hear his or her perspective on my hypothesis of tunnel-vision thinking. And, furthermore, would like to know if there are any counseling programs available for persons who suffer from this self-induced, mental illness. I will glady produce anonymous subject study cases for review and welcome any feedback in relation to tunnel-vision thinking -- both positive and negative aspects pertaining to this particular topic of review.

I also invite fellow readers to participate in my quest to obtain knowledge on this specific category. Do you know a positive tunnel-vision thinker? A negative tunnel-vision thinker? How has he or she effected your life? Are you a tunnel-vision thinker? What type of tunnel-vision thinker are you?

{NOTE: Although I am not a clinical psychologist, I have avidly observed and studied behavioral constitutions of countless persons (myself included) over course of 15+ years. What I have theoretically discovered is that there are a mariad of personality types. But what I realized most was that there are some negative and positive tunnel thinkers among us all. These tunnel thinkers tend to reveal themselves quite evidentually.}