Merely Me’s fine post on living in the present to deal with depression brought to mind a long-ago incident when I first understood the need to break the hold of the past. The problem then was my complete lack of consciousness about old patterns of behavior and how they still held me. All I knew was that something was going terribly wrong.

I had a part in a college play that seemed like a perfect match. Every moment in rehearsal was exciting as I released myself completely into the character. ...