Contact: Erika Castle, 719-598-5869

GREENVILLE, South Carolina, Jan. 10 /Christian Newswire/ -- Forget short days, cold weather, or not getting that iPod. According to a leading Christian counselor, one of the primary causes of post-holiday depression among Christians is simply the realization that what we believe is itself pretty depressing.

"Many Christians get depressed after the holidays because Christmas is supposed to be the height of their Christian experience--and it turns out to be a pretty dismal view," says Laura Baker, founder of South Carolina-based Prasso Ministries. "They try to do all of the Christian activities at Christmas--family devotions, church services, even the Christmas Eve scripture readings--and then they become depressed that it was all so underwhelming. Activities, though good, do not fill the void in one's soul."

The phenomenon is actually so common yet so unrecognized that Baker had to coin a phrase to describe it: Getting Prassoed. "Getting Prassoed is the experience of believing you have your faith all sorted out and then being depressed by the result."

The solution, says Baker, is not to change faiths. Instead, she advocates re-build your existing faith from scratch. "Faith is like building blocks," she notes. "Sometimes the blocks get knocked over. Sometimes they get scattered all around the playroom. The problem is not the blocks. It's the way they're stacked."

The period after the holidays is a particularly fitting time to restack one's blocks, in Baker's view. To that end, Baker's website, www.myprasso.com, offers a Prasso Ministries 12-week study workbook to enable Christians to get beyond Getting Prassoed. The first lesson--on God as Father--is available for free download. "The foundation of the Christian faith is not the Christmas holiday," notes Baker. "It's a loving relationship with God as our Father. The best way I know to overcome post-holiday depression is to work that truth down deep into our souls. He will fill the void with Himself."

Laura Baker founded Prasso Ministries after hearing of a friend's secret of sexual abuse, hidden for 17 years. Laura wanted to help wounded Christians in a way that was devoid of clichés and empty sympathy. Out of this, Prasso Ministries was formed to transform the way Christians view serious wounds and depression.

To find out more about how Prasso Ministries material can help overcome post-holiday depression, visit www.myprasso.com. While there, don't forget to sign up for Prasso's weekly e-devotional "Prasso Passages."