Klesha: The Five Afflictions Driving Dysregulation

Patanjali identifies five kleshas—fundamental afflictions or ignorances—as the root sources of suffering: avidya (ignorance), asmita (false self-identification), raga (attachment/craving), dvesha (aversion/hatred), and abhinivesha (fear of annihilation). These aren't moral failings but psychological patterns universal to dysregulation. Avidya manifests when clients misunderstand their emotional triggers; asmita when identity becomes fused with emotional states ("I am anxious"); raga when desperate craving for relief intensifies dysregulation; dvesha when intense resistance to emotions amplifies them; abhinivesha when catastrophic thinking about emotions creates secondary panic. DBT implicitly addresses these patterns through validation and skills, but explicitly naming them through Patanjali's framework deepens client understanding. A dysregulated client might recognize how asmita (identifying as "the anxious person") amplifies anxiety, or how dvesha (fighting emotions) intensifies dysregulation. This framework also guides treatment planning: which klesh is most active? Is the client primarily struggling with ignorance (psychoeducation needed), false identification (distancing skills), craving (opposite action), aversion (acceptance skills), or catastrophizing (cognitive work)? Using klesha language helps clients understand dysregulation as comprehensible psychological patterns rather than random chaos.