Patanjali's five kleshas—fundamental mental afflictions including ignorance and attachment—map onto CBT's understanding of how distorted thinking perpetuates suffering across multiple domains.
The kleshas are five fundamental mental afflictions: avidya (ignorance), asmita (ego-identification), raga (attachment), dvesha (aversion), and abhinivesha (fear of death/loss). Patanjali taught that psychological suffering ultimately stems from these root patterns. CBT identifies similar underlying mechanisms: catastrophizing (aversion), perfectionism (attachment), core beliefs about worthlessness (asmita), and avoidance patterns (aversion/abhinivesha). While CBT typically works with surface thoughts and behaviors, understanding kleshas illuminates the deeper patterns driving them. Someone's health anxiety reflects klesha-driven thinking: fear of loss (abhinivesha), misidentification with the body (asmita), and fundamental misperception about safety (avidya). Patanjali's framework suggests lasting change requires addressing not just specific thoughts but the underlying psychological structures generating them. In CBT terms, this means working with core beliefs and schemas rather than only surface automatic thoughts. Therapists familiar with kleshas can help clients recognize these fundamental patterns operating beneath presenting symptoms, facilitating deeper transformation than symptom management alone.
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