Klesha: Root Causes Underlying Trauma Reactivity

Patanjali identifies five kleshas—ignorance (avidya), ego-identity (asmita), attachment (raga), aversion (dvesha), and fear of death (abhinivesha)—as root causes of mental suffering. While distinct from trauma's etiology, these universal patterns intensify and become entrenched through traumatic experience. A trauma survivor's nervous system develops exaggerated aversion (dvesha) to danger signals and intense attachment (raga) to safety. Fear of annihilation (abhinivesha) becomes acute. False identity forms around survival roles. Patanjali's framework reveals that trauma doesn't create new afflictions but amplifies existing human tendencies into pathological degrees. Understanding this prevents shame—the survivor is struggling with universal human patterns, not personal defect. The practical value: addressing kleshas directly through practices targets the root mechanism sustaining trauma reactivity. Rather than only processing traumatic content, practitioners work with the underlying existential patterns, enabling deeper and more stable transformation of how the nervous system relates to threat, safety, and existence itself.