Klesha Identification: Naming the Five Afflictions of Trauma

Patanjali identifies five kleshas—foundational mental afflictions that perpetuate suffering: avidya (ignorance of true nature), asmita (egoic identification), raga (attachment and craving), dvesha (aversion and repulsion), and abhinivesha (fear of death). C-PTSD survivors are locked in these patterns. Avidya manifests as not knowing they survived; asmita as identifying solely as "traumatized." Raga appears as desperate attachment to safety or the fantasized pre-trauma self. Dvesha creates rigid avoidance and hyperactive threat response. Abhinivesha becomes existential despair or suicidal ideation. By explicitly naming these kleshas as universal patterns rather than individual pathology, survivors gain distance and perspective. Therapeutic work becomes not eliminating these tendencies but loosening their grip through awareness and skillful action. Patanjali's framework suggests that C-PTSD symptoms are not arbitrary but rooted in fundamental misperceptions about reality, safety, and self—making healing an epistemological shift as much as a behavioral one.