Patanjali identifies five fundamental mental afflictions (ignorance, ego, attachment, aversion, fear) as sources of suffering, providing diagnostic clarity for DBT work.
Patanjali's kleshas are five root afflictions: avidya (ignorance), asmita (ego), raga (attachment), dvesha (aversion), and abhinivesha (fear of death/change). Emotionally dysregulated clients often suffer from all five simultaneously. Avidya manifests as not understanding their emotional patterns; asmita as shame-based identity around dysregulation; raga as desperate clinging to emotional states or people; dvesha as intense rejection of difficult emotions; abhinivesha as existential fear beneath reactive anger. This framework provides diagnostic specificity. Rather than viewing dysregulation as a unified problem, clients can identify which kleshas activate their emotional storms. Patanjali's teaching that kleshas are mechanical—not moral failures—reduces shame. DBT's skills directly address kleshas: mindfulness targets avidya, distress tolerance addresses dvesha, emotion regulation tackles raga, and interpersonal effectiveness challenges asmita. Understanding dysregulation through the klesha lens transforms emotional work from symptom suppression to philosophical transformation.
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