Patanjali's framework of five fundamental mental afflictions—ignorance, ego, attachment, aversion, and fear of death—that perpetuate traumatic patterns.
Patanjali identifies five kleshas (afflictions) at the root of human suffering: avidya (ignorance), asmita (ego), raga (attachment), dvesha (aversion), and abhinivesha (fear of death). This framework illuminates trauma's psychological structure. Trauma creates specific klesha patterns: ignorance about your capacity to heal, ego-identification with victim status, attachment to survival strategies that no longer serve, aversion to triggering material, and existential fear. Understanding these afflictions provides precise leverage for transformation. Avidya—not seeing clearly—keeps trauma sufferers stuck in distorted beliefs about danger and capability. Asmita—egoic identification—entrench identity as damaged. Raga and dvesha create compulsive approach-avoidance cycles around trauma material. Abhinivesha manifests as death anxiety or hypervigilance. By recognizing these five afflictions operating in your trauma response, you gain clarity about what to work with. Patanjali's framework transforms trauma from an overwhelming chaos into comprehensible patterns. Each klesha has specific yogic antidotes, providing a systematic map for psychological liberation.
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