Kleshas: The Five Afflictions Within Parts

The Yoga Sutras identify five fundamental kleshas or afflictions that bind consciousness: avidya (ignorance of true nature), asmita (ego and false identity), raga (attachment and craving), dvesha (aversion and rejection), and abhinivesha (fear of death and annihilation). These are not symptoms to eliminate but misunderstandings to illuminate. Each internal part operates from within one or more kleshas: a protector part might operate from abhinivesha (belief that vulnerability means annihilation), while a manager operates from avidya (ignorance that Self can hold complexity) and asmita (false identity as the one who must control). An exiled part may be trapped in raga (desperate attachment to a love that couldn't be) or dvesha (fierce rejection of its own vulnerabilities). Rather than pathologizing parts, recognizing kleshas reveals the underlying confusion each part operates from. Therapy becomes a process of illuminating these fundamental misunderstandings—helping the protector realize annihilation is not the actual risk, helping the manager recognize that Self is competent without controlling, helping the exile understand that vulnerability is not weakness. Patanjali teaches that directly seeing the klesha is liberating; in IFS, this means parts often transform when they're finally understood rather than fought.