Patanjali's five kleshas (afflictions) identify ignorance, ego, attachment, aversion, and fear as root causes of suffering, providing a diagnostic framework for CBT interventions.
The kleshas—avidya (ignorance), asmita (ego/identification), raga (attachment), dvesha (aversion), and abhinivesha (fear of death/change)—are Patanjali's diagnosis of human suffering's root causes. This framework predates modern psychology yet maps remarkably onto conditions CBT treats: anxiety emerges from abhinivesha (fear of unwanted change), depression from asmita (identification with failure), and OCD from raga-dvesha cycles (craving and rejecting specific thoughts). Recognizing these kleshas helps practitioners understand that client suffering is not personal failure but natural mental patterns activated in everyone. This compassionate diagnosis reduces shame while clarifying intervention targets: CBT works by systematically addressing these afflictions through behavioral activation (avidya), exposure (dvesha), values work (raga), and defusion (asmita). Understanding the kleshas as ancient recognized patterns rather than individual pathology normalizes therapeutic work and connects modern treatment to timeless wisdom about human consciousness.
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