Patanjali's five psychological afflictions explain why trauma persists and how to systematically dismantle each root cause.
Patanjali identifies five kleshas (afflictions) that cloud consciousness: avidya (ignorance), asmita (ego), raga (attachment), dvesha (aversion), and abhinivesha (fear of death). These directly illuminate trauma psychology. Avidya causes survivors to misidentify with trauma rather than seeing it as a passing experience. Asmita inflates the ego's wound—'I am broken'—rather than recognizing resilience. Raga creates desperate attachment to a pre-trauma identity. Dvesha manifests as intense avoidance of reminders and emotions. Abhinivesha appears as hypervigilance and fear-based decision-making. By mapping trauma's maintenance system through the kleshas framework, Patanjali offers targeted intervention points. Healing becomes methodical: recognizing each klesha, understanding its false view, and cultivating its opposite quality. This framework transforms trauma recovery from vague emotional work into precise psychological dismantling. Each klesha has specific practices for its resolution, creating a comprehensive pathway from trauma's grip to freedom.
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