Kleshta: Core Wounds as Root Obstacles

Patanjali identifies five kleshta—afflictions that are the root cause of all suffering: ignorance (avidya), egoic identification (asmita), attachment (raga), aversion (dvesha), and fear of loss (abhinivesha). These are not mere thoughts but fundamental misperceptions about the nature of self and reality. In IFS language, kleshta are the core wounds held by exiles—the foundational beliefs about being unworthy, unsafe, or fundamentally flawed. Protective and manager parts organize around these kleshta to prevent their activation. Understanding kleshta transforms Parts work from symptom management into addressing root causes. Patanjali teaches that all other obstacles and suffering flow from these five. When IFS practitioners help clients access and work with exiles carrying kleshta, they're working at the source. The kleshta framework explains why the same protective strategies activate across different triggers: they all defend against these primal wounds. Healing kleshta liberates the entire system.