Indigenous Therapy in Practice of Psychiatry in India1

The cardinal principle in all forms of psychotherapy is to attempt to bring about optimum adjustment of an individual to his environment, so that personality functioning is maintained under conditions of maximum gratification and minimum frustration. All the ancient Indian systems of psychotherapy despite their variable, and at times even diametrically opposite techniques, ultimately aim at attainment of liberation. Psychophysiologic therapy (Yoga) represents a new and different approach to the treatment of neurotic and psychosomatic disorders. Patanjali propounded this theory many centuries ago, he explained that preoccupation with and feed back from environmental gratifications and frustrations is the root cause of many mental illnesses. The aim of this therapy is to minimize this pre-occupation, increase self-awareness and thereby produce better integration of the personality with resulting actualization of ones' creative potentialities. Patanjali Yoga has as its basic tenet, citta, vrithi, nirodha, or control of the flux of mind. Mind is sought to be silenced to the point of Shunya by control of the senses. This state of Shunya which transcedends the three familiar states of consciousness—waking, dreaming and dreamless sleep—is the state cf superconsciousness in which time ceases and the present movement becomes coextensive with eternity. For the practice of the yogic discipline of mental concentration through control of senses, a prerequisite is to be able to have control over the body, its voluntary musculature as well as its involuntary visceral functioning. Those who attend to and develop only the physical aspect of yoga are the Hatha yogies, those who concern themselves with the awakening of a mythical serpent power (Kundalini) are the Kundalini yogies ; while those who seek afte.the ultimate in yoga are the Mahayogies. Yoga consists cf eight steps : The first two steps are—Yama and Niyama. They are social and ethical in nature. The next three are—Asana, Pranayam and Pratyahara, which are methods to discipline the individual. Lastly the three main steps are called—Dharana, Dhayana and Samadhi. Though these arts are with us from times immemorial it is only in recent years