by Dr Raghuram Y.S. MD (Ay) & Dr Manasa S, B.A.M.S
Jnana or Prajna, in line with Grasp Charaka is among the most vital instruments of Sattvavajaya Chikitsa or Ayurveda Psychotherapy. Jnana means non secular data or understanding. As part of Sattvavajaya Chikitsa, Jnana device is used to instill the non secular data and data of ‘self’ in order to create consciousness about self and self-worth. It’s a non secular method in the direction of therapeutic the ailing thoughts. It’s also used as a preventive device.
Definition of Jnana
Jnana is outlined as ‘Adyatma Jnanam’. Atyatma or atma are the phrases associated to spirituality. Adyatma Jnana means non secular data, non secular understanding or data about self.
Data and implementation of Jnana as remedy in psychiatric illnesses additionally entails introspection. Introspection is a strong device in realizing the worth of self which is able to change the sequence of a person’s life graph as soon as she or he begins wanting inwards. It’s a sort of private diary written on the stage of consciousness, accepting the realities pertaining to self and embracing them – a documentation of acceptance and confessions inside our deep self. This will both be completed by volunteering or by being guided by consultants / psychotherapists. Sooner or later of time, Jnana observe will turn into a gamechanger within the lifetime of the particular person ailing from psychological issues. The way in which she or he would take a look at themselves, on the world and other people round them and his or her connectivity with the creation might be totally different from what they had been earlier than being launched to this priceless data.
Purpose and objective of Jnana Remedy
The goal and objective of Jnana remedy might be to introduce the particular person to his interior self i.e. atman – the private soul and understand his or her true identification. It’s also to make the particular person really feel that he’s a microscopic a part of macrocosm, a minutest a part of an even bigger self – the paramatma part. This realization is essential for psychological and non secular consciousness if the particular person is wholesome and on a path of non secular journey or psychological and non secular therapeutic in these affected by power psychological illnesses. It’s therapeutic and preventive remedy.
Different meanings of Jnana
The time period Jnana has totally different meanings. They’re,
– Knowledge
– Intelligence
– Thought course of
– Data
– Conscience
– Consciousness
– Consciousness
– Cognition
When used as a remedy, Jnana would goal at bettering these entities and dimensions associated to the thoughts. Primarily, the phrase Jnana refers to non secular remedy.
Guided Jnana Remedy: Perception oriented remedy method
It is extremely vital that the affected person volunteers into Jnana remedy for impression outcomes however initially she or he must be guided by skilled Ayurveda psychologists.
On this remedy, the affected person is supported in order that she or he develops an perception about themselves. They’re made to judge and monitor self. This may assist them to grasp the basis supply of their drawback. They need to be inspired to disclose what they discover and uncover within the means of the remedy. This helps the particular person to adapt to aggravating situations and in addition to attain emotional maturity. Due to this fact, Jnana remedy is also called ‘insight driven / oriented therapy’.
Significance of Satya Buddhi within the growth of Adyatma Jnana
Adyatma Jnana is a data which makes one understand that Brahma or absolute Atma is the one reality and nothing else. It’s the most important a part of Jnana remedy. Grasp Charaka emphasizes that Satya Buddhi – Samyak Jnana or true data because the supply and route map, device for attaining the Adyatma Jnana or Atma Jnana.
Satya Buddhi
↓
Adyatma Jnana / Atma Jnana
↓
Decreases egoism or ahamkara
↓
Decreases and destroys Upadha (inclination in the direction of needs and desires) which is the principle root trigger for every kind of Dukha – miseries.
↓
Individual begins complete disinclination and full avoidance of Upadha as she or he realizes that it’s the root of all their issues, miseries and illnesses.
↓
Individual will get relieved from all of the illnesses and will get relieved of rajas and tamas.
↓
Will turn into a Jnani i.e. a discovered and realized one, similar to an Apta (Aptas additionally get relieved of their rajas and tamas via their Jnana and Tapas).
Position of Manas and Indriyas in acquiring Jnana
For cognition or complete data to be obtained, the indriyartha i.e. object of sense, indriya i.e. sense organ, manas i.e. thoughts, buddhi i.e. mind and atma i.e. soul – all of those must be in a linear equation and well-coordinated on the similar time. If even any one in every of them is absent or out of the equation, cognition in its proper sense is just not attainable. As already mentioned, satya budhi is important for correct jnana.
If there’s improper coordination between the sense organs and sense objects – both deficit, extra or perverted or when the thoughts is deviated or diseased, the data obtained is not going to be in its true sense. This will likely additionally happen attributable to deflection or deviation of dhi, Dhriti and smriti parts. When this happens, the particular person will consciously commit errors and sins and from thereon retains getting trapped or stays trapped within the internet of miseries and guilt.
Due to this fact, the particular person immaterial of being wholesome or diseased, must be educated about Jnana and the interference of asatmya indriyartha samyoga and prajnaparadha as obstacles within the means of procuring jnana in the correct sense. This data will assist the particular person to forestall or get cured from psychological issues.
Dhi, Dhriti and Smriti – the parts of Jnana
The parts of Jnana – data / cognition embrace –
– dhi (mind),
– dhrti (braveness, controlling energy) and
– smrti (reminiscence)
Promotion of Jnana or data / cognition is an enormous a part of Sattvavajaya Chikitsa. Sattvavajaya Chikitsa as a complete, additionally consists of numerous strategies and methods of bettering the cognition and its parts i.e. dhi and so forth (talked about above).
When cognition is promoted, it helps in understanding and understanding what’s right and what’s fallacious. It helps one to keep away from misguided methods of desirous about one thing and understanding them in a fallacious approach. This helps one to correctly perceive the life philosophy and to know self and self-worth via introspection. One can be taught the life phenomenon and its spirituality. This could make us higher selves and to eliminate destructive ideas and signs of thoughts dysfunction. The thoughts and its attributes might be put right into a state of steadiness and we might get pleasure from psychological well being.
Jnana remedy is each preventive and healing when it comes to its advantages. If the particular person is already wholesome, it is going to assist in reaching steadiness of trigunas of thoughts i.e. sattva, raja and tama and assist in retaining them in a state of serene steadiness and would enrich the psychological well being. However, if the particular person is ailing from some psychological dysfunction, it could assist in negating the negativities, fine-tone the thoughts, create consciousness and sharpen the cognition in the direction of self-realization and introspection and heal the ailing thoughts within the course of. It can additionally steadiness the dhi, Dhriti and smriti parts that are very a lot important for a psychological steadiness and complete psychological and non secular well being.
Jnana remedy can also be an vital and important part in treating many psychological and psychosomatic issues.
Auto-correction – All of us get destructive ideas as a lot as we get the optimistic ideas. It’s fairly pure to get many destructive ideas. Many instances, they’re spontaneous and automated. We don’t plan these destructive ideas, they only come over and naturally pose hindrance within the means of cognition. We have to diagnose, acknowledge and proper these destructive ideas. Individuals creating destructive ideas must be skilled about this. This may be successfully completed by reattribution remedy.
Reattribution methods or remedy – Some persons are victims of ‘self-blame’. They’re obsessive of blaming themselves for something occurring with them or attributable to them. She or he thinks, believes strongly or perceives that they’re themselves the causes for all their issues and drawback occasions. Clearly, they’re caught within the internet of guilt. Reattribution method checks the automated ideas and assumptions by contemplating different causes of occasions. In brief, this method will assist the shoppers ‘reattribute’ their destructive ideas to different causes of destructive occasions. The particular person will understand {that a} destructive occasion or occasions will be attributable to oceans of causes and they’re all the time not answerable for these occasions. This may assist them unplug themselves from the net of ‘self-blame’ and guilt and get well from fixed psychological wavering.
Religious understanding – Individuals must be made to grasp the non secular perspective of life. The significance of life and its goal shall be elaborated via numerous strategies in order that they begin valuing ‘self’. This may assist them to worth life and others included therein. This will even give them a perspective of ‘atma – self’ and to appreciate that they’re a microscopic a part of a macrocosm, an even bigger self – paramatma.
Demolishing irrational perception – Many individuals affected by cognitive issues or with psychological issues may have maladaptive assumptions or considering. It refers to a perception or beliefs which can be false and rationally unsupported. These beliefs must be recognized, examined and discarded.
Decentring – It is part of cognitive remedy. It’s a course of which incorporates making one step outdoors his or her psychological occasions resulting in an goal non-judging stance in the direction of self. Herein the particular person will have the ability to step outdoors of his or her quick expertise which is able to finally change the very nature of expertise. It consists of inducing a capability to watch ideas or emotions as momentary occasions within the thoughts fairly than true occasions or the flexibility to objectively see the ideas and emotions from the angle of a 3rd particular person and never self. This may assist in contemplating them as occasions fairly than truths about self.
These methods could embrace many assignments and duties / actions together with –
– scheduling of actions
– homework assignments
– behavioural rehearsal
– graded job task
– function play
– educating drawback fixing expertise and so forth
Different strategies of enhancing cognition
Sufferers must be made to discriminate between good and dangerous and in addition to make proper selections in numerous conditions or life circumstances. This consists of educating individuals about the correct and contextual which means and significance of dharma, Artha and kama and righteous methods of reaching them. The data of the identical would turn into ‘self-help’ methods.
They need to be taught in regards to the idea and true which means of well being and illness, in regards to the line which differentiates them. They need to even be educated in regards to the worth of well being which is able to allow them to steer a superb and significant life. Affected person’s household too must be supplied with optimistic steerage in order that they’ll present the very best assist and assist to her or him. They need to be skilled to grasp his or her well being and strategies of coping up with the identical and in addition to be calm, courteous and compassionate with the affected person immaterial of the state of affairs.
Relation with different therapies of Sattvavajaya Chikitsa
The opposite therapies included underneath Sattvavajaya Chikitsa are – Vijnana – scriptural data, Dhairya – instilling braveness, Smriti – re-toning the reminiscence course of and Samadhi – meditation. Jnana will be thought-about and carried out as an element and parcel of non secular coaching and psychotherapy both alone or together with a number of of the opposite talked about therapies. When these therapies are mixed in a skilful approach, therapeutic of thoughts might be complete.
