== WE CAN HELP ==
Namaskar,
What if it were your son, or your spouse, or your father, or your aunt,
or your friend, or your colleague, who was the unfortunate victim of one
or more of the following:
* A young man returns to the US from war-torn Iraq and suffers
continually from recurring fears and phobias from his time spent there.
The soldier's mind is full of painful memories: Seeing the loss of his
friends and witnessing the needless deaths of countless civilians. Upon
return, he suffers from insomnia, panic-attacks, depression, and extreme
nervousness.
* A middle-aged woman awakens at night stricken by fearful recollections
of her childhood.
* A businessman suffers from extreme jealousy to a manic degree whenever
his faithful & dutiful wife interacts with any male person, for whatever
reason.
* A teenager who excels in both academics and athletics succumbs every
few weeks to severe panic attacks wherein he feels totally lost and
helpless such that he is unable to speak or even move.
* A grandma is deathly afraid of walking out the front door of her house
after dark because she thinks that ghosts will get her.
* A person, living in their own home with their caring family members,
feels lonely and despairs that no one loves them. They think that
everyone is plotting against them.
Tragically, all of these types of scenarios & more happen each and every
day to innocent & kind people all over the world.
Even worse, there is a remedy, but that treatment is not known to
medical practitioners or psycho-therapists, regardless of the country.
In all of the above cases, what is it that should be done? What is the
solution?
Unfortunately, what should be done-- i.e. what AM ideology offers-- is
not at all what is being practiced by today's professionals, not anywhere.
Hence, these treatable syndromes (manias, phobias, & psychic diseases
etc) turn into life-long debilitating problems that spread into all
aspects of their lives.
So we should all become acutely familiar with Baba's analysis of and
solution for these problems and help people around the globe become free
from these psychic ailments.
A CONTEMPORARY VIEW:
PSYCHIC DISEASES AND THEIR "TREATMENT"
At present, throughout this ultra-modern society, the psychic diseases
and disorders as described above are commonplace, if not rampant,
particularly in the west where extreme materialism is the norm.
But it is not only confined to the west. In many so-called developing
nations and sparsely populated areas, people suffer also-- either from
unfounded fears of the unknown or in so many other ways.
Often times it is we women who suffer most.
And all along, the proper treatment of such psychic diseases is totally
unknown to doctors and therepists. Time and again, these medical
professionals try to cure psychic diseases using medications that affect
the brain's chemical balance, when in fact that is not at all what is
needed. Rather that creates more harm.
Or in group therapy sessions, the victims and patients of similar types
of syndromes meet to discuss their problems-- reviewing them again and
again which only serves to remind them of their own suffering.
Our duty then is to bring Baba's ideas to the fore, because it is only
by His prescribed guidelines that such psychic diseases can be cured.
TWO BASIC ISSUES
There are two fundamental reasons why wrong or poor treatment is given
in the case of these psychic diseases.
1) Medical practitioners prescribe medicine for the organ of the brain
when it is the mind that is suffering, not the brain.
In that case a person comes to the doctor with a problem and is
prescribed powerful drugs that make the patient totally dull-witted and
solemn etc. And then when the patient awakens from his stupor-- days or
weeks later, he again suffers from the very same problem, and again that
potent drug is prescribed. So the process is a never-ending downward
spiral. Obviously it does not work to solve the problem.
2) Therapists direct the patient again and again to the illness, thereby
reinforcing the existence of the problem in the patient's own mind.
For example, a patient might be encouraged to discuss their fear in
detail, mapping out every aspect of the event. And then other patients
may comment or share what they suffered. In that way, hundreds of hours
of so-called therapy will pass. Until finally, a person's mind is
totally sunk and engrossed in their own problem.
Thus, as Baba points out, these are not the proper ways to address
psychic diseases and illnesses.
BABA'S ASSESSMENT
According to Baba, we must remember that psychic diseases are different
from brain diseases in that there is nothing physically wrong with the
patient. Rather, a negative thought, faulty idea, or painful vision gets
projected again and again onto one's mental plate and that creates
horror and terror in the mind of the individual. Specifically, it is the
repeated appearance of a negative idea in the objectivated mind-- one's
object of thinking-- that leads to all the problems.
For instance, if a mother again and again recalls the day when her baby girl
drowned in the swimming pool, then when that image comes into her mind that
is her objectivated mind. And when this happens in an uncontrolled manner, i.e. if
that negative image can come anytime without any reason, then that is a
psychic disease.
And now here Baba discusses this in greater detail.
Baba says, "Various psychic diseases may arise if there is any defect in
the process of the objectivization of mind. Remember that psychic
disease and brain disease are not the same thing; they are quite
different. Brain disease occurs due to some disorder in a part of the
brain, or due to a congenital defect, or perhaps due to hereditary
causes which hamper the proper formation of the brain. Mental disease is
different. It arises due to a disorder in the objectivated mind, in the
first stage in the process of subjectivization. Many people who, while
creating thoughts in their objectivated minds, repeatedly form the same
image out of weakness or fear, suffer from a mental disease called
mania." (APH-5)
So it is, that all psychic diseases-- from manias to phobias to mental
disorders-- are rooted in one's own way of thinking, in one's own
thought process. That is Baba's pointed directive.
In that case, the only way to rid the patient of the problem, i.e. the
only way to cure the patient fully, is to counteract that negative
thought pattern. That is Baba's given solution.
Unfortunately, the nature of these psychic diseases is neither known nor
properly treated throughout the globe and in that state, millions suffer
unnecessarily, day in and day out, from psychic problems-- causing great
pain to themselves and their families.
Yet, from day 1 they could have been cured.
BABA'S SOLUTION
Baba's prescribed remedy is very methodical and strikes at the very root
of the problem.
First and foremost one is to do sadhana and try to undo those old negative
thought patterns by introducing positive ways of thinking.
So if someone feels that nobody loves them then we should goad their
mind to think that they are loved by all-- and have that idea reinforced
in their daily life. And they should sing kiirtan and sit for a few
minutes of sadhana regularly throughout the day. If the person is already
an Ananda Margii then they must sit for all their lessons twice daily.
In another case. if one is suffering from recurring visions
or nightmares, they should be wholly immersed in a new and dynamic
environment that will help wash away those old memories. In brief,
their old way of thinking must be replaced by something entirely new and
positive. That is the only way to cure one of psychic diseases. Their
objectivated mind must take one a new colour-- a new way of thinking.
And this must be done in a concerted manner. And of course, sadhana
should be encouraged.
Ultimately, as the patient gains more and more mental balance then they
should be encouraged to do more and more spiritual practices as it is
kiirtan and sadhana that will ultimately cleanse, purify, and recharge
the mind.
Baba says, "Most psychic diseases, if not all, grow out of the defective
control over the objectivated mind. If one is alert, any trouble can be
avoided. Those who regularly practise iishvara pran'idha'na or dhya'na
(meditation) can remain free from these diseases, as their minds will
remain in a balanced state. One of the numerous benefits of sa'dhana' is
that it keeps the mind free from psychic disease and encourages the
natural growth of the mind." (APH-5)
Here the whole idea is that when mind is fillled with Cosmic ideation then
there is no scope for those old negative memories to get expressed.
All in all this is a large-scale and serious topic that needs to be
addressed in all parts of the globe. Because psychic diseases are
present everywhere and are only cropping up more and more.
BABA'S BLESSING
By Baba's grace, He has given us the perfect remedy for curing humanity
from untold angst and torment. We should understand the problem and
offer the solution-- gently and carefully guiding patients and normal
citizens alike onto the path of sadhana.
Namaskar,
Mirabai
Note 1: MORE ABOUT PSYCHIC DISEASES
While psychic diseases are numerous in number, here Baba describes about
certain psychic diseases in greater detail so we can understand how they
work. Again, the recurring theme is the thoughts that a person harbors
in their mental plate, in their objectivated mind.
Baba says, "Another case in point is hydrophobia. Suppose a dog has
bitten a person and the person has become terribly frightened. Their
objectivated mind sees only the images of dogs, dogs on all sides. This
is called hydrophobia. Therefore, humans should have full control over
their objectivated minds to avert serious psychic problems." (APH-5)
Baba says, "Moreover, because of problems in the objectivated mind,
people suffer from various psychic complexes. For example, there are
those who are inclined to think that no one, neither their friends and
relatives nor even their domestic animals, cares to think of them. They
unnecessarily think that everyone deliberately avoids them, dislikes
them, or ignores them, and therefore they become disappointed, dejected,
and dispirited. Life loses all its charm and attraction for them, and
they may even commit suicide. This type of mania is called melancholia."
(APH-5)
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How Meaningful
Baba says, "A jiiva is manifested out of Paramashiva as a jiiva in human
body-- or rather, simultaneously in the Cosmic Body and in a human body.
Each and every microcosmic structure is like a universe. Hence the yoga
of scriptures say, Traelokye ya'ni bhu'ta'ni ta'ni dehatah-- 'Whatever
exists in the universe exists in your small structure as well." (DKG, p.19)
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