Dear Sir,

Although I am far away from India (Hungary, Central Europe) I read your letter to the editor, because cultural issues considering psychotherapy has always been fascinating to me. I think the problem you raise in your letter is universal: common people are not familiar to psychiatric or even psychotherapic concepts, so you have to translate these to them. As I guess these are different words for the same phenomena. We do the same, when we use methaphors and analogues that are rooted in the concepts of our patients. In India you are lucky to have such a rich tradtion concerning everyday and transcendent psychological functioning. It is a good idea to use them for the benefit and mental health of your patients.

Best wishes,

András Láng

It is a good idea and initiative. many people are thinking on that line, but you need to understand the politics of the discipline. In India, Psychiatry is very much influenced by the West and leaders are looking to the West.

In such a scenario, I appreciate your initiative. Do let me know, if I can be of any help.

Please reads this paper. Might be of your interest.

Article: Mental Health in India: Issues and concerns

Anant Kumar

Journal of Mental Health and Ageing. 09/2002; 8:255-260.

Best wishes, Anant

Okay. Let me read. Then I will let you know what kind of help is needed by me.

In which website I will find it?

Well, thats one of the things that we have to start with Indianization of much of medical data and regimens. I work in field of neurophysiology and neuropsychiatry with use of instrumentation and works on CBT, BFB etc and concerning research. You have good thinking, do let know about what you wish. yes, in India the approach to and within the psychiatry differs markedly than in west but still lot can be done sp on psychothx and CBT etc.

GoodLuck.

I just went thrugh your writeup... I'd say to practise psychiatry its more important to understand the population, the individual the culture and the life.. we have to first understand fully what those ancient scriptures which are also valid science, written for and what they mean for the people and what they'are being inerpreted for? One fed on western thoughts or even western science which we in modern medicine are, are bound to make error on this part.. so one has to be cautious in treading ..

I am waiting for some working formulation to come up from within me or from you, my friends. Some experimental model must be formulated to examine.

Dear Sir, Indeed it is a good idea. I would suggest to you to draft an experimental model and put here for suggestions. After this initiative, I am sure you will get very useful suggestions and inputs.

But Sridhar, we have to know whether the theory of mind can be said to be scientific, at least in a narrow sense of scientific philosophy. Can quantitative research be done on that theory? Will it be wiser to rely on anecdotes and qualitative research?

Anirban, I wish you well in your quest for your own uniquely Indian model of psychotherapy and counselling. I would like to suggest that a "blend" of "Western science" and "Indian spirituality" might be the answer.

You have already looked at the work of Robert Moss (clinical biopsychology - emotional restructuring) on RG.

When you have the time please look at the work of Nathaniel Wade:

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Nathaniel_Wade/

Please look at forgiveness (self and others) and what he has to say about the need to include spirituality in psychotherapy and counselling.

At the end of the day all we can do is try to help the client / patient to find hope. Without hope there can be no motivation to live and enjoy life.

Also please look at the work of Viktor Frankl - logotherapy. He wrote "Man's search for meaning". You might already have read it. Without meaning there can be no motivation to live and enjoy life.

Add in neuroscience for yourself alone (not for the client / patient). The client / patient has enough problems of their own not to worry about science that they will not understand. There will be studies in neuroscience that you can use in support of your own therapy model. It can be neuroscience with a uniquely "Indian flavour".

Please let me know what you think of Nathaniel Wade's work.

All the best, John