Page 34 - NAMAH-Oct-2019

Namah Vol. 27, Issue 3, 15th October 2019

Psychiatry of Harvard Medical School used the after the material body has been disposed,
term “crisis” for major life stresses of limited the subtle body and also other subtle parts
duration that endangered mental health. of the consciousness can remain in the same
Such crises are inevitable in life and call for atmosphere. This is why in the case cited
sensitive psychological intervention. Crises above, the family members were witnessing
are challenging as both the affected subject things that would have been done by the
and the counsellor have an opportunity to deceased girl when alive. Of course, this
transcend age-old assumptions and discover phenomenon lasted less than a week.
new ones (1). For psychologists, intervention
in crisis situations like natural disasters and The Mother, while describing the case of
insurgency zones need to be designed so as Benjamin, an Ashram inmate explained how
to reduce the risk of post-traumatic stress such experiences occur:
disorders in later life.
“Did you know Benjamin?... His psychic
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Occult effects being had left him quite some time ago and,
as a result, to the surface consciousness he
Along with the psychological factors that are seemed a bit deranged — he wasn’t deranged
associated with bereavement, there are occult but diminished. And he lived, as I said, out
factors that are seldom understood. Thus of habit. The physical consciousness still held
when an eight-year-old girl died suddenly a minimum of vital and mind and he lived
of a short fever, her mother had gone berserk out of habit. But the remarkable thing is that
but for the first few days, everyone else in sometimes, for a few seconds, he would live
the family “felt” the presence of the deceased admirably, in full light, while at other times
girl and reported how small events were he couldn’t even control his gestures. Then
happening in the house (like a fan seemed he left altogether: all the accumulated energy
to be switched on automatically) which were dwindled little by little, little and little, and
usually initiated by the girl when living. The whatever remained left his body. It was just
mother was not acknowledging that her on his birthday, on December 30 (the night
daughter was no more till she dreamed after of December 30). He left. So they did as is
a week of her daughter resting on the lap of always done: they cleaned his room, took out
SSiva. She was convinced that she would have the furniture. Since then there had been no
to try to be pregnant once again so that her sign of him. Yesterday evening, after dinner
deceased daughter would be reborn in her (which is about the same time he left twelve
womb. Such a piquant situation cannot be days ago), I was in concentration, resting,
assessed only in terms of psychopathology when suddenly here comes a very agitated
while ignoring the occult ramifications. Benjamin who tells me, “Mother, they’ve taken
all the furniture out of my room! What am I to
In fact, it is occult knowledge that even after do now!?” I told him gently, “Do not fret, you
clinical death, the consciousness takes time don’t need anything more.” Then I put him to
to get fully disconnected from the body. And rest and sent him to join the rest of his being.

1 the soul in the evolving poise

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