Imagine you’re at a dinner party, and someone asks, “So, what’s your take on psychoanalysis?” You might expect a deep dive into Freud, relationships with your parents and the unconscious that’s always pulling the strings. Instead, someone suggests integrating ancient Indian practices, like yoga, into therapy. It sounds like mixing chai with a Freudian slip, but hear me out! In a country where spiritual wisdom and psychological insight go hand in hand, why not let ancient practices complement our modern therapeutic tools?
Our Indian culture has long been more comfortable with traditional practices like yoga and meditation as paths for mental exploration. Psychoanalysis – a Western concept viewed with scepticism – initially struggled to fit within the country’s spiritual and cultural traditions. I’m here to walk the fine line between traditional versus modern to tell you that we can actually combine the two–just like Indian psychoanalyst Sudhir Kakar has done! Win-win.
Mental health treatment has never taken well to a cookie-cutter approach. Our clients exist in the grey area and so must our interventions. While Western psychoanalytic theories are important, their individualistic focus doesn’t always fit with our collectivistic society. These theories are also unable to account for spiritually-oriented beliefs, such as karma or the mind-body-spirit connection. So, why choose one? Instead, therapy can be made more effective and accessible by striking a happy medium between Western and Indian practices.
How, you might ask. I’ve dabbled in the grey area by blending yogic breathwork with talk therapy to help clients manage anxiety that hijacks both body and mind. One client in particular felt waves of intense anxiety whenever we discussed unresolved trauma, manifesting somatically as a lump in her throat, rising heat and quickening heart rate. Another described her anxiety as physical tension—headaches, stiffness—that traced back to early-life experiences. These examples serve as a reminder that insights alone aren’t always enough to address the body’s responses.
We’re all too familiar with research evidence that backs somatic awareness and grounding techniques. That got me thinking: I’m comfortable suggesting box breathing, but why not pranayamas? To steady my clients’ intense feelings, I began to introduce pranayama, a breath-control technique that gave them a way to anchor themselves in moments of overwhelm. Breathwork grounded them, making room for stillness before anxiety swept them away. Using gentle postures like Shavasana (Corpse Pose) and Sukhasana (Easy Pose) can relax the muscles, inviting a deep physical ease that goes hand-in-hand with emotional release. These yogic exercises, while grounded in ancient traditions, can offer similar benefits by concentrating on the breath, promoting relaxation and helping individuals feel more grounded during moments of anxiety.
Another client felt an even deeper disconnection. She described it as moving through life “in a fog,” as though her body and mind were no longer in sync. As we explored this feeling, we discovered that this split was her way of shielding herself from overwhelming emotions. This disconnection exacerbated the somatic tension she held and fueled a cycle of self-blame. This mind-body divide only made her anxiety worse.
To help her reconnect, we tried Yoga Nidra, a deeply restorative guided meditation that gently brought her attention back to her body. As she softened into the practice, she felt safe enough to reconnect with her emotions. Through Yoga Nidra, she accessed parts of herself that talk therapy couldn’t reach, bringing about a sense of inner harmony and self-acceptance, or atmansantosh. Alongside the practice of ahimsa (non-violence), she began to notice how critical self-talk had been amplifying her anxiety. Practising ahimsa through language, she learned to be kinder and more compassionate toward herself, gradually replacing self-criticism with acceptance and kindness.
Traditional practices like Yoga Nidra and pranayama equipped my clients with practical tools to self-soothe and heal. Able to reconnect with their bodies, my clients could access buried and overwhelming feelings, which only aided our insight-oriented psychoanalytic exploration.
Traditional practices are not just beneficial for dissociation and disconnection from our physical selves. Sometimes, yogic practices can contribute to self-discovery. I had a client who, constrained by traditional gender roles, was moulded into being submissive in her romantic relationship. The more she denied her true self, the more dissatisfied she became. Instead of using modern interventions, we used Atman Jnana (self-knowledge), a meditative practice that delves into the understanding of self. Each sensation in her body and thought in her mind became a step toward shedding the false identities she had unknowingly adopted, leading her to question the origins of her beliefs. Slowly, she unravelled perceptions shaped by external expectations and societal norms. Socratic questioning enhanced this exploration, helping her understand the meaning she attached to these beliefs. Why not just use modern tools like introspection? Well,, using words that connected to my client’s cultural beliefs made her more open to the therapeutic process and enhanced our alliance.
Given its clear benefits, why do we hesitate to include cultural and spiritual elements in therapy, especially in the melting pot of cultures that is India? As therapists, we are often trained to prioritise empirical, evidence-based models and overlook indigenous knowledge. While Western approaches have value, they don’t always resonate with clients’ rich cultural identities. I, too, was initially hesitant to delve into traditional practices and feared judgement from peers but embracing the grey area – like we teach our clients to do – has profoundly enriched my therapeutic work.