Does an
emotional problem require an emotional solution?
Deep emotional
problems ultimately do not require an emotional solution, but rather a radical
change in perspective.
While it might
initially seem logical to apply an emotional fix to an emotional issue, these
attempts are often insufficient. For example, when Arjuna experiences a severe
emotional meltdown, Krishna's initial attempt at an emotional "pep
talk" fails to work. Similarly, if someone is experiencing profound grief
over losing a loved one, receiving hugs might be a nice show of concern, but no
amount of hugs will actually make the deep sadness and feeling of loss
disappear.
Seeking to
completely cure emotional distress through conventional means like endless
psychological therapy is ultimately futile because emotional problems are
endless, and there is no perfection possible for the flawed human mind.
Instead of
trying to eliminate the emotional problem itself, Vedanta teaches that the true
solution is a radical shift in perspective that allows you to be perfectly
content and okay even in the presence of your emotional distress. This
approach is encapsulated by the teaching of Swami Dayananda: "in
psychology there's no solution, in Vedanta there's no problem".
This profound
shift is achieved by understanding the following:
- Emotions are impermanent: Emotional states
like pleasure and pain, just like the physical sensations of heat and
cold, are transient phenomena that simply come and go.
- Consciousness is unaffected: Instead of
getting caught up in the constantly changing subtle body (the mind and its
emotions), a person is encouraged to anchor their identity in their
eternal, unchanging consciousness (Atma).
Because your
true conscious essence remains completely unbothered and unharmed by the
world's events or the mind's turmoil, anchoring yourself to it allows you to
endure life's challenges and know that you are fundamentally okay no matter
what emotional experiences arise.
