Kleshas: Patterns of Psychological Suffering

The five kleshas are fundamental misperceptions that Patanjali identifies as sources of all psychological suffering: avidya (ignoring reality), asmita (ego-identification), raga (attachment to pleasure), dvesha (aversion to pain), and abhinivesha (fear of annihilation). These perfectly describe emotional dysregulation's machinery. Avidya manifests as not seeing emotions clearly—interpreting sadness as permanent failure. Asmita creates identity fusion: "I am my anxiety" rather than "I experience anxiety." Raga drives desperate clinging to feeling good, paradoxically intensifying suffering when emotions shift. Dvesha manifests as the core DBT problem—fighting painful emotions rather than using distress tolerance. Abhinivesha appears as catastrophizing, where emotional pain feels existentially threatening. DBT's skills systematically dismantle each kleshâ: mindfulness addresses avidya, emotion labeling addresses asmita, opposite action addresses raga and dvesha, and reality-checking addresses abhinivesha. Understanding dysregulation through the klesha framework reframes it as understandable cognitive-emotional patterns rather than personal failure, reducing shame while clarifying treatment pathways.