Klesa and Core Cognitive Distortions

Patanjali identifies five kleshas—avidya (ignorance), asmita (ego), raga (attachment), dvesha (aversion), and abhinivesha (fear of death)—as root causes of suffering. These ancient categories remarkably align with CBT's core cognitive distortions: catastrophizing, overgeneralization, all-or-nothing thinking, and rumination. Avidya (ignorance) represents the fundamental misperception of reality that fuels all other distortions—the depressed client's conviction that their worthlessness is objective fact. Asmita (ego-identification) manifests as personalization, where neutral events become proof of inadequacy. Raga and dvesha are craving and aversion—the anxious pursuit of certainty and avoidance of discomfort that maintain anxiety cycles. Abhinivesha (existential anxiety) underlies health anxiety and mortality concerns. Patanjali's framework provides CBT therapists a deeper philosophical understanding of why certain thought patterns persist. Rather than simply identifying distortions as errors, Patanjali suggests they're natural mental patterns rooted in fundamental misperceptions. This understanding increases therapeutic empathy and helps clients see their distortions not as personal failures but as universal human tendencies amendable to practice and awareness.