Klesa Recognition in Attachment Trauma

Patanjali identifies five root kleshas (afflictions): avidya (ignorance), asmita (ego), raga (craving), dvesha (aversion), and abhinivesha (fear of death/loss). These map directly onto attachment insecurity. Avidya manifests as misunderstanding your relational needs and others' capacities. Asmita fuels ego-defensive strategies like avoidant self-sufficiency. Raga drives anxious clinging and desperate seeking of reassurance. Dvesha creates avoidant rejection of intimacy. Abhinivesha underlies abandonment terror in anxious attachment. The sophos teaches that attachment insecurity isn't merely learned behavior but arises from these fundamental afflictions of consciousness. By recognizing which kleshas dominate your attachment style, you target intervention at the root rather than managing symptoms. This philosophical framework from Patanjali transforms attachment work into spiritual practice aimed at uprooting the ignorance and fear that generate relational suffering.