Klesha: The Five Afflictions Underlying Trauma Reactivity

Patanjali identifies five kleshas—avidya (ignorance), asmita (ego), raga (attachment), dvesha (aversion), and abhinivesha (fear of death)—as the root afflictions perpetuating suffering. In trauma, these kleshas become particularly active: avidya makes survivors misidentify with their trauma identity, asmita creates rigid defensive self-structures, raga causes desperate clinging to safety strategies, dvesha generates intense avoidance behaviors, and abhinivesha manifests as existential fear and hypervigilance. This framework explains why cognitive understanding alone insufficient for healing; the afflictions operate at deeper levels of consciousness. By systematically recognizing these patterns through Patanjali's lens, trauma survivors gain diagnostic clarity and a roadmap for intervention. Rather than pathologizing trauma responses, the klesha framework reveals them as universal human patterns intensified by injury, making healing a process of gradually untangling these fundamental confusions about reality, identity, and safety through yogic practice and wisdom.