Klesha: The Five Afflictions Underlying Trauma

The Yoga Sutras identify five kleshas or afflictions: avidya (ignorance), asmita (ego), raga (attachment), dvesha (aversion), and abhinivesha (fear of death). These are the fundamental patterns from which all suffering arises. Trauma embeds all five kleshas: ignorance about the present moment's safety, ego-driven shame narratives, attachment to survival strategies, aversion to triggering stimuli, and underlying fear of annihilation. EMDR addresses trauma by targeting these root afflictions. During reprocessing, clients gradually move from identification with these patterns toward seeing them as conditioned responses. The bilateral stimulation helps rewire associations between trauma triggers and fear responses, effectively loosening the klesha's grip. By processing trauma through the lens of these five afflictions, practitioners understand trauma not as random damage but as conditioned patterns rooted in fundamental misperceptions—which can therefore be corrected through proper processing and insight.