Klesha: The Five Sources of Emotional Suffering

Patanjali identifies five kleshas (afflictions or poisons) that generate all suffering: avidya (ignorance), asmita (ego/I-ness), raga (attachment), dvesha (aversion), and abhinivesha (fear of death/change). These map directly onto emotional dysregulation patterns. Ignorance manifests as distorted thinking DBT addresses through chain analysis and opposite action. Asmita drives shame-based behaviors and emotion-driven actions. Raga and dvesha create desperate grasping or violent rejection of emotions. Abhinivesha fuels crisis behavior and avoidance. DBT's comprehensive approach targets each klesha: cognitive restructuring addresses avidya, distress tolerance addresses raga and dvesha, emotion regulation addresses abhinivesha, and interpersonal effectiveness addresses asmita. Understanding emotional dysregulation through the klesha framework gives clients philosophical language for their suffering and reveals why multi-modal DBT practice is necessary. No single skill addresses all five afflictions; the full program systematically dismantle each root cause.