Review of Kundalini Yoga Meditation for Complex Psychiatric Disorders

Author: David S. Shannahoff-Khalsa

London: W. W. Norton & Company, 2010, 366 pages, ISBN: 978-0-393-70568-3, $44.95.

P sychiatric disorders are the most prevalent disorders in the world today, with most money spent on drugs to manage these problems. Every year, patients spend millions of dollars with the hope that these biochemical methods could solve their specific problems. Unfortunately, these disorders are not confined to one part of the world. Rich as well as developing countries are grappling with the problem of increasing incidences of mental disorders, and the solution is by no means in sight. While prevention is a better alternative to cure, early detection and acceptance of a problem by the person himself/herself is very difficult. In many societies, a diagnosis of mental disorder itself does not sit well with the family and the society.

David Shannahoff-Khalsa has come out with yet another outstanding book that clearly reflects his depth in two diverse areas, namely, psychiatry and Kundalini Yoga Meditation (KYM). The book contains five chapters and an epilogue. Each chapter contains an up-to-date summary of the psychiatric treatment currently practiced for specific disorders, followed by KYM techniques to manage the same. The Introduction mentions that the book is “designed for use by psychotherapists, psychologists, social workers, physicians, other clinicians, and yoga therapists and yoga teachers who have an interest in working with psychiatric patients, and especially with the nine variants of psychosis, the 10 variants of the personality disorders, and autism and Asperger's syndrome” (p. xvii). This assertion is well justified as one examines the pages of the book.

Chapter 1 starts with an excellent introduction to the problems of morbidity and drug-induced reactions in many disorders. The next chapter deals with schizophrenia and related psychotic disorders. A literature survey indicates clearly that there is a woeful lack of knowledge regarding the molecular pathophysiology of these disorders. The yogic view of the etiology of many forms of psychosis is very different. In yoga, it is postulated that many levels of consciousness exist, and if we are unable to distinguish one from another, it is likely the person goes through a confused state as seen in schizophrenia. In such cases, the hallucinations are information leak from one state of consciousness to the ordinary. While this is a useful working model, there are no measurements as yet to establish this model. However, since at least in the case studies presented, the model seems to work, it is likely a practical one. A yogic protocol is provided in detail and the results are encouraging.

The third chapter takes up the challenges of personality disorders that include paranoid, schizoid, antisocial, and OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder). The chapter introduces APA classification of psychiatric disorders from Axis I to Axis V along with three separate clusters. This is a fine introduction to the classification that research students need to become familiar with and remember. Again, in these disorders, the medications do not seem to address the underlying cause; they merely mitigate the symptoms. The yogic view is that during critical learning phase, the person has not been taught or has not learned fully core virtues such as being kind and fair that make one normal and healthy in society.

The case histories are firm indicators of the ability of KYM to be considered as a drug-free intercession for both single and multimorbid psychiatric disorders. The author proposes that these very specific techniques of KYM could be further studied through rigorous double-blind methods to establish the outcomes in more readily acceptable format for the medical community. This is a fair challenge and hopefully, medical research would look into this modality seriously.

The fourth chapter deals with pervasive development disorders including autistic and Asperger's disorders. These disorders are very difficult to deal with through a conventional biomedical regimen. There is a reported eightfold rise in new cases of these disorders in California, which is ringing alarm bells in many quarters (p. 220). There seems to be inadequate information on the majority of medications used in children, and the long-term effects of these drugs are not fully known. The yogic method attempts to integrate the different aspects of awareness in these patients and a series of procedures and activities are suggested to achieve this integration. The case histories at the end of the chapter are very informative in applying these concepts to bring back normal awareness in these individuals.

The last chapter deals with treatment of multimodality psychiatric disorders, which are very inadequately addressed by biomedical approaches. The KYM techniques are instructive to manage comorbidity and multimodal disorders. Even if KYM only reduces intake of drugs and stabilizes the patient, it is of importance and merits further research. The polypharmacy that many patients are administered is not well researched and is a cause of serious concern. As admitted by National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors, this could be a serious problem both in children and in elderly (pp. 297–300). The successful treatment of a serious comorbid condition through KYM at the end of the chapter is a well-documented case worth extending to clinical trials.

The Epilogue as the final chapter provides information about mental disorders and the picture that emerges is not a pleasant one. The goal of achieving mental health for all is not even discussed in world forums and the goal seems to recede; effective treatments are not available through the biomedical model. Yoga is a possible method for avoiding and resolving the crisis of mental disorders. Furthermore, as the author points out, we need to give everyone a chance to explore the states of higher consciousness that seem to be the direction of evolution in humans. The knowledge embedded in yoga is worth exploring, and it could one day emerge as a drug-free method in controlling and curing both mental and physical disorders.

There are a few points of interest to the reader. The laterality of breathing (left or right nostril dominance) in specific disorders is worth researching. As mentioned in the case study in Chapter 5 (p. 317), during hallucinations, the breath seems to be left nostril dominant and switched to right after the episode. This is an exciting finding since laterality is discussed in detail in an earlier book by the same author, and the dominance could be switched through simple mechanical means. The question arises as to whether this simple method could be a useful adjunct for some of the disorders discussed in the book.

Though many techniques taught in KYM are unique, some are indeed taught in other schools of yogic practice also. For example, Nabhi Kriya series (pp. 289–293) is practiced in many yogic traditions as well as in KYM, though the intensity of practice or the sequence might vary. The yogis in other lineages were perhaps not treating psychiatric disorders per se, but were promoting mind–body health through many yogic practices that in the first place seem to prevent psychiatric disorders.

In conclusion, it could be safely said that this is an outstanding book whose relevance in the management of mental diseases cannot be overemphasized. It is hoped that extensive trials will be undertaken in centers around the world to provide a firm foundation for KYM as an alternative or, at least, an adjunctive therapy in mental disorders. The author should be congratulated for his dedication and sharing his knowledge of this esoteric science with all.