Podcast Ep. 21 ~ Understanding Mental Health Through Samkhya Philosophy

Welcome to this episode of Big Shakti’s podcast. I'm Dr. Swami Shankardev. Over my nearly 50 years as a medical doctor and yoga therapist, I've discovered that true healing requires us to look beyond symptoms to understand the deeper architecture of our minds and consciousness. In this podcast episode, I'll introduce you to an ancient map of consciousness called Samkhya that has revolutionized how I practice medicine and help people heal.

This episode of the Light on Yoga & Meditation Podcast offers a glimpse into the framework we'll be exploring in depth through our Yoga of Mental Health Workshop Series which dives deep into this fascinating intersection of Eastern wisdom and Western medicine. It will give you a taste of how this 4,000-year-old wisdom surprisingly aligns with modern neuroscience and can be practically applied to challenges like anxiety and depression.

Samkhya will help you to understand how your mind really works - not just the surface thoughts and emotions but the deeper patterns that shape your experience. Whether you're struggling with mental health challenges, working as a healthcare professional, or simply curious about integrating ancient wisdom with modern medicine, you'll get a sense of the practical insights of Samkhya.

The Yoga on Mental Health workshops at Big Shakti will build on the foundations shared in this podcast, offering in-depth training in combining traditional practices like meditation and pranayama with modern medical understanding. We'll create a comprehensive framework for understanding mental health through both Eastern and Western lenses.

Let's begin this journey of mapping the territory of consciousness and discovering practical tools for lasting change. If what you hear today resonates with you, I invite you to join us for the full workshop series, where we'll explore these concepts in much greater depth.

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Podcast transcript

Understanding Mental Health Through Samkhya Philosophy

My name is Dr. Swami Shankardev. I am a medical doctor, yoga therapist, and psychotherapist. I  have been practicing in this field for nearly 50 years. While still a medical student, I felt there had to be more to healing than just treating symptoms, which was the bulk of what I did as a junior doctor. This led me to India, where I spent 10 years studying under great yoga masters. What I discovered there transformed my understanding of the human mind, soul, spirit, and consciousness and what is possible for healing.

Today, I integrate Western, integrative, holistic mind-body medicine with hypnosis, Ayurveda, and Yoga Therapy, along with both Eastern and Western approaches to psychotherapy, including Carl Jung’s depth psychology and somatic psychotherapy.

I have focused on chronic physical and psychological conditions, including heart disease, cancer, digestive disorders, diabetes, premature aging, high blood pressure, asthma, and many other complex chronic medical issues. Regarding mental illness, I mainly treat anxiety, depression, emotional dysregulation, and trauma. My approach to mental illness encompasses ego-strengthening, soul, and spiritual development, which is part of existential or transpersonal psychology.

Workshops - yoga therapy as self-management

We are about to start a series of workshops that will give you an overview of my approach to mental illness, focusing on yoga therapy. A second series of lectures later in the year will explore how I integrate Western medicine, integrative medicine, Ayurveda, and yoga therapy. Each workshop will feature a lecture, essential meditations I use in my medical practice, and opportunities for you to ask questions.

Yoga therapy is more accurately referred to as yoga-tantra therapy, as modern yoga therapy has emerged from both the yoga and tantra traditions, along with several other Indian philosophies.

I will describe how we integrate modern medical approaches with yogic and tantric strategies for mental health and explain how to apply them in practice. For example, we can utilize antidepressants, when necessary, alongside Western psychological ego-strengthening methods, Jungian depth psychology, mindfulness, and yoga tantra techniques to explore the mind and psyche. A combination of antidepressants with mindfulness meditations and mantras can be a powerfully holistic approach for a patient experiencing moderate or severe depression.

This approach aims to reduce excessive thinking, restore emotional balance, and restore the feeling function. I find that patients can be classified into two main groups: those who think too much and have tried to suppress their emotions and feeling function, and those who are swamped by emotions and cannot access their rational, logical minds. Both groups seem to be stuck in an archaic part of themselves, ruled by a very unhappy inner child.

A key takeaway is that yoga therapy helps patients engage in self-management. Self-management aims to empower individuals in their recovery by equipping them with the skills and confidence to actively recognize and manage their health conditions. There is ample evidence showing that such interventions support patients dealing with various long-term physical and mental health issues. Patients gain the knowledge and skills to take greater control over their health and enhance their mental and emotional well-being. This empowers them to feel more autonomous and collaborative in their healing process.

Caveat

From the outset, in a talk on mental illness, it’s important to emphasize that I find, for moderate to severe mental illness, a Western medical approach is the best first step, particularly in severe cases. Proper use of medication can alleviate the nearly unbearable distress linked to severe anxiety or depression, enabling the patient to regain their balance and then explore alternative methods for managing their condition. They can choose other forms of therapy that suit them based on their unique nature, capabilities, and interests.

In mild cases, yoga therapy alone, which includes mindfulness, asana, postures, pranayama, breathing techniques, mantra chanting, and visualizations, can often be sufficient if the patient is open to such an approach. 

Combining East and West

To develop a truly comprehensive approach to mental health, we must integrate two powerful perspectives: the conventional scientific framework of modern medicine and psychology and the deep esoteric wisdom of yogic and spiritual traditions. Each provides unique insights and tools for understanding and healing the mind, and each has its own strengths and weaknesses.

Modern science offers us evidence-based treatments, neurobiological insights, and systematic approaches to mental health care. Yet, despite these advancements, we are confronted with increasing mental health challenges globally. Our mental health systems remain severely underfunded and struggle to meet the rising demand in an increasingly complex and challenging world. Therefore, it is essential to revisit ancient wisdom traditions, which provide complementary insights—time-tested practices for nurturing awareness, emotional resilience, and inner transformation that science is only beginning to validate.

By thoughtfully integrating these approaches, we can create a more comprehensive toolkit for mental well-being. This isn’t about selecting one system over another but rather understanding how they can synergistically work together. The precision and rigor of science, combined with the depth and insight that comes from the transformative power of spiritual practices, form an expanded framework that addresses both symptoms and the whole person—body, mind, and spirit.

This integration allows us to meet people where they are, whether they seek conventional treatment or deeper spiritual growth while offering them access to the full spectrum of healing possibilities. It's an approach that honors both the measurable and the mystical, the practical and the profound.

The Eastern sciences of mental, emotional, and spiritual health

This series of workshops examines the science of mental health, emotional regulation, and psycho-spiritual development through an Eastern perspective. As I said, this perspective is best used as an adjunct to Western medicine as both approaches have great strengths and are synergistic when combined.

Yoga therapy and Eastern systems of mind-body medicine delve into the connection between the psychological and the sacred, acknowledging that mental health goes beyond symptom management to embrace deeper questions of meaning, purpose, and self-realization. From this distinct Eastern viewpoint, challenging life experiences that test our psychological and emotional resilience become potential pathways to transformation rather than mere hindrances.

Traditional yogic practices such as meditation, mantra, and breathwork serve as powerful tools for immediate psychological healing and deeper spiritual awakening. This dual approach includes both practical skill-building—enhancing emotional regulation, mental clarity, and psychological strength—and a profound journey of self-discovery.

When approached with the right understanding and tools, even our most difficult experiences turn into meaningful steps toward self-realization, meeting both our immediate psychological needs and the deeper spiritual yearnings that define our human experience. This journey not only equips us to address life's challenges but also transforms them into opportunities for growth, healing the everyday mind as well as the deeper layers of our being.

Samkhya

Our first workshop is on Samkhya, the oldest and most fundamental of Indian philosophical systems. It provides the theoretical foundation for yoga therapy and all major schools of Indian thought. Dating back over 4,000 years, it offers a sophisticated map of human consciousness, precisely describing how the universe and human experience arise from the interaction between pure consciousness (Purusha) and primordial nature (Prakriti).

Samkhya forms the foundation for all the other workshops in this series and beyond.

This ancient system is remarkably relevant to modern therapeutic practice. It offers deep insights into the relationship between mind, body, and spirit, providing a practical framework for understanding psychological suffering and its resolution. Through Samkhya’s lens, we can understand how mental patterns form, how emotions arise, and, most importantly, how transformation and healing become possible. By studying this philosophical foundation first, we gain a comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms of yoga therapy, enabling us to work more effectively with both psychological and physical conditions. This knowledge serves as an essential bridge between ancient wisdom and modern therapeutic approaches. It offers us insights that are surprisingly aligned with the current neuroscientific understanding of consciousness and mental health.

Why is Samkhya so important?

Why is Samkhya so significant? Well, imagine trying to treat a disease without understanding human anatomy. Samkhya provides a detailed map of how our consciousness, mind, and emotions work. It's not just theoretical - it's an empirical philosophy that you can test and verify through your own experience.

Think of Samkhya as a mirror that reflects the workings of your mind back to you. Through this lens, you can see how your mind operates, what patterns drive your behavior, and, most importantly, how to transform mental suffering into clarity and purpose.

For example, when someone seeks help for their depression, it is important not to just see a chemical imbalance that requires medication. We need to see the whole person, which includes their mind, emotions, soul, spirit, and consciousness.

Through the Samkhya framework, we can comprehend how their consciousness has become obscured by tamas. The Sanskrit word tamas in this context refers to inertia and ignorance, encompassing old, undigested emotional traumas, repressed emotions, adverse childhood experiences, trauma, abuse, neglect, negative self-beliefs, unprocessed grief and loss, and poor lifestyle choices. Tamas will be elaborated upon in detail during the workshop. The key takeaway about tamas is that it reflects a state where vital energy is blocked, and awareness has become disconnected from the deeper self.

This understanding informs our treatment approach. We may use antidepressants to address biochemistry, but we also incorporate specific yoga practices to enhance sattwa. Sattwa means knowledge, wisdom, illumination, enlightenment, intelligence, balance, clarity, feeling, intuition, meaning, and purpose.

Yoga and tantra provide various methods that directly increase sattwa and reduce tamas, using practices like pranayama to move energy and meditation techniques to awaken innate intelligence and intuition, supporting deeper insight and reconnection with the authentic self.

A complete map

The beauty of Samkhya lies in its ability to provide a comprehensive map of transformation. It reveals not only what is wrong but also the path to wholeness. It clarifies how our minds become fragmented and illustrates the imbalances that arise in the four primary aspects of the mind: the thinking mind (manas), the ego (ahamkara), the intelligence (buddhi), and the storehouse of memories and impressions (chitta).

But here's what makes Samkhya truly revolutionary - it's not just a philosophical system, it's a practical tool for self-exploration. When you understand its principles, you can begin to:

• Observe how your mind operates
• Recognize patterns of thinking and feeling
• Understand why you get stuck in certain behaviors
• See the relationship between your body, mind, and consciousness
• And most importantly, gain the tools to create positive change

I often tell my patients that mental health isn't just about managing symptoms - it's about understanding the architecture of your own consciousness. Samkhya provides that architecture, while yoga and tantra provide the practical tools for transformation.

How does this approach work?

Let's dive deeper into how this actually works in practice. As I alluded to before, when a patient comes to see me, they're often caught in what Samkhya calls the play of the three gunas - sattwa (clarity), rajas (agitation), and tamas (inertia). Most mental health issues involve an excess of rajas and tamas, excessive desire and ignorance, overwhelming sattwa, balance and harmony.

Think about anxiety - that's often due to excess rajas, creating restlessness and worry. Of course, there is also a degree of tamas in the mix. Depression often involves excess tamas, creating heaviness and stagnation. But here's the key insight - Samkhya shows us that these aren't just psychological states, they're forces of nature that operate throughout our entire being.

One of the most powerful aspects of working with Samkhya is that it allows us to see beyond our suffering. When you're caught in mental distress, it can feel like that's all you are. But Samkhya shows us that our true nature is consciousness itself - pure, unchanging awareness. Everything else - thoughts, emotions, patterns - is a play of forces that can be understood and transformed.

This is where the practical tools come in. Through yoga therapy and tantra, we can:

• Use breath work to balance the gunas
• Apply specific meditation techniques to strengthen buddhi (intelligence)
• Work with the chakras to integrate different aspects of the mind
• Use mantras to purify mental patterns
• Develop witness consciousness to create space from our thoughts

This approach will be expanded during the four workshops.

What makes this approach so effective?

This approach is so effective because it is both systematic and holistic. We’re not just treating symptoms—we're working with the entire structure of consciousness. And because Samkhya is an empirical philosophy, everything can be verified through direct experience.

I remember one patient who came to me with severe anxiety. Through the lens of Samkhya, we could see how her awareness had become trapped in the rajasic thinking mind (manas), disconnected from her deeper intelligence (buddhi). By understanding this structure, we could work systematically - first grounding her energy, then developing witness consciousness, and gradually awakening her connection to buddhi. We used mantras to soothe the anxiety.

Mantras are powerful tools for anxiety relief. They redirect attention away from distressing thoughts into sacred sound vibrations. These sounds are not merely neutral but carry within them sattvic (pure, harmonious) qualities that naturally soothe the nervous system and elevate consciousness. Engaging with the mantra transforms negative thought patterns into more positive, uplifting ones, replacing the chaotic energy of anxiety with a stable, peaceful state of mind. This process works on both the immediate level of symptom relief and the deeper level of pattern transformation.

This is why I'm so passionate about sharing this knowledge. Samkhya isn't merely another theory about the mind; it’s a practical framework for transformation that has withstood the test of time. When paired with modern medical understanding, it provides a truly comprehensive approach to mental health.

The beauty of this system is that it empowers people. You're not just a passive recipient of treatment - you become an active explorer of your own consciousness. You learn to see how your mind works, understand its patterns and gain the tools to create positive change.

My approach – ego, soul, spirit

Drawing from nearly 50 years of clinical experience, my approach to mental illness integrates three essential dimensions of the human experience: the ego, soul, and spirit. Sāmkhya, and Indian philosophy in general, plays a critical role in my ability to map out the dimensions and relationships between these interior parts of us, parts that cannot easily be researched, quantified, and reduced to

1. In the first step, we work to develop a strong, stable ego that can effectively manage daily life and relationships. Here, the ego refers to our identity, encompassing the conscious mind with its rational and emotional components, desires, and individual memories, which are both positive and negative. This provides the necessary foundation for deeper healing.
2. Then, we engage with the soul level - the realm of personal meaning, emotional depth, and individual purpose that shapes our unique journey through life. This soul work helps process trauma, integrate experiences, and develop authentic self-expression.
3. At some point, we examine what spirit and consciousness are. The aim is to feel our connection with something greater in ourselves and in life, whether experienced through transpersonal states of consciousness, profound meditation experiences, or a sense of universal truth.

By working with all three levels - ego, soul, and spirit - we can address immediate psychological symptoms while supporting growth toward greater wholeness and well-being. This comprehensive approach aligns with both existential psychology's focus on meaning and purpose and transpersonal psychology's recognition of experiences that transcend ordinary ego consciousness.

Samkhya plays a critical role in my ability to map out the dimensions and relationships between these interior parts of us, parts that cannot easily be researched, quantified, and reduced to neurobiological processes or psychological constructs alone.

Through Samkhya’s sophisticated understanding of consciousness, we can explore the subtle interplay between ego, soul, and spirit - domains that exist beyond the reach of brain scans and psychological assessments yet profoundly influence our mental health and well-being. This ancient system provides a precise cartography of inner experience that helps us navigate the territories of consciousness that modern science, despite its many advances, still struggles to fully comprehend or measure.

Conclusion

As we conclude, I want to emphasize that this isn't about choosing between Eastern and Western approaches. It's about integrating the best of both worlds. Western medicine offers powerful tools for treating acute conditions and biochemical imbalances, while Samkhya and yoga therapy provide the framework and techniques for deeper transformation.

In my decades of practice, I've seen repeatedly how this integrated approach can create lasting change. When people understand the map of their own consciousness and gain the tools to work with it, remarkable healing becomes possible.

If you're interested in learning more about this approach, check out our Yoga of Mental Health workshops.

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