Smriti: Memory, recall: Cognitive Approach, Role in Sattvavajaya Chikitsa

Article by Dr Raghuram Y.S. MD (Ay) & Dr Manasa S, B.A.M.S

Smriti as an interventional tool in Sattvavajaya Chikitsa

Smriti means memory. According to Master Charaka it is one of the most important interventional tools which branch out from Sattvavajaya Chikitsa or Ayurveda Psychotherapy. As a part of therapy, the physician would look at restoring the memory by balancing its perversions. The therapy includes enhancing the quality of memory by various methods and medicines. It also includes removal of memories to make the person forget painful and traumatic memories stored in the subconscious levels which is the base for many psychological disorders. They are also sources for all kinds of agony, grief, worry, stress, anxiety, depression, fear, panic and many other harmful emotions. Smriti Chikitsa will also look at replacing bad memories with good ones.

Smriti Vibhramsha and Prajnaparadha, leading to psychological disorders

Dhee – intellect, Dhriti – restraint, courage or retaining capacity and Smriti – memory are the three faculties of manas, the mind. All the operations of the mind fall under the radar of these three faculties. When they are in a state of balance, their mental health too is in a state of balance. When one or more of these faculties are disturbed or imbalanced, one would suffer from a wide array of mental disorders.

When there is vibhramsha – perversion of dhi, Dhriti and smriti, there will also be mano vibhramsha i.e. perversion of mind. Any action done under the influence of such a vibhramsha is called prajnaparadha i.e. conscious mistakes or sins / intellectual blasphemy. Sattvavajaya Chikitsa or Ayurveda psychotherapy aims at correcting these faculties and bringing them to their actual line of operation establishing serene balance in them, and hence healing the mind comprehensively. This is how the correction of the smriti component becomes an important component of sattvavajaya chikitsa.

Definition of Smriti

‘Drushta Shruta Anubhutanam Smaranat Smritih Uchyate’

Smriti is defined as ‘Remembering or recollecting the information / knowledge of anything that is perceived through observance, hearing or experiencing’.

Smriti is defined as – ‘Smritih Anubhuthartha Smaranam’ which means remembering or recalling the object of past experience. Here, the physician adopts different measures to correct the memory process of the patient and also to enhance and restore the memory.

Memory manipulation: Part of Sattvavajaya Chikitsa

Training patients to scrutinize and analyze memories – Memories are files in our subconscious layers. They surface when needed. Some may be good, many may be bad and unwholesome. The physician should also help the patient to get rid of bad and unwanted memories and replace them with new and good memories. They should also be guided how not to create and save memories of bad experiences, to ignore, forgive, forget and move on.

Herein, as a part of therapy, in smriti, the patient is helped to withdraw and extract the bad memories and hidden conflicts from deep within, which may be mighty harmful in the long run and expel them permanently. By constantly doing this with will or being guided, the person will learn to cope up with his or her problems and will try to keep away from the bad and negative emotions, stimuli or triggers and develop a sense of positivity within.

Only if the person remembers the real nature of things, he can get rid of his memories. There are eight causes for improvement of Smriti in a positive direction. This can be readily practiced as a therapeutic measure if the person has low memory and if he or she requires memory to get rid of their diseases.

Other benefits of smriti therapy

Smriti is also needed to follow the instructions given by the physician towards regularly taking medicines, to make lifestyle changes and behavioral changes, what to do and what not to, which is the base for total recovery from any ailment.

Smriti is also needed to remember the disease, its symptoms and also appreciate the recovery when it happens. It is very necessary to have a track of the disease and progression of treatment.

Smriti helps in remembering the dose and form of medicines and foods to take and avoid.

Smriti is an important cause for pravritti – attachment which leads to duhkha i.e. grief, diseases and troubles and also for nivritti – detachment which leads to sukha i.e. happiness, health or pleasure. It gives an awareness about the importance of keeping detached and harmful effects of attachment, which is a foundation for comprehensive psychosomatic healing.

Smriti Bhramsha

Smriti Bhramsha is a perversion of memory and is said to be a root cause for intellectual errors (prajnaparadha) and hence for many psychiatric illnesses and diseases. This is a condition which demands manipulation of memory, the smriti therapy.

Smriti Bhramsha takes place due to enveloping of mind by rajas and tamas, which are the doshas of the mind. This will put a person in a position wherein he is incapable of recollecting the memories.

The main causes for smriti bhramsha are – excessive sleeping during day time, excessive consumption of unclean and adulterated foods and excessive consumption of alcohol. Due to these factors, the vata and other doshas get aggravated and so the rajas and tamas qualities of mind are imbalanced. This will eventually lead to imbalance, dislodgement and perversion of intellect (dhi), retention power and courage (Dhriti) and memory (smriti).

It is also said to be one of the causes for all the miseries of diseases. All the memory impairment leads to prajnaparadha and in turn leads to vitiation of all the doshas – eventually leading to manifestation of many psychosomatic disorders.

Smriti Vibhramsha is a cardinal sign of unmada – psychoses, which is marked by loss of memory. Likewise, smriti samplava or abnormality of memory is a sign of apasmara – epilepsy and memory disorders. Destruction of memory is also a symptom of Paishachika Unmada.

Management of Smriti Bhramsha includes –

–        Dhi – enhancing the capacity and strength of intellect and balancing it,
–        Dhairya – enhancing the courage component of the mind
–        Atmadi Vijnana – instilling philosophy of life and life force, making the person to realize the ‘ultimate soul’ and ‘personal soul’ and the relationship between them, that he is a small part of the grand universe and importance of self

Also, consumption of sattwika foods and regular practice of Yoga and Meditation, recitation of hymns, discussion of subjects with the experts, being in the company of the great masters and serving them, proper sleep patterns, intake of ghee regularly and undergoing regular counseling sessions too will help in recovery of smriti bhramsha.

Correction of smriti bhramsha is an important and integral part of sattvavajaya chikitsa – psychotherapy. Dravya chikitsa i.e. use of memory enhancing substances mentioned above, like sattvika foods and other measures like Medhya rasayana, consumption of formulations like Brahmi Ghrita, Brahma Rasayana etc are not included under the umbrella of sattvavajaya chikitsa.

Smriti Chikitsa

As already discussed, correction of memory is an integral part of psychotherapy of Ayurveda – Sattvavajaya Chikitsa. It is also an important strategy for treating mental / psychological disorders and trauma and also for weak minded persons. In these cases, the experiential knowledge of good memory and keeping away bad memories would help in enhancing the mental strength of the person. Forgetting the bad memories and remembering good memories is not only an important aspect and principle of sattvavajaya chikitsa, it is also an integral part of psychiatric healing / psychotherapy in modern medicine.

Memory manipulation, correction, strengthening and replacement is an important strategy in treating smriti vibhramsha and mano vibhramsha and also in treating mental disorders like unmada, apasmara and atattvabhinivesha.

Smriti manipulation in Atattvabhinivesha

Atattvabhinivesha is a mental condition in which the person loses the power of discrimination between good and bad, right and wrong. Even in this condition, there is disturbance of the memory component wherein the person forgets the memories of past experiences while in action. So, the treatment of atattvabhinivesha also includes memory correction and manipulation. People should be guided and made to live with friends having good scientific and spiritual knowledge, both these types of knowledge are the parts of sattvavajaya chikitsa.

Non-pharmacological measures which should be included in sattvavajaya chikitsa to manipulate and improve smriti

As a part of sattvavajaya chikitsa, when memory manipulation is considered, the person should be trained to practice some conducts and actions and also to remember these conducts always. This will help in keeping the memory component and also the mind in a state of balance and will also help in recovery from mental disorders.

These conducts include devotion and respect towards noble persons, keeping away from bad people and company, pursuing good conduct, observing sacred vows and fasting, having scriptural and spiritual knowledge, detachment from worldly objects, striving for salvation, having control over mind, keeping egoism away and other noble acts.

Vismrarana: Memory deletion

Memory of disease is harmful. The thoughts and memory of a disease or its symptoms would trigger and worsen the disease. Therefore, it is important to delete the memory of the disease. At the same time, it is important to remember the recovery from a disease, however small it is. This feeds and nurtures the positivity in the body and aids quick healing. So, forgetting a disease is an important aspect of smriti therapy which is a part of sattvavajaya chikitsa.