JMVRI Issue Number 11
JMVRI Issue Number Eleven is a themed issue focusing on psychology and mental health with papers on Vedic psychology and the Bhagavad-Gita; a personal case study of motherhood considering the nurturing of mothers through Maharishi Ayur-Veda, and Maharishi Ayur-Veda and its expertise in preventive medicine, promotion of ideal health, including mental health, and the development of higher states of consciousness.
JMVRI Paper 11.3
Maharishi Ayur-Veda and Mental Health
Author: Jim Brooks
This paper can be downloaded via the following link:
https://www.academia.edu/41015120/Maharishi_Ayur-Veda_and_Mental_Health
Citation: Brooks, J. (2019). Maharishi Ayur-Veda and mental health. Journal of Maharishi Vedic Research Institute, 11, 101-124.
Summary
Ayurveda is the world’s oldest existing system of traditional medicine, whose recorded history dates to the 5000-year old treatise Atharva-Veda. Maharishi Ayur-Veda, developed by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the founder of Transcendental Meditation, is a modern form of Ayurveda which restores the original knowledge and practice of Ayurveda lost and/or misunderstood due to years of foreign rule in India. What distinguishes Maharishi Ayur-Veda is its expertise in preventive medicine, promotion of ideal health, including mental health, and the development of higher states of consciousness. Also significant is the abundance of scientific research, more than 600 published studies conducted over 50 years, that verifies its effectiveness in clinical practice, some of which will be cited in this paper. Some of the main topics included in this article are: 1) Maharishi Ayur-Veda, as applied to the field of mental health, shifts the paradigm of mental health from a focus on treatment of symptoms to treating the whole person, which includes mind, emotions, body, and spirit; 2) discussion of safety, compatibility with conventional treatment, and contraindications; 3) scientific research on Maharishi Avur-Veda; and 4) the Ayurvedic approach to treating depression, anxiety, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and addictions. The overall purpose of this paper is to educate and inspire mental health professionals to look more deeply into this novel system of health care, and hopefully take advantage of Maharishi Ayur-Veda training programs as a way of enhancing their current practices.