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Natya yoga therapy: Using movement and music to create meditative relief in schizophrenia
Blog post written by Aparna Ramaswamy
A person diagnosed with schizophrenia asked me: “How do you know that my visions and voices are not real? How do you know I am not the next prophet?” As outrageous as the suggestion seems, the truth is that I do not know. At least, not in a way that it was anything more than my opinion/bias. How do we know that they are not the ‘normal’ folks with access to images and voices that we don’t have? Haven’t we read of brilliant music composers who ‘hear’ music in their mind? Don’t we read stories of mystics, medicine men and yogi-s who have visions?
So, I wanted to learn from my patients. This study invited the experts on schizophrenia (the patients) to collaborate and create a meditation model that works using music, movement and camaraderie. The collaboration offered at least 3 distinct contributions:
- Reclaiming the essence of yoga as more than a physical practice
- Restoring humanity to a “schizophrenic” (there’s that pesky word again!)
- Situating therapist/patient as learners, researchers and collaborators
Aparna Ramaswamy, PhD, LCPC
You can access this article for free for the next 30 days by using THIS LINK.
After you’ve had a chance to read this piece, please share your thoughts, ideas, or experiences with our community so we can continue this discussion! The AR+ site is hosting a discussion forum for us to talk about our reactions and experiences related this topic. You can access the discussion forum HERE. A quick (and free) registration is all that’s needed to join the discussion.
You can also communicate with Aparna via her website: www.HealingTradition.org.
Columbia Embury
www.wright.edu
www.wright.edu
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