The client and therapist are like two friends going for a walk in the forest, and in the peace of the forest, talking about what matters most to their lives on this earth. Surely, the client talks of his life, and the therapist listens. The therapist does not reveal a lot about his own life. Yet, the therapist is as present in this walk as…
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The meditative life
Hello. Welcome to this page. How do you read this word? This one. And this one? Are you fully here, or are you thinking of the next click, the next glance, what you are going to do in the moment just about to occur? Are you thinking of what you want rather than what you have in front of you. Let us quieten down together….
On death and suicide
Facebook post on 15 June, 2020. A rising star dies. He has decided to end his life. My Facebook timeline fills up with shock and grief. With messages about that term ‘mental health’ which seems to be everywhere these days. In a month and a half, we have seen many beloveds from the cinema die. Irrfan, Rishi Kapoor, Yogesh, Basu Chatterjee. Now Sushant, who took…
Animals and the inner life
Inexhaustibly deep eyes stare at me in curiosity, wonder, and perhaps some moral judgement – “Hooman, are you going to get off your busy bum and give me something nice to eat?” At other times, the eyes are half open, half closed, as my friend sits with her limbs folded in, in silent contemplation. A soft purr comes from her if you put your ear…
The face of death
I first met Arpita three months ago. She is 50 years old, a surgeon by profession. She lost her younger sister to death in January, just a few days before we met. Outwardly, Arpita is strong, organized and in charge of life, and takes care of what her loved ones need. She takes care of the needs of her elderly parents and relatives, and her…
Therapy in times of quarantine
A young woman sits on the other side of the screen, a bare wall behind her. Her voice is interrupted because of a slow connection. I cannot always hear what she says. She often asks me to repeat what I say. Yet, there is a palpable presence that she has. The eagerness to open her heart out to another human being. The fear of being…