Gauragopala Das ACBSP: Trying to better understand mental illness and the use of modern medicine in ISKCON in 2021.

Trying to better understand the mental illness of some devotees and congregational members in ISKCON.

Mental illness is NOT understood very well in ISKCON today, often devotee’s broadcast a 50 year old quote from Prabhupada that condemns psychiatrists and mental health professionals.

However, understanding mental illness has come a long way in the last 60 years since Prabhupada made those comments, and the following comment should NOT be applied today in 2021 because proper mental professional can and do help devotees where in many cases, ISKCON cannot help devotees and, as we have seen, just ignore their struggles by quoting out dated comments from Prabhupada.

Srila Prabhupada - "Psychiatrists are humbug, all humbug. They cannot help. Best thing is to be engaged in continuously chanting and hearing Sankirtana, that will cure anyone of mental disease." (Letter to Upendra, Feb 19, 1972)

Today in 2023 I believe that comment by Srila Prabhupada does not apply and is certainly not relevant to today’s time, place and circumstance of mantal health!

Although one should ALWAYS chant Hare Krsna no matter what situation they are in.

Other than that, in most cases, the new medicines given by modern psychiatrist today, that did not exist 50 years ago, DOES help one perform their devotional service and should be researched to find a medication suitable for elevating serotonin levels in the brain.

Therefore, to call all psychiatrists humbug in today’s world is NOT correct and NOT right and certainly does not apply in today's world.

Those who use the above comment by Prabhupada are ignorant of what is going on in the world today that is a lot different than the world Prabhupada was born into in 1896.

Over the last 60 years the world of medicine has greatly changed, many medical advances have happened that never existed when Prabhupada was here, so how can they all be humbug when he never had full knowledge of medical science in the 1960s and early 70s.

Back then medical science about the brain was in its early infancy.

So, many comments Srila Prabhupada said back then about psychiatry cannot be applied to today’s practice of psychiatry.

For example, psychiatry back in Srila Prabhupada’s day was influence strongly by Freudian ideas, a man of his time (he was born in 1856).

Śrīla Prabhupāda has said - “By speculating on some shock that may or may not have occurred in childhood, one will never discover the root disease. He [Freud] did not know the basic principle of spiritual understanding, which is that we are not this material body, we are different from this body, and we are transmigrating from one material body to another." (Vaniquotes discussion with devotees)

Today also many psychiatrists reject the outdated Freudian ideas, His method of cure was to have the patient try to recall the painful events of their childhood or some trauma in their lives and analyse them, Prabhupada referred to practise as nonsense.

Psychiatric therapy today in 2023 is more in favour of chemical medicines like anti-depressants and anti-psychotics that acts on the damaged brain substance that is chemically unbalanced due to physical trauma.

In many cases, this therapy developed in the mid 1990s works well I have experienced, rather than turning to uneducated people, including immature young devotees, who have no professional training to properly deal with mental illness.

There are many researchers who believe that an imbalance in serotonin levels influences mood in a way that leads to depression, in 1970 this research was in its infancy and Prabhupada had no knowledge of this and only preached we are not the material bodily vessel we are in, which he is right.

Trying to repair or fix the material bodily vessel's brain substance was not his concern, he simply preached we are not the material body.

But the fact is, to understand that, we must have a healthy ans sane human form (body) of life.

This repairing the material bodies brain substance is where Prabhupada lacked knowledge however, in all fairness back then in the 1960s almost everyone did.

The inbalance in the brain substance can be balanced with serotonin medication and other new medications now available since the mid 1995.

Srila Prabhupada never commented on that form of psychiatry that is so prominent today in 2021 because it NEVER existed while he was with us.

So, to apply Srila Prabhupada's comment that all Psychiatrists are "humbug" today is a irresponsible and even dangerous for those who DO need help and support from a bonafide Psychiatrist.

To make a blanket comment that all psychiatrist are humbug by saying "they cannot help" or they are "all humbug" found in Srila Prabhupada’s letter in 1972, is just simply NOT true and WRONG in today's society.

To help us in our devotional service, sometimes we have to accept the help of the medical industry as many devotees including Jayapataka Swami, Mukunda Goswami, Gopal Krsna Goswami (some had byepass heart surgery)

Some devotees who had heart bypass surgery and other life saving procedures, are often criticised by a few ISKCON fanatical devotees, claiming they should follow only Ayurvedic medical methods in stead.

Sadly, they are often criticised by these ISKCON and Gaudiya math Ayurvedic fanatics who call modern Doctors and Surgeons "disgusting meat eating, karmi, Godless demon Doctors," then using Prabhupada's misinformed comment - "They are all humbug" to back their nonsense ignorance, saying nothing else can help you except the chanting of Hare Krsna.

The fact is, are these misinformed silly devotees going to ONLY chant Hare Kṛṣṇa if they break their leg?

Foolishly they think only the chanting of Hare Krsna will heal their broken bones? Or refuse a breathing ventilater if they have Covid-19 and can't breath? (We know most of them died including Gurus and Sanyasis)

Mental illness is the same as a broken leg, medication is also needed to bring balance to the brain, and like the healing of a broken leg, the chanting of Hare Krsna will help you remember Krsna and will not heal a broken leg.

God helps those who help themselves to seek out the proper medical help to.

I remember some years ago in the 1970s a devotee was offered psychiatric help but was told to reject it by immature Temple authorities at that time who told him that "no meat eating nonsense karmi Godless demon" can ever help a devotee of Kṛṣṇa, claiming "only Krsna can help you, He is the ONLY real doctor, so pray to Him and have faith in just chanting Hare Krsna!"

Sadly this nonsense dogma is still prevalent today in some ISKCON Temples, who always call Hospitals, meat eating Doctors and Psychiatrists, demons.

Very immature!

Sadly this has caused some devotees and congregational members to avoid the help of modern medicine and suffer because of such extremism and nonsense even to the point of suicide.

Some of Prabhupada' letters are meant for time, place and circumstance and are NOT meant for all time.

Even some information in Prabhupada's 8 Canto purport in Srimad Bhagavatam need more explanation because because they do not seem to be right for example, the moon is further away from earth then the Sun is, which not even Sadaputa dasa, ISKCON's PhD Cosmologist agree with afer he read Surya Siddhanta by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura.

Srila Prabhupada’s main point in all his preaching is we are not the material bodily vessel we are trapped in, and should now finish up our selfish existence in this material world and return back home back to Godhead.

So yes, we are NOT these troublesome material bodily vessels but an eternal spiritual bodily form meant to be in our real home of a Goloka-Vrindavana.

------------‐-------------------------------------

To help us in our devotional service Trying to better understand mental illness and the use of modern medicine in ISKCON in 2021.

Trying to better understand the mental illness of some devotees and congregational members in ISKCON.

Mental illness is NOT understood very well in ISKCON today, often devotee’s broadcast a 50 year old quote from Prabhupada that condemns psychiatrists and mental health professionals however, understanding mental illness has come a long way in the last 50 years and the following comment should NOT be applied today in 2021.

Srila Prabhupada - "Psychiatrists are humbug, all humbug. They cannot help. Best thing is to be engaged in continuously chanting and hearing Sankirtana, that will cure anyone of mental disease. (Letter to Upendra, February 19, 1972)

Today in 2021 I believe that comment by Srila Prabhupada does NOT apply and is certainly NOT relevant to today’s time, place and circumstance!

Although one should ALWAYS chant Hare Krsna no matter what situation they are in.

Other than that, in most cases, the new medicines given by modern psychiatrist today, that did not exist 50 years ago, DOES help one perform their devotional service.

Therefore to call all psychiatrists humbug in today’s world is NOT correct and NOT right and certainly does not apply in today's world.

Over the last 50 years the world of medicine has greatly changed, many medical advances have happened that never existed when Prabhupada was here.

Therefore some comments Srila Prabhupada said back then about psychiatry cannot be applied to today’s practice of psychiatry.

For example, psychiatry back in Srila Prabhupada’s day was influence strongly by Freudian ideas who Srila Prabhupada greatly criticized.

Śrīla Prabhupāda has said - “By speculating on some shock that may or may not have occurred in childhood, one will never discover the root disease…. He [Freud] did not know the basic principle of spiritual understanding, which is that we are NOT this material body, we are different from this body, and we are transmigrating from one material body to another"

Today many psychiatrists also reject the outdated Freudian ideas, His method of cure was to have the patient try to recall the painful events of their childhood or some trauma in their lives and analyse them, Prabhupada referred to as nonsense.

Today’s psychiatric therapy is more in favour of chemical medicines like anti depressants and anti psychotics that acts on the damaged brain substance that is chemically unbalanced due to physical trauma which in many cases works well.

There are many researchers who believe that an imbalance in serotonin levels influences mood in a way that leads to depression, in 1972 this research was in its infancy and Prabhupada had no knowledge of this.

Such unbalance in the brain substance can be balanced with serotonin medication.

Srila Prabhupada never commented on that form of psychiatry that is so prominent today in 2021 because it NEVER existed while he was with us.

So to apply Srila Prabhupada's comment that all Psychiatrists are "humbug" today is a irresponsible and even dangerous for those who DO need help and support from Psychiatrists.

So to make a blanket comment that all psychiatrist are humbug by saying "they cannot help" or they are "all humbug" found in Srila Prabhupada’s letter in 1972, is just simply NOT true and WRONG in today's society.

Srila Prabhupada’s main point in all his preaching is we finish up our selfish existence in this material world and return back home back to Godhead.

After all, we are NOT these troublesome material bodily vessels.

HERE HERE HERE

HERE HERE HERE HERE

Even with the Covid-19 pandemic (2020/21) where vaccination is the ONLY way out of being infected, sadly some devotees refuse to be vaccinated and condemns all vaccinations.

Ayurvedic medicine may help with some symptoms but it can NOT cure Covid-19 as previous proved during the Spanish flu pandemic of 1919/20 when 22 million people died in India, and with the recent COVID-19 pandemic 2020/21 where it was useless against stopping Covid-19.

Even many big, big sannyāsis and ISKCON Gurus have died from Covid-19 because their Ayurvedic medication was useless against the virus.

History provides vaccinations work, Small pox, Polio, Diphtheria have all been eradicated because of vaccines.

Such immature fanatical nonsense fundamentalism will only keep devotees and sincere congregational members, who need medical help, suffer more in ignorance under the advice of some immature ISKCON devotees and authorities.

The fact is, don’t listen to these people’s opinions on mental illness and vaccines, always have faith that Krsna DOES help those who seek out the medical help they need, to help themselves overcome different illnesses.

All doctors and psychiatrists are NOT demons, and certainly NOT humbug! There are many, many good medical Doctors who can help you

The fact is, our medical profession HAS come a long way since Srila Prabhupada was here and in MOST cases, you CANNOT apply his teachings to all time, place and circumstance.

As said above, all psychiatrists are NOT humbug in today’s world.

They also, like doctors, can help devotees, some doctors and psychiatrists are even devotees!

The late Pusta Krsna dasa ACBSP has been a doctor for over 30 years and advices his patients to have vaccinations and see psychiatrists if necessary.

Mental illness is misunderstood in ISKCON because of fanatical views in those early ignorant pioneering years.

That letter by Srila Prabhupada was sent 50 years ago (1972) in relation to the Temple President's wife in Melbourne Australia when she had a mental breakdown.

When devotees went to get her out of the mental asylum, they sat her in front of the Altar and got her to chant Hare Krsna as Srila Prabhupada requested.

Unfortunately, due to having no good medications at that time, she was gone within a few hours never to be seen again.

Frankly for that time, place and circumstance it was the only thing devotees could do because no one in 1972 medical society could help her.

However, that same situation would be handled differently today because there ARE many medications available now that was not available back then that WOULD of helped settle her mind so she could do some service if that is what she really wanted.

Therefore, you CANNOT apply that letter in 1972 by Prabhupada to all time, place and circumstance because what we now know he did not know back then.

Another time the devotee Bhakta dasa (name changed for privacy reasons) was also put in a mental institution, so to quieten his mind he was given an anti-psychotic.

This gave him stability, he was stable enough, thanks to the medication given by his psychiatrist, to sit and chant Hare Krsna and become famous for washing pots for Kṛṣṇa.

The anti-psychotic drugs gave him stability so he could do his service.

Of course, one who is sick, be it the biological body or brain, should also chant Hare Krsna alongside the medicine they are receiving.

This was the most important point Srila Prabhupada was making. As already said, in the case of Bhakta dasa, the anti-psychotic medication worked and helped him so he could engage himself in devotional service on his pathway to eventually be fully dependent on Krsna.

In fact in his case, he could not even function without his medication; it was his determination that kept him remaining in contact with the devotees.

The devotees did not really know how to understand his condition; he just kept coming to the Temple so they just tolerated his mental illness for years without having any real input or idea of how to deal with it.

It was not a question of telling him to take his medication, the fact was, if he did not take it, then we would not see him.

One time he stopped taking his medication when he went to India with the devotees and went completely berserk taking eight devotees to hold him down until and ambulance came.

Once back on his medication he was alight, the medication calmed him down.

This actually happened a few times when he never took his medication.

Therefore we should thank his psychiatrists for keeping him healthy, and his own determination to simultaneously depend on Krsna for helping him stay in contact with devotees.

The point is, we have now come a long way in psychiatry over the last 50 years.

So psychiatry is NOT humbug today that may of been in 1972 when Prabhupada made that comment.

In fact they were all not even humbug even back mid 1970s (a few years after Prabhupada wrote that letter) as the case with Bhakta dasa proves!

The new anti-psychotic drug he was taking was very new in 1976, and it helped him remain functional.

It is just like the chanting of Hare Krsna alone will NOT cure a broken leg because you must seek out a doctor who can put it into a cast.

Similarly, the chanting alone will not cure a diseased brain with imbalance of serotonin, so just like the broken leg needs a cast; the brain substance may need an anti-depressant or anti-psychotic boost as in the case of Bhakta dasa and many others during their lifetime in ISKCON who foolishly neglected their mental illness for so many years because they put their faith and trust in unqualified immature Temple authorities.

Such Temple leaders would often say-

“Snap out of it prabhu!! Your in Maya, get off the mental platform and just chant Hare Kṛṣṇa, nothing else can help you! These meat eating demon doctors will never help you!"

Such narrow minded ignorant instructions will NEVER help anyone with mental illness! In fact because of such fanaticism some devotees have even committed suicide because they were told not to take their "karmi" medication.

Mental illness is caused by brain damage or some childhood trauma that is often difficult to understand.

In most cases, it is something you cannot get over unless you take medication, just like you cannot heal a badly broken arm unless you put it in a cast.

Similarly attempting to heal the brain substance also requires medical help.

One must always practice Krsna Consciousness in a practical way, therefore the example of the chanting Hare Krsna alone thinking it will heal your broken arm or leg is nonsense.

Such chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa will NOT heal a broken leg or arm, you MUST see a doctor.

This means to chant Hare Krsna alone and ignore medical help for mental illness is also absurd, foolish and WRONG in today’s world of 2021!

The fact is yes, one should always chant Hare Krishna enthusiastically under all conditions however, one should also seek medical help to keep the material body healthy.

Of course doctors are not going to help us on our death bed, in that case only the chanting of Hare Krsna can do that.

Here are some interesting quotes about understanding Srila Prabhupada’s instructions according to time, place and circumstance -

Jayadvaita Swami – “What Prabhupada said sometimes differed. Sometimes he spoke for the benefit of an individual, sometimes for the world. Sometimes what he said was for the moment, sometimes forever. So as well as we can we need to recognize, in what Prabhupada said, not only the content but the intent”.

Jayadvaita Swami – “Srila Prabhupada responds to the questions of specific individuals. Though again the philosophy is always the same, we cannot assume that how he speaks it to one person is how he would speak it to all.

With one inquirer he might be stern, with another sympathetic, with one subtle, with another deliberately simple. We’d be rash to cite one instance as evidence of how he would respond in all instances”.

Jayadvaita Swami – “Srila Prabhupada is again addressing a particular person, in a particular time and circumstance. And this time his words are sent in a sealed envelope, not spoken in a public assembly.

His words, therefore, may be intended for many people or only for one. They may give instructions meant to apply always and to everyone or only to a special circumstance and one recipient”. (quotes from vedabase)

The following are very interesting comments by the late Dr. Pusta Krsna dasa who was Srila Prabhupada’s personal servant in the mid 1970s

“I must be one of those demons that a recent devotee speaks of when he talks about hospitals and modern medicine (saying they are all demons!)

In my opinion, you have to be clear about physical health and the use of healers. If you subscribe to homeopathy or Ayurvedic treatments, that is a choice you personally make.

Surely, you must know that Srila Prabhupad and so many others used medicines and treatments of those fields.

His Divine Grace also would use western medicine, even surgery, when necessary, to sustain his life and his service. Prabhu, you do not know everything.

As a practicing physician and surgeon for over 30 years, you cannot imagine how much suffering I have encountered, and have been able to help.

In my field, trauma to the limbs and the spine, injuries to soft tissues (skin, tendons, nerves), and infections (life and limb threatening, of which I have two patients in the hospital now), are all worthy pursuits.

It is so easy for those who are healthy and currently free from severe pain, to say “humbug” to the science and people who work to alleviate pain for others, and place the well-being of their patients above their own.

Most such people who cry “humbug” are themselves enjoyers of the illusory energy.

Psychiatry is a field of medicine. It involves psychology when dealing with neurotic behaviour, but it can involve medications when serious depression and psychosis occur.

While not everyone is fully versed in that field, including myself, my eyes are not closed to the reality of mental illness.

Is it simply bad karma? Sure, but do you have enough compassion to help others, both physically and spiritually.

If you have the capacity and expertise, then you must help. If you don’t have the capacity or expertise, then please do not denigrate the sincere efforts of others to alleviate suffering. Prahlad was paradukhadhuki, he felt suffering for the suffering of others.

While the chanting of the Holy Names is the ultimate path back to Home, if you try to make light of the physical and mental suffering of others, then you might one day find yourself the recipient of such unconcerned people when you your self are suffering. It will come back to you, as it must.

Even the Bible says that those who show compassion for others, will receive compassion.

It is safer, if you have the heart, to err on the side of being compassionate and caring toward those who are less fortunate.

After all, fortune is in the hands of the Supreme Lord. Let us therefore become more aware of the needs of devotees, being the servant of the servant, and try to bring affectionate care in our dealings with devotees.”

One important footnote to those comments by Srila Prabhupada - to engage in our devotional service we need a healthy body and that means we may need the help of medical professionals, be them doctors or modern psychiatrists (obviously not the Freudian camp of psychiatrists that Srila Prabhupada said are all nonsense) there are other psychiatrists however, who promote anti-depressants and anti-psychotics medication which have already been proven to help devotees and aspiring devotees.

If they can help you then they are certainly not humbug, Srila Prabhupada’s ultimate mission is to free us all from the entanglement of repeated birth and death and return back home back to Godhead, if we need some medical help in pursuing this goal, then get the help you need, do not ignore mental illness.

The final comment is from Srila Prabhupada

Srila Prabhupada - "First of all, there is not question of a devotee becoming ostracized because he has become ill, nor do I think this is being widely practiced.

Who has been ostracized?

One of the symptoms of a devotee is that he is kind, so if our Godbrother becomes ill it is our duty to help him get the proper medicine and treatment so that he can recover." (Letter to Sukadeva on April 5, 1974)

Hare Krsna, your aspiring servant Gauragopala dasa ACBSP.+^+ sometimes we have to accept the help of the medical industry.

Some devotees who have had heart bypass surgery and other life saving procedures, are often criticised by a few fundamentalist ISKCON fanatical devotees.

Sadly they are often criticised by a few fundamentalist ISKCON fanatical devotees and leaders, who call these modern Doctors and Surgeons "disgusting meat eating, karmi, Godless demon Doctors", using Prabhupada's misinformed comment "humbug" to back their nonsense saying nothing else can help you except the chanting of Hare Krsna.

Are these misinformed devotees going to ONLY chant Hare Kṛṣṇa if they break their leg, foolishly thinking only the chanting of Hare Krsna will heal the break? Or refuse a breathing ventilater if they have Covid-19 and can't breath?

Mental illness is the same as a broken leg, medication is also needed to bring balance to the brain, and like the healing of a broken leg, the chanting of Hare Krsna will help ONLY if you help yourself to seek medical help to.

God helps those who help themselves.

I remember some years ago a devotee was offered psychiatric help but was put off by immature Temple authorities who told him that "no meat eating nonsense karmi Godless demon" can ever help a devotee of Kṛṣṇa, claiming "only Krsna can help you, He is the ONLY real doctor, so pray to Him!"

Sadly this nonsense dogma is still prevalent today in some ISKCON Temples, who always call Hospitals, Doctors and Psychiatrists, demons.