I witnessed a few premies in the ashram and in the community who were having mental and emotional problems. It stands to reason that when someone is told not to think, and to only feel good things, that they will have a lot of difficulty supressing those problems in the atmosphere of rawat's world. Plus, I remember that rawat didn't approve of therapy of any kind.

Maharaji's panacea to all problems was K, surrendering to him, and that was solution to everything.

One of the ashram sisters killed her self by jumping off a bridge in New York City. Her father was a psychiatrist, which is sadly ironic.

Another was having intense personal problems and our housemother would spend a lot of time with her, giving satsang, but no professional help was offered.

There was an aspirant who was recruited right out of an elite private psychiatric hospital in Hartford that was nearby the sisters ashram. She had been living there for a long, long time. She got K, but I remember her crying a lot and looking for comfort from one of the ashram sisters. The comfort was always satsang.

There were some caring and loving premies but unfortunately, because of the cult, giving satsang, encouraging surrender to rawat was the only solution offered.

I didn't have difficulties with my own emotional problems because I was able to dissociate so automatically, especially during the years I was in the ashram. Meditation in large doses aids in dissociation and trance states, so I just floated through any "bad or disturbing" feelings and thoughts. I never thought about how I really felt during that time, and whenever my inner pain would leak through I'd ignore it, meditate a lot, do service, listen to or give satsang, and carry on.

Very unhealthy for humans! Toxic!

Cynthia