THE JOURNAL OF ALTERNATIVE AND COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINE
Volume 17, Number 9, 2011, pp. 875–876
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The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine 2011.17:875-876.
Book Review
ª Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.
DOI: 10.1089/acm.2011.0401
Review of Kundalini Yoga Meditation
for Complex Psychiatric Disorders
Reviewed by Thaiyar M. Srinivasan, PhD
Author: David S. Shannahoff-Khalsa
London: W. W. Norton & Company, 2010, 366 pages, ISBN: 978-
0-393-70568-3, $44.95.
P sychiatric disorders are the most prevalent disorders
in the world today, with most money spent on drugs to
manage these problems. Every year, patients spend millions
of dollars with the hope that these biochemical methods could
solve their specific problems. Unfortunately, these disorders
are not confined to one part of the world. Rich as well as
developing countries are grappling with the problem of
increasing incidences of mental disorders, and the solution is
by no means in sight. While prevention is a better alternative
to cure, early detection and acceptance of a problem by the
person himself/herself is very difficult. In many societies, a
diagnosis of mental disorder itself does not sit well with the
family and the society.
David Shannahoff-Khalsa has come out with yet another
outstanding book that clearly reflects his depth in two diverse
areas, namely, psychiatry and Kundalini Yoga Meditation
(KYM). The book contains five chapters and an epilogue. Each
chapter contains an up-to-date summary of the psychiatric
treatment currently practiced for specific disorders, followed
by KYM techniques to manage the same. The Introduction
mentions that the book is ‘‘designed for use by psychothera-
pists, psychologists, social workers, physicians, other clini-
cians, and yoga therapists and yoga teachers who have an
interest in working with psychiatric patients, and especially
with the nine variants of psychosis, the 10 variants of the
personality disorders, and autism and Asperger’s syndrome’’
(p. xvii). This assertion is well justified as one examines the
pages of the book.
Chapter 1 starts with an excellent introduction to the
problems of morbidity and drug-induced reactions in many
disorders. The next chapter deals with schizophrenia and
related psychotic disorders. A literature survey indicates
clearly that there is a woeful lack of knowledge regarding
the molecular pathophysiology of these disorders. The yogic
view of the etiology of many forms of psychosis is very
different. In yoga, it is postulated that many levels of con-
sciousness exist, and if we are unable to distinguish one from
another, it is likely the person goes through a confused state
as seen in schizophrenia. In such cases, the hallucinations
are information leak from one state of consciousness to the
ordinary. While this is a useful working model, there are no
Sri Vivekananda Yoga University, Bangalore, India.
875
measurements as yet to establish this model. However, since
at least in the case studies presented, the model seems to
work, it is likely a practical one. A yogic protocol is provided
in detail and the results are encouraging.
The third chapter takes up the challenges of personality
disorders that include paranoid, schizoid, antisocial, and
OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder). The chapter intro-
duces APA classification of psychiatric disorders from Axis I
to Axis V along with three separate clusters. This is a fine
introduction to the classification that research students need
to become familiar with and remember. Again, in these
disorders, the medications do not seem to address the un-
derlying cause; they merely mitigate the symptoms. The
yogic view is that during critical learning phase, the person
has not been taught or has not learned fully core virtues such
as being kind and fair that make one normal and healthy in
society.
The case histories are firm indicators of the ability of KYM
to be considered as a drug-free intercession for both single
and multimorbid psychiatric disorders. The author proposes
that these very specific techniques of KYM could be further
studied through rigorous double-blind methods to establish
the outcomes in more readily acceptable format for the
medical community. This is a fair challenge and hopefully,
medical research would look into this modality seriously.
The fourth chapter deals with pervasive development
disorders including autistic and Asperger’s disorders. These
disorders are very difficult to deal with through a conven-
tional biomedical regimen. There is a reported eightfold rise
in new cases of these disorders in California, which is ringing
alarm bells in many quarters (p. 220). There seems to be
inadequate information on the majority of medications used
in children, and the long-term effects of these drugs are not
fully known. The yogic method attempts to integrate the
different aspects of awareness in these patients and a series
of procedures and activities are suggested to achieve this
integration. The case histories at the end of the chapter are
very informative in applying these concepts to bring back
normal awareness in these individuals.
The last chapter deals with treatment of multimodality
psychiatric disorders, which are very inadequately addressed
by biomedical approaches. The KYM techniques are instruc-
tive to manage comorbidity and multimodal disorders.
Even if KYM only reduces intake of drugs and stabilizes
the patient, it is of importance and merits further research.
 876
The polypharmacy that many patients are administered is not
well researched and is a cause of serious concern. As admitted
by National Association of State Mental Health Program Di-
rectors, this could be a serious problem both in children and in
elderly (pp. 297–300). The successful treatment of a serious
comorbid condition through KYM at the end of the chapter is
a well-documented case worth extending to clinical trials.
The Epilogue as the final chapter provides information
about mental disorders and the picture that emerges is not a
pleasant one. The goal of achieving mental health for all is
not even discussed in world forums and the goal seems to
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recede; effective treatments are not available through the
biomedical model. Yoga is a possible method for avoiding
and resolving the crisis of mental disorders. Furthermore, as
the author points out, we need to give everyone a chance to
explore the states of higher consciousness that seem to be the
direction of evolution in humans. The knowledge embedded
The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine 2011.17:875-876.
in yoga is worth exploring, and it could one day emerge as a
drug-free method in controlling and curing both mental and
physical disorders.
There are a few points of interest to the reader. The laterality
of breathing (left or right nostril dominance) in specific disor-
ders is worth researching. As mentioned in the case study in
Chapter 5 (p. 317), during hallucinations, the breath seems to be
left nostril dominant and switched to right after the episode.
This is an exciting finding since laterality is discussed in detail
in an earlier book by the same author, and the dominance
could be switched through simple mechanical means. The
BOOK REVIEW
question arises as to whether this simple method could be a
useful adjunct for some of the disorders discussed in the book.
Though many techniques taught in KYM are unique, some
are indeed taught in other schools of yogic practice also. For
example, Nabhi Kriya series (pp. 289–293) is practiced in
many yogic traditions as well as in KYM, though the inten-
sity of practice or the sequence might vary. The yogis in
other lineages were perhaps not treating psychiatric disor-
ders per se, but were promoting mind–body health through
many yogic practices that in the first place seem to prevent
psychiatric disorders.
In conclusion, it could be safely said that this is an out-
standing book whose relevance in the management of mental
diseases cannot be overemphasized. It is hoped that exten-
sive trials will be undertaken in centers around the world to
provide a firm foundation for KYM as an alternative or, at
least, an adjunctive therapy in mental disorders. The author
should be congratulated for his dedication and sharing his
knowledge of this esoteric science with all.
Address correspondence to:
Thaiyar M. Srinivasan, PhD
Sri Vivekananda Yoga University
Bangalore 560019
India
E-mail: tmsrini@gmail.com