Does Hinduism do enough to provide support for those with experiences of trauma, mental health problems and eating disorders?
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Trauma is a universal phenomenon that can be discussed in various contexts around the world. Poor mental health can manifest itself in multiple different ways, including eating disorders. Disordered eating, poor body image and the strive for perfection can be observed in many different cultures. The one I will be discussing is Hinduism and whether or not the religion provides enough support for those who are suffering from the trauma of an eating disorder. Here, I will discuss it from the perspective that the Hindu approach to pastoral care is lacking and does not create a space to counsel those with mental health problems and, in some cases, may actively hinder mental health. I will be doing this with a collection of evidence from the connection between religious fasting and eating disorders to a case study of Hindu actress Richa Chadha and her struggles with an eating disorder.
The History of Eating Disorders within the context of Hinduism
Admittedly, throughout my research, I found there to be unusually little evidence of disordered eating within Hindu culture, especially when compared with other communities. But there may be a reason for this. In order to discuss Hindu approaches to trauma and mental health, we first need to observe the wider context of the religion and study cultural differences that could potentially impact mental health. Hindu culture is, arguably, very strict and young women within the religion are held to a very high standard which can be observed when discussing eating disorders. Contextually, the caste system in India is a tradition which separates Hindus based on social status and determines their spiritual purity (Equality Labs 2018). This is very significant because your caste can determine different things such as status, housing, who you can marry and even what you are allowed to eat. The significance of this, socially, is devastating in Hindu culture because spiritual purity is of utmost importance and so the great standard they hold themselves and their family to must be maintained in order to remain in a high caste for future generations. Furthermore, evidence of the dowry system in India is still practised, despite being illegal, and can be severely detrimental to a girl’s mental health. The dowry system can be described as a family ‘buying’ a groom for their daughter to marry which means having a daughter can be a financial burden on Hindu families and there is an obvious preference for male children throughout India (L Mosher, V Chandler 2019). This is significant because it means the mental health of young women in Hindu families are suffering at the expense of the incredibly high standards they must maintain and the amount of pressure put on them to be perfect. This is evidenced by the fact that 25% of girls in India suffer from an eating disorder (Z Chaudhuri 2018). Artist Rajshree Saraf studied the abundance of eating disorders in young Indian girls and maintains that the impossible standards Hindu girls are held to in Hindu culture is a contributing factor.
“The disorder is about their internal struggle. It is not about food- it is about control, hope for perfection, insecurity and obsession” (R Saraf 2018).
She also posits that one reason for the lack of Hindu examples of eating disorder is not because they do not happen, but because they are not being reported on for the very reason that causes them- maintaining social status and perfection.
“While on one hand, there is an increasing recognition of eating disorders in the country, there is also persisting belief that this illness is alien to India. This prevents many sufferers from seeking help.” (R Saraf 2018.)
This acts as evidence that perhaps traditional Hindu culture may contribute to eating disorders and does not provide enough care for those with poor mental health. Perhaps it is not that eating disorders do not happen in Hindu culture, but that they are hidden. This invisible disease is still prevalent among young Hindu girls but is not reported on or discussed as it is still a disease and has no place in traditional Hindu families.
Is There a Connection between Religious Fasting and eating Disorders?
Culturally, we can see there may be a pattern between Hindu perfectionism and eating disorders, but I wanted to research if there was a connection between religious fasting in practice and eating disorders. Interestingly, there are few cases which definitively said fasting promoted or lead to an eating disorder, and in-fact I even found some evidence to say that fasting can help mental health for the religious among us because it is seen as a spiritual act which aims to purify the body and soul. Nevertheless, any food avoidance is an example of disordered eating and must have at least some effect on the mental health of those already suffering. Forbidden foods are common in Hinduism and many Hindus are vegetarian for moral and cruelty reasons. Some Hindus opt out of eating ‘tamasic foods’ which includes things like onion and garlic because, from a yogic perspective, they are harmful to both the body and mind and encourage laziness and lethargy (M Lewin 2020). Be that as it may, the complications that come with mandatory religious fasting when you may already be struggling with an eating disorder can be very detrimental to your mental health. Anorexia is, arguably, a very competitive eating disorder and so the legitimization of food avoidance under the veil of religious devotion and spiritual purity can be incredibly dangerous because it validates disordered eating and long periods of restriction for those who may be suffering in silence and who welcome justifiable starvation. Evidenced with:
“In some cases, it (religious fasting) can lead to increased restriction after the holiday and other forms of relapse” (L Gianni, PHD 2016).
On the other hand, it can be as equally dangerous for those suffering from bulimia and binge disorders because, again, it promotes high restriction during the day which leads to binging, and in some cases, purging later in the day. This is evidenced by a study from 2015 where those who partook in a short fast reportedly did eat a great amount of food (binged) after the fast, even those who had no previous relationship with an eating disorder as proof that short term fasting does promote pathological eating patterns (Shaumberg, D Anderson, Reilly, L Anderson 2015). This shows some ways in which Hindu culture does not take those with eating disorders and mental health issues into account when performing traditional rituals, especially when we pair it with the invisible aspect of the disease in traditional Hinduism that I discussed earlier. Could fasting be a trigger for those with an eating disorder or is religion is enough to overcome physical and mental afflictions for short periods of time for the sake of spiritual devotion?
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Case Study: Richa Chadha
One case study we can look at to research into Hinduism and eating disorders is from Bollywood actress Richa Chadha who spoke about her own struggles with an eating disorder as an actress in Bombay and the pressure put on her appearance by the media in the film industry. She suffered with bulimia for many years and labelled her disease as ‘the big B’ at a TED talk in 2016 and characterized it with:
“When you hate what you look like and you induce vomiting… accompanied with extreme feelings of guilt, depression, anxiety and palpitations… you have no zest for life” (Chadha 2016).
See YouTube video below. She also defined eating disorders as the film industry’s ‘best kept secret’ which we can draw parallels from Hinduism in comparison. This immense strive for perfection with the added pressure from society or family can be very detrimental to the mental health of many young sufferers and does not help those going through the trauma of an eating disorder. Furthermore, the glamorization of skinny and graceful celebrities in the media is rife in every culture, globally, as shown by Richa Chadha and her struggles. However, it affects not just actresses but many young people worldwide as they strive for perfection. The sad reality is that there is nothing glamorous about eating disorders and developing one can cause lifelong trauma and food issues which have been so culturally normalized that there is just not enough reform and counsel being done to help those suffering. Not only are eating disorders the film industries best kept secret, they are the best kept secret of every culture globally, with anorexia having the highest death rate of any psychiatric illness, beating the mortality rate of major depression by almost 12 times. (Mirasol 2020). Potentially this could be made even worse from the Hindu perspective which, traditionally, hide any disease for fear of judgement or loss of spirituality. This means that young Hindu girls, and boys who are suffering from eating disorders are not being given the correct counsel needed to help their mental health and overcome it from traditional Hindu communities.
Link to Richa Chadha's TedTalk on YouTube
Conclusion
Hinduism and eating disorders are two things rarely discussed along the same stream, this being a reason, perhaps for the abundance of unreported cases of eating disorders in Hindu culture. On one hand, we can argue that Hindu culture and eating disorders do not deserve to be discussed together as Hindu culture does not intentionally mean to worsen or promote them. However, we can also argue that the complacency of Hinduism regarding eating disorders can cause detrimental effects to the mental health of its worshippers and it can be concluded that Hinduism may not do enough to provide support for those with mental health issues, experiences of trauma and eating disorders.
“If you are not content with who you are right now, you are not aware of who you could be if you were willing to strive” (Sadhguru. 2014).
Perhaps this quote from Hindu teacher Sadhguru encompasses the ways in which Hindu culture can respond to and support mental health. We have looked at the way in which Hindu culture may not support those with experiences of trauma in the form of eating disorders- but what about the Hindu practices that do? For the very reasons that I suggested there may be a lack of reform in social Hindu culture, I found evidence to suggest that there actually is a satiating amount of support for mental health from traditional Hindu practices and rituals. In this essay I will discuss fasting as a technique for helping poor mental health and the spiritual Hindu practice of yoga which helps to hinder eating disorder culture and the side effects of it. Both of these I will be looking at from the perspective and teachings of Hindu master Sadhguru and his discipline on mental health.
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Who Is Sadhguru?
Jagadish Vasudev, under the pseudonym of Sadhguru, can be described as a spiritual leader who is best known for his work teaching people how to create harmony between the mind, body and spirit. This makes him a perfect candidate for research when discussing the Hindu response to mental health because enlightenment and mindfulness are at the epicenter of his teachings. This is also helpful when discussing eating disorders in Hindu culture because Sadhguru’s teachings about the dualistic connection of the mind and body helps to facilitate the movement from a negative body image to a positive one through ritual, embodiment and yoga. Sadhguru’s pragmatic approach to mental health is incredibly humbling as he takes various things into consideration. He posits that mental health is at an all-time low in modern times because society is simply too demanding and in such an unprecedented way which has catastrophic effects on our metal health. He criticizes societal institutions which put too much pressure on human minds and do nothing to help which can lead to dangerous manifestations of poor mental health including depression, anxiety and poor self-esteem which exhibits the side effect of an eating disorder. By simply creating a space to talk about mental health and eating disorders, Sadhguru validates their nature and the way they permeate through Hindu societies which is a crucial criterion for tackling them from a pastoral perspective.
Sadhguru’s Teachings
One practice that Sadhguru reinforces in his teachings is the concept of Sadhana. Sadhguru defines Sadhana as a mental discipline used to change one’s state in order to overcome something or reach a goal, thus “a tool to rise and to ride the surf of life” (Sadhguru 2018). His philosophy also includes detaching oneself from worldly and material things which reportedly gives life and embodiment an entirely new perspective. I interpret this as we are so much more than what we look like. At the center of his teachings, Sadhguru preaches that balance is essential for the wellbeing of one’s mental and physical health and therefore uses traditional Hindu practices as means to find mental peace and balance. On the discussion of fasting, Sadhguru does not dismiss it as a trigger for those who are suffering with an eating disorder but instead encourages healthy eating patterns which may include short periods of fasting. Ironically, he states that periods of fasting can promote and help good mental health because it helps to balance your physical state and keeps your body and mind in perfect harmony. Sadhguru suggests avoiding tamasic foods in order to keep the body and mind healthy, these include garlic, onions, chilies, coffee and tea (see YouTube video). It is oxymoronic to categorize foods into good and bad as a method of promoting mental balance because, as previously discussed, any justification of food avoidance validates an unhealthy relationship with food and can lead to pathological eating patterns (Shaumberg, D. Anderson, Reilly, L. Anderson 2015). Nevertheless, Sadhguru maintains that a yogic diet is very beneficial for one’s health because once a month, on the Hindu holy day of Ekadashi, the body does not need food and therefore fasting helps the system to realign (see YouTube video). Sadhguru states that fasting on this day is a spiritual cleansing and is crucial for a vibrant life. Sadhguru’s pragmatic philosophies are vital when discussing mental health and the implications of eating disorders because his modern approach “serves as a reminder that yoga is a contemporary science, vitally relevant to our times” (Sadhguru 2019). Arguably one of the earliest Hindu practices, Yoga has been largely westernized in modern times but the lessons at the core of yoga still stand today. Sadhguru categorizes the importance of yoga as a union with the mind, body and soul and it is seen to give immense divine experiences in Hindu communities as it separates one from worldly cravings, desires and materialism. Yoga is also significant when discussing eating disorders within Hinduism because it helps to maintain perspective and positive embodiment:
“It actually causes damage to the individual if you intellectually see everything is one. People do all kinds of silly things because they got this idea that everybody is one, before somebody teaches them a good lesson and then they see, “This is me, that is you. No way to be one.”” (Sadhguru 2019)
This shows ways in which Sadhguru’s philosophy flips previous misconceptions about the dangers of religious fasting from something negative into a positive tool that can be used to feed a spiritual hunger. This therefore, suggests that Hindu communities and traditional rituals hold good mental health and balance within the body in great esteem and by proxy, help those suffering with an eating disorder.
Putting Sadhguru into Practice
One way we can analyse and evaluate the Hindu support for those with eating disorders laid out by Sadhguru is by looking at parallels between his teachings and recovery of eating disorders. Sadhguru’s position on the importance of yogic diets can be compared with the tactic of intuitive eating which is known to be a positive and useful tool in eating disorder recovery. By listening to your body and understanding it is okay to be hungry and eat both what you want and know what is not needed relates to Sadhguru’s aversion to tamasic foods and shows those recovering from an eating disorder that food avoidance in moderation is okay. But just how useful a tool is intuitive eating in eating disorder recovery? Its use is to not overwhelm those recovering as this has been known to cause relapses in progress and, until recently, the widespread response to eating disorders has been to issue a tough love approach and it is not uncommon, as a relative of sufferers, to frustratingly scream at them to just eat! But because eating disorders are about so much more than food, this is less helpful and many opt for an intuitive approach (Richards, Crowton, Berrett, Smith, Passmore 2017). However, intuitive eating has been criticized as not doing enough as it still justifies food avoidance under the basis of ‘I am listening to my body’ which is hard to argue with in a practical sense (Tylka, Wilcox 2006). Perhaps they are two sides of the same coin.
Sadhguru’s response to tackling mental health with yoga, however, may be precisely the correct prescription. Many studies have found that yoga is an incredibly effective tool for hindering eating disorders. Eating disorder recovery is a complex and difficult practice because it recently has been found that victims of eating disorders are not likely to make full and permanent recoveries (Murray 2019) because there is no simple medicinal cure that can be administered effective immediately and therefore other methods are needed. Yoga is a practical and realistic tool which can be used long-term to help keep the symptoms of an eating disorder at bay. Yogic embodiment may be crucial in recovery as it helps create a connection between the mind and body:
“Giving form to positive embodiment involves integrating awareness of one’s internal needs and environmental demands… by these means, judgement, objectification and ignorance of the body may be replaced with actively experiencing it” (Perey, Cotton 2020).
Which shows that one of the oldest Hindu traditions may be crucial in long lasting eating disorder recovery.
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Conclusion
Sadhguru’s pragmatic approach to mental health allows for the progress of recovery of many mental health issues including eating disorders within the Hindu faith. Arguably, we can say that some techniques can hinder recovery for eating disorders such as fasting and a yogic diet, but Sadhguru’s mindful approach can help change perspective on this. On the other hand, studies have shown yoga to be a crucial or at least significant benefactor in the recovery of eating disorders. Therefore, in conclusion, traditional Hindu communities and practices such as yoga do enough to provide support for those with experiences of trauma, mental illness and eating disorders.