Ayurveda for Mental Health
Bhūtavidyā / Manovijñāna: Ayurvedic Psychology & the Art of Healing
Learning Outcomes
After this course, you’ll be able to understand the Ayurvedic view of the mind—how it works, where it lives in the body, and what throws it out of balance. You’ll learn to recognize different mental constitutions, explore how Ayurveda explains mental health challenges, and study traditional therapies used to bring the mind back into harmony.
If you already work in wellness, this course will give you powerful tools to better understand your clients and offer more personalized, holistic support.
Curriculum
Discover what Ayurvedic psychology is and how it offers a radically different lens on the mind.
Learn the basics of Sāṅkhya philosophy and how it forms the foundation of Ayurvedic thought.
Explore the channels of the mind (manovahā śrotamsi) and where consciousness resides in the body.
Gain tools to assess mental constitution and understand individual psychological tendencies.
Reflect on the nature of consciousness and what Ayurveda says about the structure of the mind.
Study classical perspectives on mental disorders and how they are classified in Ayurveda.
Continue deepening your understanding of specific psychological imbalances through Ayurvedic texts.
Examine more complex mental disorders and their treatment approaches within the Ayurvedic framework.
Learn about traditional Ayurvedic therapies for healing the mind.
Discover supportive healing modalities like jyotiṣa and mantra that complement mental health treatment.
Competencies
Psychiatry (Bhūtavidyā/Manovijñāna)
Demonstrated ability to competently recommend diet (āhāra), lifestyle (vihāra), positive conduct (acāra), herbs (dravya) and treatments (cikitsā) to treat mild pathologies of the mind.
Demonstrated ability to design, implement and manage a plan to pacify the doṣas within
the mind and provide treatments to treat mild pathologies of the mind.
- Minor depression (Major depression should be referred to an AD)
- Anxiety (Anxiety disorder should be referred to an AD)
- Anidra—sleep disorder of recent onset (chronic sleep disorder should be referred to an AD)
- Grief and loss
Demonstrated ability to make the following recommendations and implement the
following therapies with the goal of pacification of the doṣas.
- Visual Therapy: Sāttvika (purity. positive) intake of impressions and the proper use of
color - Auditory Therapy: Sāttvika (purity. positive) intake of impressions and the proper use of sound
- Aromatic Therpay: Sāttvika (purity. positive) intake of impressions and the proper use of aromas
- Gustatory Therapy: Sāttvika (purity. positive) intake of impressions and the proper use of foods
- Tactile Therapy: Sāttvika (purity. positive) intake of impressions and the proper use of
touch - Effective daily routines
- Changes to a person’s behavior
- Herbal remedies for the balancing the doṣas of the mind, restoring a healthy balance of prāṇa (vital energy), tejas (radiance) and ojas (essence of life) and are an important part of treating specific disease conditions
- Dietary remedies that not only balance the doṣas of the mind and restore a healthy
balance of prāṇa (vital force), tejas (radiance) and ojas (essence of life) but also are an important part of treating specific disease conditions - Lifestyle remedies that not only balance the doṣas of the mind and restore a healthy
balance of prāṇa (vital force), tejas (radiance) and ojas (essence of life) but also are an important part of treating specific disease conditions - Conduct correction that not only balance the doṣas of the mind and restore a healthy
balance of prāṇa (vital force), tejas (radiance) and ojas (essence of life) but also treating specific disease conditions - Additional sensory therapies that not only balance the doṣas of the mind and restore a
healthy balance of prana (vital force) –tejas (radiance) and ojas (essence of life) but also are an important part of treating specific disease conditions including visual (color), olfactory (aromas, netī (nasal salve), nasya – medicated nasal drops) , auditory (mantra and music) and touch (massage / oil therapies).
Knowledge of:
- Diagnosing the mental prakṛti (individual constitution) and vikṛti (pathological condition) by quantifying sattva, rajas, and tamas
- The effects of sensory input on the mind
- Effective use and misuse of the five senses
- Overuse, deficient use and misuse for each sense organ
- Prāṇa (vital force), tejas (radiance) and ojas (essence of life) and how to determine their state
- Three guṇas (qualities – sattva, rajas and tamas) and how to determine their state
- What constitutes healthy behavior
- Effect of sensory input on the mind
- Designing a treatment program utilizing diet, lifestyle, adjustments to behavior and how the senses are used
- Various approaches to implementing the treatment program including adjusting the
pace of implementation of the program based on a client’s prakṛti (individual
constitution) and vikṛti (pathological condition) - Effective case management
- Knowledge of how to conduct follow up visits to monitor progress and make adjustments to the treatment plan including
- Checking in on how the client is doing implementing assignment/homework plan
and lifestyle changes
o An ability to support the client to be more successful in implementing the treatment plan - An ability to assign additional homework / assignments or lifestyle changes at an appropriate time
- Utilizing of the counseling process noted in the counseling section AAC Competency Guidelines
- Checking in on how the client is doing implementing assignment/homework plan
- Knowledge of how to conduct follow up visits to monitor progress and make adjustments to the treatment plan including
- Four aspects of mind- manas, citta, buddhi (intellect), ahaṁkāra (ego)
- Definition, qualities, location and functions of mind
- Definitions and symptomatology of major diseases of the mind including anxiety and depressive disorders as well as degenerative conditions such as dementia.
- Understanding how complementary Vedic science can support the ability to bring
balance to the doṣa, subtle doṣas and the three guṇas (qualities – sattva, rajas and
tamas) including Yoga, Jyotiṣa (vedic astrology) and Vāstu (vedic architecture).
Gia Lisa Krahne - Your Mentor
Gia Lisa Krahne holds a BA in Psychology and English from New York University and a 4-year Āyurvedic Doctoral degree from Āyurved Sādhana Vidyālaya, reflecting her dual expertise in modern psychology and ancient healing traditions. She also completed the post-baccalaureate premedical program at Columbia University, where her passion for neuroscience led her to six years of research in hospital settings, focusing on the connection between drug abuse and eating disorders, with aspirations of becoming a neurosurgeon.
Her journey toward holistic healing deepened with her commitment to Āyurveda, after years of dedicated study, alongside gaining practical experience in neuroscience at NYU Medical Center.
Today, Gia leverages her extensive background in psychology, neuroscience, and Āyurveda to offer an integrative approach to health and well-being, bridging the gap between ancient wisdom and modern science.