110 chapter
Benny: To get relief. Is there any change after coming here?Mother: Th ere is a great decrease [kuravu] in her anger and her attacks on
others.Benny: Th ere is change. Will she do housework since she started coming here?Mother: She will do the work.Th ey did not elaborate on what specifi cally they thought would be diff erent
about ayurveda, but like many patients we interviewed who were using non-
allopathic therapies, Mary and her mother switched after several years and two
or three courses of allopathic treatment. Although Mary attempted suicide
again since switching to ayurvedic therapy, Mary’s mother believes that Mary
is less angry and has fewer violent outbursts. Th ere is no resolution to Mary’s
problem, but there is “change,” as Benny affi rms.
Mary and her mother also visited a church in central Kerala to seek relief
for Mary’s problem. Th ey did not off er details about the healing process, but
Mary recalled “when I was treated there, I got sukham [health].” She then
asserted, “I don’t have any problem now” and “I always have peace,” which was
hard to take seriously given her recent suicide attempt, but these statements
about going to church for relief were the most enthusiastic and positive com-
ments Mary made during our interview. Mary also spoke with some frustra-
tion about not being allowed to become a nun, and her fi rst complaint about
her family was that they scolded her while she was praying. She probably felt
some satisfaction after seeking treatment at the church since she had a chance
to engage her spirituality. Likewise, being left home while her parents visited
a Christian retreat did not seem to help her.
Mary’s parents visited a popular Christian charismatic center called “Potta,”
described in the previous chapter, to seek relief on Mary’s behalf, but Mary did
not accompany them:
Mother:... When we went there [to Potta], the nuns told us that it is not neces-
sary for the patient to pray. Only the father and mother have to pray.Benny: I see.Mother: Th ey said, come to this place with a right mind.Benny: So if the mother and father come to pray that is enough. Th ey said not
to bring her to Potta?