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We later asked Hanifa’s wife whether it was these memory problems that
led them to discontinue allopathic care:
Kavitha: Was it because of memory problems that you stopped, or.. .?Hanifa’s Wife: Yeah, because of memory problems and a lot of “tension.”
Th inking, and he was like this. So we changed. Now there is relief after com-
ing here. After he came here, he sleeps without taking medicine. Before this he
wouldn’t sleep even after taking two pills.Our discussion about medications with Hanifa’s wife will be revisited in
Chapter 5 in considering how “pleasant” it is to undergo treatment in these
diff erent systems of healing. Hanifa is one of several patients who left allo-
pathic psychiatric treatment because they did not like the eff ects of medi-
cations. Hanifa has been living at Beemapalli where his wife says he gets
“relief ” and can sleep, which is reminiscent of other people we spoke with
who appeared to have found a way to cope with intractable or recurring prob-
lems, not by pursuing medical solutions but by living with their problems
in a “pleasant” therapeutic environment—that is, in an environment that
is aesthetically engaging and where undergoing therapeutic practices, the
process of therapy itself and not just the eff ect therapy aims to generate, is
therapeut ic. In Hanifa’s case, his problem is not resolved or cured, but he
gets some relief by residing in the aesthetically and spiritually engaging
environment of Beemapalli mosque.
Allopathy was the most common form of therapy that people suff ering
mental affl ictions used before coming to Beemapalli, but many had also tried
ayurveda, mantravādam (sorcery), homeopathy, and visiting temples before
resorting to the mosque to fi nd relief.
As our interview continued, we asked if Hanifa had received any kind of
psychotherapy:
Kavitha: Did the “doctors” give you “counseling”?Hanifa: What does that mean?Kavitha: Did they talk to you for a long time to get everything in your mind?Hanifa: Yes, they will ask me some questions.Kavitha: Th ey will talk for some time, and after that do you get any “relief?”