152 chapter
Santhi’s problem manifests itself in the body, but this description culminates
in her concern about losing her state of mind. Here heaviness aff ects the mind,
perhaps relating to the sense that the mind is somewhat material, or at least
more tangible than bōdham and other types of consciousness. Returning to the
somatic aspects of her suff ering, Santhi explained:
Santhi: Now when my body becomes chenattu kayaru [numb/limp/stiff ] and
when I am tired.Kavitha: What is “chenattu kayaru”?Santhi: All this hair will stand up straight. It will go away after a while.Kavitha: Is this the only thing you feel, or is there anything else?Santhi: Sometimes I will have stomach pain, burning in the chest. Sometimes
burning in the stomach, then headache. Everything is there.Santhi then responds to Kavitha’s prompt to talk about mental and bodily
states, but she emphasizes that her fear—which in this exchange seems to be
the most crucial concern about her illness—relates to her mental state:
Kavitha: You said that this will happen [that you will be possessed]. When that
happens, how do you feel in your body? And in your mind, how do you feel?Santhi: In my mind, I will be afraid.Kavitha: Will be afraid. Other than that?Santhi: Nothing other than that.Kavitha: Nothing more than that.Santhi: I am afraid. I feel that I will lose my normal mind [samanila tetti
pōkum].Th e mother of Sreedevi, the woman introduced in Chapter 3 who was seek-
ing ayurvedic psychiatric treatment and was worried about whether she could
get married, described Sreedevi’s diffi culties in terms of bodily, behavioral and
emotional idioms:
Biju: What is the problem for which you are seeking treatment?