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Medistic psychotherapy: An oriental-

culture bound therapeutic technique


for mental disorders

Shamsul Haque, PhD


Associate Professor and Head of Psychology
School of Medicine and Health Sciences
Monash University Sunway campus, Malaysia

www.monash.edu.my
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Points of discussion
• Brief biography of late Prof. M. U. Ahmed, the architect of
Medistic Psychotherapy;
• Major works of Prof. M. U. Ahmed;
• Hypnotism as defined in Western literature;
• Medism as neo-oriental hypnotism;
• Roots of Medism: Oriental mysticism;
• Yogi philosophy and Sufism;
• Stages of Medism;
• Therapeutic techniques of Medistic Psychotherapy;
• Postulates of Medistic Psychotherapy;
• Efficacy of Medistic therapeutics;
• End note.

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Brief biography of late Prof. M. U. Ahmed

1909: Born in Pirojpur (former Barisal district)


1933: BA (honors) & MA in Philosophy, DU
1955: MA in Psychology, Toronto, Canada
1935-40: Lecturer, Allahabad University, India
1940-56: Professor of Philosophy & Logic, Krishnagar
College & Chittagong College
1957-62: Principal, Dhaka College
1962-67: Member, East Pakistan Public Service Commission
1972-75: Super-numerary teacher, Dept. of Psychology,
DU & Full time member, Bangladesh Education Commission

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Major works of Prof. M. U. Ahmed
• How to develop strong personality
• Child guidance techniques
• Mental health of children
• Perceptual threshold
• Psychology during war & peace
• Psychological aspects of national character-pattern
• Mental health & education
• Choosing the right profession and eventual success in a job
• Problem parents create problem children: Parental harshness,
over-indulgence & nervousness (radio interviews)
• Drug & drink addiction: how to get out of it
• Socio-cultural changes in Bangladesh
• Development of Medistic Psychotherapy
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Origin of Medistic Psychotherapy

• Occidental hypnotism
• Oriental mysticism

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Hypnotism as defined in Western literature

• James Braid, a Manchester Surgeon, explained


“hypnosis” in terms of “sleep”;
• According to Louis Orton, a prominent hypnotist,
“hypnosis” is a condition in which an individual
shows enhanced capabilities of actualizing what has
been suggested;
• Sylvian Lee suggested that the essential feature of
“hypnosis” is a heightened receptivity of “suggestion”
with or without sleep;
• The concept of “waking hypnosis” goes against
Braid‟s notion of hypnosis as an individual may enter
in to hypnotic state without being in sleep.
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Medism as neo-oriental hypnotism
• Prof. Ahmed coined the term “Medism” to replace
“Hypnotism”
• The Latin root of “Medism” is “Mederi” meaning “to
heal” (The word “Meditation” also has the same
Latin root)
• Both “Medism” and “Meditation” signify a state of
“contemplation” for the attainment of “spiritual
salvation”
• Both these states are characterized by an enhanced
state of “suggestibility” rather than the depth of
“sleep”

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Characteristics & Definition of Medism

• Increased “suggestibility”
• State of meditation
• Therapeutic function

Definition: Medism is the study of the psycho-


spiritual characteristics of the state of meditation
induced by suggestions for healing purposes.

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Roots of Medism: Oriental mysticism

• The oriental saints and sages have been practicing


hypnotism for many centuries;
• They practiced “auto-hypnotism” to acquire
spiritual power for the attainment of “salvation”
• Although Prof. Ahmed criticized the notion of
having this spiritual power from some supernatural
entities, he attempted to spiritualize the
materialistic form of “Occidental Hypnotism” by
brining it in line with “Oriental Mysticism”.

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Yogi philosophy

• By constant spiritual self-culture, Yogis accumulate „Prana‟,


the vital energy that runs through all forms of life;
• By means of „Pranayama‟ (controlled respiration) and the
practice of „Yogasanas‟, the Yogi accumulates Prana from the
air he breathes, the food he eats, and the water he drinks;
• Oriental Mysticism also brings down God from heaven to
earth, finds His eternal presence in the „Spirit” (Atman) of
man;
• They believe, man is neither a body now a soul, he is a „spirit‟
possessing the soul;
• Mind & body is mortal, but spirit never dies;
• Therefore, „Atman‟ not „Mind‟ is the highest reality in man.

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Sufism: Other branch of Oriental Mysticism

• Hypnosis practiced by Sufis is explained with


reference to „Kiramat‟;
• „Kiramat‟ is believed to be a supernatural power
granted to Sufis by Allah as a token of their
spiritual development;
• The tendency (by both Yogis & Sufis) to involve
supernatural powers in explaining hypnotic feats,
however, has been severely criticized by many
Western scholars;

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Nature of Medism
• Medism attempted to explain the nature of hypnosis in
terms of meditation by linking up hypnotism with
mysticism;
• As the mystics meditate on God through a process of
auto-hypnotism, hypnotee meditates on the divine
qualities slumbering within his „spiritual self‟; brought
to light through the intermediary of the hypnotist;
• Mystics require a „pir‟ or „guru‟ while a hypnotee
requires a hypnotist who plays the role of his spiritual
leader;
• Medism, therefore, is not the process of domination but
of liberation, liberating the spiritual potentials of the
individual.
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Stages of Medism
• Pre-medistic: Preparatory period
• Medistic: State of meditation; subject
remains unaware of the surroundings
• Hyper-medistic: Stage of „Samadhi‟ or
„Baqa‟
• Post-medistic: Back to the awareness

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Pre-medistic stage
• Stage in which abstraction (pratyahara) and
concentration (Tawajjuh) facilitate meditation
(Dhyana or Muraqabat);
• Subject is more or less aware of his surroundings;
• Subject starts breathing slowly and deeply;
• Subject feels drowsy and lethargic;
• Subject loses control over his muscles and nerves;
• Subject is able to report his experiences during
this period.

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Medistic stage

• Subjects remain in the state of meditation;


• His „en rapport‟ with the hypnotist becomes complete;
• Subject remain completely unconscious about the
surroundings;
• Highly susceptible to „suggestions‟ from the Hypnotist;
• Subject displays „unconscious rationalization‟;
• Post-medistic suggestions, given during this stage, are
accurately carried out;
• Subjects fail to recollect inter-medistic experiences of
this stage.

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Hyper-medistic stage
• Highest stage that a Mystic aspires to achieve;
• „Subject‟ becomes „object‟ and „knower‟ becomes
„known‟;
• Regress back to his super-conscious spiritual self;
• Subjects become aware of his innate potentialities
slumbering within him;
• Transcends the limitations of „space‟ and „time‟;
• Subject‟s „en rapport‟ with the Hypnotist slightly
slackened;
• Becomes more or less independent of the Hypnotist;
• Totally forget the „inter-medistic experiences‟.
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Post-medistic stage

• Getting back to the ordinary waking life;


• Suggestions given during the medistic stage
have a tendency to leave behind some
lasting effect upon the general nature of the
subject;
• Higher ideals can also be permanently
implanted in the subject;
• Become independent of the Hypnotist and
show amnesia of his „inter-medistic
experiences‟.
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Therapeutic techniques of Medistic Psychotherapy

• Observation of the behavioral pattern of the patient;


• Interviewing the patient, establishing rapport;
• Writing the case history of the patient daily;
• Finding out the remote (predisposing) or immediate
(precipitating) causes of the symptoms;
• Recording daily the report of the patient, since the
last session;
• Recording the free-association and controlled
association of the patient (on prominent symptoms
and dreams);

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Therapeutic techniques
• Trying to understand the real problem of the patient, by
framing tentative hypotheses, successively;
• Producing relaxation in the patient, by requesting him to lie
down on a bed, or sofa, to breathe slowly, to close eyes, and
finally to concentrate on the meeting-point of the eye-brows of
his closed eyes (progressive muscle relaxation technique is
used);
• Request the patient to meditate on „fine health‟ and „well-being‟
while concentrating;
• Continue to apply hetero-suggestion on the patient in a well
modulated and confident tone;
• Finally, compose some appropriate verses (always positive)
for his practice of „auto-suggestion‟ after going back home.

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Postulates of Medistic Psychotherapy
• Every one is born with a „Super-conscious
Spiritual Self‟ which is „pure‟ and „free‟ from
disease;
• Every one develops his „empirical self‟ after birth
through experience;
• „Empirical self‟ is the breeding ground of different
types of diseases;
• “Unconscious mind‟ creates diseases within the
empirical self in order to escape from unpleasant
situations and responsibilities of life;

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Postulates
• „Empirical self‟ comprehends „conscious‟, „pre-
conscious‟ and „unconscious‟ states of self, but
„spiritual self‟ acts as the controlling power behind
the „empirical self‟;
• „Spiritual self‟ acts as the reservoir of „healing
energy‟ that is utilized by the M Psychotherapists
for a recovery from diseases;
• M Psychotherapy is „patient-cum-therapist-
centered‟. Both patient and therapist alternatively
play „active‟ and „passive‟ roles;

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Postulates
• M Psychotherapy is „directive‟ and „psycho-
synthetic‟ rather than „psycho-analytic‟;
• M Psychotherapy is a „oriental-culture
bound‟ rather than a „culture-free‟
therapeutic technique;
• While analyzing dreams of the patient, M
Psychotherapist interprets the dream
symbols „as a whole‟, not in a piece-meal
fashion, like the Freudians.

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Efficacy of Medistic therapeutics

• Lack of systematic research on the efficacy of M


Psychotherapy;
• M Psychotherapists, however, claim the method to
be highly effective;
• Prof. M. U. Ahmed remained very busy during his
life time taking numerous patients;
• Dr. Alam, another M Psychotherapist, is also quite
busy these days attending patients with various
mental disorders;
• It would, however, be helpful to know more about
relapse and reasons for that.
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End note
• While our academic contribution to the world of
knowledge has been slackened over the decades,
we should be proud of our home-grown M
Psychotherapy that is nicely fitted with our oriental
temperament and practices;
• Extensive research is required to uplift this
therapeutic method and present before the world
community;
• Local universities, in collaboration with psychology
and clinical psychology departments, should
undertake projects to evaluate the theoretical
standing of this therapy and assess its efficacy.
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End note

• M Psychotherapy is required to be incorporated in


the academic curriculum of psychology and
clinical psychology;
• Without making this therapeutic technique a topic
of academic discussion and systematic research,
it would be difficult to save this therapy from
extinction;
• And for sure, that would be the real shame for all
of us as a nation and an academic community.

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Thank you all

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