Kali, Shiva, and Psychotherapy A Hermeneutic Literature Review A dissertation submitted by Vijay Gurumurthy Mahantesh to Auckland University of Technology in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of the Master of Psychotherapy 2018 Primary Supervisor: Wiremu Woodard Department of Psychotherapy Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences 1 Table of Contents List of figures ................................................................................................................................. 4 List of tables .................................................................................................................................. 5 Attestation of authorship.............................................................................................................. 6 Acknowledgements ....................................................................................................................... 7 Abstract ......................................................................................................................................... 8 Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 9 Purpose ..................................................................................................................................... 9 Aim of research ....................................................................................................................... 10 Brief overview of chapters ...................................................................................................... 11 Chapter 1. Methodology and methods ....................................................................................... 12 Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 12 2.1. Hermeneutic methodology .............................................................................................. 14 2.2. Hermeneutic literature review process ........................................................................... 16 2.3. Reflexivity and motivation for research ........................................................................... 22 Chapter summary ................................................................................................................... 24 Chapter 2. Literature review ....................................................................................................... 25 Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 25 1.1. Myth and mythology ................................................................................................... 25 1.1.1. Mythology in psychoanalytic literature .............................................................. 26 1.1.2. Hindu mythology and psychotherapy ................................................................. 26 1.2. Myths about Kali ......................................................................................................... 28 1.2.1. Kali- The fierce warrior ........................................................................................ 29 1.2.2. Kali rituals ............................................................................................................ 30 1.3. Myths about Shiva ...................................................................................................... 30 1.3.1. Shaivism .............................................................................................................. 31 1.3.2. Master yogi ......................................................................................................... 32 1.3.3. Shiva rituals ......................................................................................................... 33 1.4. Kali-Shiva relationship ................................................................................................. 33 1.4.1. Kali-Shiva myths .................................................................................................. 35 Chapter summary ................................................................................................................... 36 Chapter 3. Psychoanalytic themes .............................................................................................. 38 Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 38 3.1. Birth of human anxiety .................................................................................................... 38 3.2. The forgotten infant ......................................................................................................... 40 3.3. Desired mother who also castrates ................................................................................. 42 2 3.4. Dread and disparaging male ............................................................................................ 43 3.5. Dread and self-defeating female ..................................................................................... 45 Chapter summary ................................................................................................................... 46 Chapter 4. Psychotherapeutic engagement ............................................................................... 48 Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 48 4.1. Kali rage as a response to trauma .................................................................................... 49 4.2. Kali as transference phenomenon ................................................................................... 50 4.3. The wild dance of the therapist and client ...................................................................... 52 4.4. Hermaphroditic consciousness ........................................................................................ 53 4.5. Transformation ................................................................................................................ 55 4.6. Availability to be trampled upon and the invitation for vigorous intercourse ................ 56 4.7. Sadhana ............................................................................................................................ 58 4.8. Samadhi ............................................................................................................................ 60 4.8. Death, liberation, and expansion of self .......................................................................... 62 Chapter summary ................................................................................................................... 65 Chapter 5. Discussion .................................................................................................................. 66 Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 66 5.1. Overview of findings ........................................................................................................ 68 5.2. Meaning of findings ......................................................................................................... 74 5.3. Implications for theory and practice ................................................................................ 76 5.4. Strengths of this research ................................................................................................ 79 5.5. Limitations and future research recommendations ........................................................ 80 Chapter summary ................................................................................................................... 82 Chapter 6. Summary of research ................................................................................................ 83 References .................................................................................................................................. 85 3 List of figures Figure 1. Kali and Shiva. From Wikimedia Commons. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Kali_by_Raja_Ravi_Varma.jpg. Copyright [2017] by Wikimedia Commons. ................................................................................................................... 9 Figure 2. This research is a hermeneutic literature review of Kali-Shiva and its relationship with psychotherapeutic engagement. ................................................................................................ 13 Figure 3. The two, mutually intertwined hermeneutic circles. Reprinted from “A Hermeneutic Approach for Conducting Literature Reviews and Literature Searches,” by S. K. Boell & D. Cecez-Kecmanovic, 2014, Communications of the Association for Information Systems, 34(12), 257-286. Copyright (2014) by Communications of the Association for Information. ................ 17 Figure 4. The search and acquisition circle. Reprinted from “Literature Reviews and the Hermeneutic Circle,” by S, K. Boell & D. Cecez-Kecmanovic, 2010, Australian Academic and Research Libraries, 41(2), 129-144. Copyright [2010] by Australian Academic and Research Libraries ....................................................................................................................................... 17