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Shamsul Haque, PhDAssociate Professor and Head of Psychology

School of Medicine and Health Sciences

Monash University Sunway campus, Malaysia

Medistic psychotherapy: An oriental-

culture bound therapeutic technique

for mental disorders

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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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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

Brief biography of late Prof. M. U. Ahmed

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• 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

Major works of Prof. M. U. Ahmed

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Origin of Medistic Psychotherapy

• Occidental hypnotism

• Oriental mysticism

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• 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.

Hypnotism as defined in Western literature

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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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• 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;

Sufism: Other branch of Oriental Mysticism

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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