Questioner - Is there a Spiritual way out for the people suffering with Dementia? I work with Aged Care and many here are patients with dementia and their condition is so serious and it all seems so painful that at times I wish death for them, so they can be relieved from their suffering.
Recently I was asked this question. I answered it in the context at that moment. But the real big picture of that, I thought should be explained in detail.
For those who do not know, Dementia is a medical condition which leads to "forgetfulness", where the sufferer forgets about an event or something small initially and slowly it starts getting worse and a day comes when one forgets even about themselves as to who they are, where they are, and who are the people around them and everything else that is "present" in this life right now, and they are finally "absent". In a nutshell dementia leads to memory disorders, personality changes and impaired reasoning. It's an "absence of awareness" and awareness is always about "being present" and "not absent from present".
Now, if from the perspective of an Enlightened Being you see, then the whole world (except other Enlightened/Self-Realized Beings) is suffering from Dementia. Isn't it? You have forgotten "who" you really are? You have forgotten your own divine nature. You have created so many personalities, faces, identities within you, and you go around in life really confusing yourself with one or more of those identities at any given point of time. And you go around even giving reasoning for their existence. Isn't it? You go on suppressing all pains and fear within, until your brain really becomes numb from all that. You hide so much within and put up a face to not show anything "real" to the world, to the family, friends and people all around you and even to yourself.
Some of you have reached the "height" of this suppression, and will manifest "dementia" as a disease sooner or later. Emotional Suppression when reaches it's height in anyone, where a person goes completely in denial of the "present", the reality, the way life is now, and they start shutting down themselves, they start cutting themselves off from their current reality and there comes a time when it becomes permanent state, and modern science labels it as Alzheimer, Dementia and what not.
So, what can be done with you? Can something be done?
If a plant has droopy leaves, looks very weak, starved then can it be revived? Yes! How? By giving what it truly needs, giving unconditionally. By giving water, fertilizer, rich soil, sunlight/shade whatever that it needs, not what you want to give it. But once the plant is dead from the root can it be revived? No! You can try though.
Same is with you all. If forgetfulness seems to happen frequently, if you have suppressed yourself a lot in life, if you have too much pain, fears, guilt, shame within, if you are emotionally wounded then yes you can be revived. You need "Spiritual Healing" and you can become the "Real You", you can "Invoke the Real You", you can walk your spiritual journey, a journey to find the "real you" and you can find that eternal source of joy, bliss, peace, silence within.
Once dementia has taken its roots within you, once your state of memory loss has become almost a permanent state in you, then there is almost a negligible chance of bringing you back. One can always try though whenever they see such a person aware enough some day. In those moments when a sufferer is having "awareness of present" then one can try, but since any healing actually requires longer period of such awareness, so it's really hard to bring out any positive tangible results in a short amount of time when the "awareness exists".
Everyone around is busy playing around in life thinking they are Mother, Father, Employee, Son, Daughter, Owner of this and that, this person or that person then "what to do" to bring these people back to their Divine Nature? They need someone who can remind them of truly who they are. Someone who can help them realize their True Nature. They need a GURU, who can dispel the Darkness that surrounds them within and without. A Guru who is in acceptance of the deteriorated condition and can hold the sufferer in Unconditional Love.
In the same way, if you are around any person suffering from Dementia, Alzheimer or similar problem, try to first be in acceptance of their condition, hold them, show them "Unconditional Love", because Love heals, and then try to remind them of who he/she is. Your efforts towards reminding them should be completely devoid of any expectations, only full of Total Love (Love that comes out from the "Integration, Wholeness" of the Being), unconditional love.
When an Enlightened Being/Guru looks at the world suffering due to their forgetfulness, they do not wish death upon them, because death is "not the end of suffering". Such deep Karmic Imprints go with the Soul, are not just part of body, hence even when one leaves the body, that forgetfulness will not leave the Soul and the suffering will continue. You have to deal with life, and all the drama, pains, fears, wounds, guilt, shame and everything else while you are alive and aware and are in your body. Death is not the solution to anything.
Leaving the body (what usual people call death) is not the way out, Only Enlightenment/Self-Realization (Death of False Self) is the "end of all suffering", is the "way out".
Last but not the least, "why are you around such patient/sufferer?" Why life has given you such people around? Ask yourself that. Because your outer world is the reflection of your own inner world.
You are around such person/people, because life is trying to show you, teach you - Did you also forget who you truly are? Did you forget your own true/divine nature? Does remembering that you are a Male/Female, Brother/Sister, Spouse, Child, Parent, employee, owner really enough to "end your suffering within"? Does remembering "external relationships" really is of any use? Do you remember your relationship with yourself? Have you forgotten the Ultimate Truth about you?
If Yes, then what are you doing to take a U-Turn? What are you doing to fix it? You have your awareness alive, if you are still not using it, then why pity a dementia patient? If despite having legs you are not choosing to walk then why feel pity for those who have no legs? If despite having all means you are not pursuing a journey to find the "real you", "true you", then why feel painful for those who have forgotten that they were Mr/Mrs XYZ, brother/sister, teacher, spouse, friend of ABC?
Shouldn't you be saving those tears for yourself?
Please do some serious thinking & contemplation.
Love & Blessings
~ Adiguru Prakriti
Recently I was asked this question. I answered it in the context at that moment. But the real big picture of that, I thought should be explained in detail.
For those who do not know, Dementia is a medical condition which leads to "forgetfulness", where the sufferer forgets about an event or something small initially and slowly it starts getting worse and a day comes when one forgets even about themselves as to who they are, where they are, and who are the people around them and everything else that is "present" in this life right now, and they are finally "absent". In a nutshell dementia leads to memory disorders, personality changes and impaired reasoning. It's an "absence of awareness" and awareness is always about "being present" and "not absent from present".
Now, if from the perspective of an Enlightened Being you see, then the whole world (except other Enlightened/Self-Realized Beings) is suffering from Dementia. Isn't it? You have forgotten "who" you really are? You have forgotten your own divine nature. You have created so many personalities, faces, identities within you, and you go around in life really confusing yourself with one or more of those identities at any given point of time. And you go around even giving reasoning for their existence. Isn't it? You go on suppressing all pains and fear within, until your brain really becomes numb from all that. You hide so much within and put up a face to not show anything "real" to the world, to the family, friends and people all around you and even to yourself.
Some of you have reached the "height" of this suppression, and will manifest "dementia" as a disease sooner or later. Emotional Suppression when reaches it's height in anyone, where a person goes completely in denial of the "present", the reality, the way life is now, and they start shutting down themselves, they start cutting themselves off from their current reality and there comes a time when it becomes permanent state, and modern science labels it as Alzheimer, Dementia and what not.
So, what can be done with you? Can something be done?
If a plant has droopy leaves, looks very weak, starved then can it be revived? Yes! How? By giving what it truly needs, giving unconditionally. By giving water, fertilizer, rich soil, sunlight/shade whatever that it needs, not what you want to give it. But once the plant is dead from the root can it be revived? No! You can try though.
Same is with you all. If forgetfulness seems to happen frequently, if you have suppressed yourself a lot in life, if you have too much pain, fears, guilt, shame within, if you are emotionally wounded then yes you can be revived. You need "Spiritual Healing" and you can become the "Real You", you can "Invoke the Real You", you can walk your spiritual journey, a journey to find the "real you" and you can find that eternal source of joy, bliss, peace, silence within.
Once dementia has taken its roots within you, once your state of memory loss has become almost a permanent state in you, then there is almost a negligible chance of bringing you back. One can always try though whenever they see such a person aware enough some day. In those moments when a sufferer is having "awareness of present" then one can try, but since any healing actually requires longer period of such awareness, so it's really hard to bring out any positive tangible results in a short amount of time when the "awareness exists".
Everyone around is busy playing around in life thinking they are Mother, Father, Employee, Son, Daughter, Owner of this and that, this person or that person then "what to do" to bring these people back to their Divine Nature? They need someone who can remind them of truly who they are. Someone who can help them realize their True Nature. They need a GURU, who can dispel the Darkness that surrounds them within and without. A Guru who is in acceptance of the deteriorated condition and can hold the sufferer in Unconditional Love.
In the same way, if you are around any person suffering from Dementia, Alzheimer or similar problem, try to first be in acceptance of their condition, hold them, show them "Unconditional Love", because Love heals, and then try to remind them of who he/she is. Your efforts towards reminding them should be completely devoid of any expectations, only full of Total Love (Love that comes out from the "Integration, Wholeness" of the Being), unconditional love.
When an Enlightened Being/Guru looks at the world suffering due to their forgetfulness, they do not wish death upon them, because death is "not the end of suffering". Such deep Karmic Imprints go with the Soul, are not just part of body, hence even when one leaves the body, that forgetfulness will not leave the Soul and the suffering will continue. You have to deal with life, and all the drama, pains, fears, wounds, guilt, shame and everything else while you are alive and aware and are in your body. Death is not the solution to anything.
Leaving the body (what usual people call death) is not the way out, Only Enlightenment/Self-Realization (Death of False Self) is the "end of all suffering", is the "way out".
Last but not the least, "why are you around such patient/sufferer?" Why life has given you such people around? Ask yourself that. Because your outer world is the reflection of your own inner world.
You are around such person/people, because life is trying to show you, teach you - Did you also forget who you truly are? Did you forget your own true/divine nature? Does remembering that you are a Male/Female, Brother/Sister, Spouse, Child, Parent, employee, owner really enough to "end your suffering within"? Does remembering "external relationships" really is of any use? Do you remember your relationship with yourself? Have you forgotten the Ultimate Truth about you?
If Yes, then what are you doing to take a U-Turn? What are you doing to fix it? You have your awareness alive, if you are still not using it, then why pity a dementia patient? If despite having legs you are not choosing to walk then why feel pity for those who have no legs? If despite having all means you are not pursuing a journey to find the "real you", "true you", then why feel painful for those who have forgotten that they were Mr/Mrs XYZ, brother/sister, teacher, spouse, friend of ABC?
Shouldn't you be saving those tears for yourself?
Please do some serious thinking & contemplation.
Love & Blessings
~ Adiguru Prakriti
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Thanks!