Case study

[Why]

I am posting an article I have come across on http://www.hrdf.org.in/index.htm
Hope this will benefit the reders.

Case Study
How the girl was inspired to exorcise her own ghost?
This incident happened in August 1998. I was going to conduct a four-day workshop on 'explaining the scientific basis of miracles' in Buddha Kedarnath, an ancient town in the Himalayas. A young girl in the family we stayed with was 'possessed' by a ghost. She had fits every now and then, throughout the day and night. During the fits she suffered heavy palpitation of the heart and chattering of the teeth; she clasped her hands so tight no one could unclasp them. She would dream of being dragged by a very old woman by her locks.
They employed all kinds of exorcism, even took the poor girl to the district hospital for treatment, but nothing worked.
At the very outset of the workshop the next day of my arrival, as was my practice, I told the participants not to accept anything that I said-because Science did not believe in imposing its views on others, unlike the various Religions. "Just listen," I said, "and let things pass. You can continue with your beliefs, howsoever irrational or unscientific. But don't hesitate to raise questions should you need a clarification."
I then proceeded to debunk all kinds of irrational beliefs: mantra, magic and miracle; soul, ghosts and spirits; heaven, hell and life-after-death; and so on and so forth. The grandfather of the girl, who was also present, immediately raised his hand and said: "Sir, we always see ghosts and spirits dancing naked in these hills. How do you expect us to believe in what you are saying?" I reminded him of what I had just said and told him: "You can continue to believe in ghosts and spirits since you have yourself seen them."
By the next day, it seems, he had realized that I was fairly knowledgeable in the field of the occult. And since I was freely available (as his guest) to help exorcise the ghost of his grand child, he cornered me in the evening and asked me in confidence to do something to provide relief to the hapless girl. "But please don't let my son know about this matter, because he doesn't believe in these things," he said. I told him that since ghosts and spirits don't exist how could I exorcise them. But he pleaded all the more to save the life of the girl. Since he was very old, almost ninety, I asked him to give me some time to think about this matter. I was sure he would forget about it by the next morning. But nothing of the sort happened, and he cornered me again the next evening and repeated the same request. I again expressed my inability to be of any help in this regard. But since he beseeched me to do something to save the child, I once again pleaded for some more time, hoping against hope that this time he would surely forget about this matter by the next morning.
But he didn't. On the last evening of our stay he changed his strategy. This time he opened this topic right in the presence of his son and others. And they all insisted that I must at least "see" the hapless girl. I agreed with the condition that only the father and the grandfather of the girl should be present when I go to "see" her after dinner.
It was not difficult for me to surmise that the girl was inclined to believe in whatever her grandfather was suggesting in regard to her condition; and that it was essential to deal with him squarely. In the mean time I was secretly pleading to God to somehow make them forget about this matter altogether; because I had never exorcised a so-called ghost, and merely "looking" at the girl was not going to help her in any way.
Fortunately, I knew what was the problem with the girl. So, all that I could do was to communicate to her the nature of the problem she was suffering from, and then leave everything to God.
Ghosts are established in a child's brain during the growing years. So long as the baby plays in your lap or even crawls on the ground it is like a heavenly vision to watch. But as soon as the child begins to walk and becomes more and more independent, it tries to go out of your control. Then, the easiest thing you can do is to frighten it of non-existent ghosts and spirits to control it.
During the first five years a child's brain is like a clean slate. It tape-records everything that the child is told, without the slightest editing. As the child grows older it actually observes as to how people are 'possessed' by ghosts and how god-men exorcise these ghosts. Therefore, by the age of five, when the child begins to acquire the power of discrimination, her or his mind is already deeply conditioned by all kinds of irrational beliefs and unscientific notions.
The remedy for the girl's problem was to 'de-condition' her mind, which she alone could do.
Soon after dinner both father and son led me to the girl's room. I still remember the state of my mind at this juncture: I felt like a prisoner going to the gallows!
The room was very small and fully occupied by two huge cots. Truly, I could only "see" her, not approach her by any means. So, I confidently removed my chappals and mounted the cot adjacent to hers. I then placed my left palm on her forehead and asked her to grasp my wrist by her right hand. I also called for her left hand and grasped it by my right hand.
I was hardly aware of what I was doing. All that I wanted was to impress upon the girl that she was in the hands of an expert 'exorcist!' I then delivered the following speech in the local language, slowly but emphatically:
"I am now going to project my 'pran' (life force) into your brain. Just relax and listen to what I am going to say; you need not believe in what I say; just listen quietly and let it pass. Fear is a capital all living beings are born with. No living being can survive without this asset. Non-living things are not endowed with this precious asset. Later, this capital is transformed, through education and understanding, into bravery and capacity for self-sacrifice.
"Your fear is not separate from you. Indeed, you are your fear and your fear is none other than yourself. Trying to run away from your fear is like running away from your own life, for life cannot be lived without this precious asset. So, don't dissipate this capital -- live with it. When you see a frightful dream be happy, for your fear is active. When you see ghosts and spirits dancing naked in these hills, again be happy for your fear is alert and watchful.
"Next time when you suffer a fit, ask everyone to leave the room and carefully watch the chattering of your teeth, the palpitation of your heart and the clasping of your hands, until you become one with your fear.
"There are no ghosts and spirits in this world-they are only the projections of what is already in your mind. Indeed, your fear is the true protector, guardian and companion of your life. So, stop running away from your fear and your fits would come to an end instantly."
I then stepped off the cot and told her parents, in her presence itself, never ever to talk about ghosts and spirits, for these only constitute the language through which our fear tries to communicate its concerns to us -- using the kind of vocabulary that we ourselves have given to our children.
She then went into deep slumber. Next day early morning, we left Buddha Kedarnath for New Delhi. After about 20 days her father happened to come to Delhi. He told me that next morning the girl insisted on going to school. After a couple of months she was married to her fiancé. She is now a happy mother of quite a few children.
It needs to be emphasized here that in my above speech to the girl I was defining Fear in a positive light, quite contrary to the negative connotation that is commonly given to it; that is, I presented it as strength rather than as a weakness.
Some of the participants in the workshop later complemented me that I had indeed performed a miracle, although I had gone there to debunk miracles. I had to tell them that this was entirely her own achievement, for the relief came from an understanding of Truth, which she alone could perceive; and that, now that she has perceived this Truth herself, she would never ever suffer from such fits, even if she wished.
-- BADIUDDIN KHAN

[BKHAN]

In this context, I would like to inform you that we have also brought a book called MANTRA, MAGIC AND MIRACLE—A SCIENTIFIC EXPLORATION (Foreword by Prof. M G K Menon), which has been published by the National Book Trust, India, Nehru Bhawan, 5, Institutional Area, Phase-II, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi-110070, India. E-mail: nbtindia@ndb.vsnl.net.in. Website: www.nbtindia.com.

About the book:

HUMAN NATURE is such that we love the marvelous and the wondrous. The urge to see the impossible happen or to experience the supernatural is all-pervasive. Often, while witnessing such acts, we get so perplexed that our analytical powers fail us, and we then categorize such acts as miracles. Quacks and charlatans, to dupe innocent people, take advantage of this gullibility. Most of the so-called miracles performed by tantriks, witch-craftsmen and god-men to dupe the people could be easily explained on the basis of scientific principles.
This book will take you on a scientific exploration of age-old concepts and beliefs. It will illuminate the dark recesses of your mind and free you of the many baseless, irrelevant and irrational beliefs. It discusses issues such as gullibility and blind faith; origins of irrational beliefs; social impact of blind faith; conditioning of the human mind; science, society and the supernatural; religious thought and the web of illusion; and many frequently asked questions.
Each chapter has a section entitled Master a Trick, illustrating well-known miracles and magic, explained scientifically. The book documents more than 100 so-called miracles and magic, such as: creating holy ash from air; sending water to heaven; making water disappear as it is poured; blocking water in a tumbler by a handkerchief; calling the Bhairon Baba; lighting havan by mantra; eating fire; walking on fire; bathing by fire; stopping the heartbeat/pulse; drinking the cup of poison; peeling and cutting banana by magic; making an idol appear from the ground; fresh flowers emerging from a coconut; and the funeral of a ghost.
The tenth chapter comprises 20 stimulating, commonly asked questions and their scientifically explained answers. Some of the questions dealt with are: What is life? Is there life after death? If there is no soul how do we live? How true are the near-death experiences? Is it possible to predict a forthcoming event? Is it possible to predict on the basis of dreams? What is the placebo effect? How do magicians make the male sex organs to vanish? What about the horrors of the Bermuda Triangle? How do gems influence the fortunes of those who wear them? What makes people succumb to irrational beliefs? What is the truth about Nagmani?
Written in a simple language, the book is aimed at both the general public and specialists like scientists, social activists and professionals interested in eradication of blind faith and superstition from human society.

Prof M G K Menon in his Foreword says:

“The book certainly represents interesting reading and is an effort in the direction of removing the scourge of ‘Andhvishwas’. It would be most useful to have this book published in various Indian languages….”

Both the authors are well-known science communicators. While Badiuddin Khan is a former Editor of the monthly magazines Invention Intelligence and Awishkar published by the NRDC-India, Hasan Jawaid Khan is the Editor of the monthly magazine Science Reporter published by the National Institute of Science Communication And Information Resources (NISCAIR), CSIR.
This book will be a worthy addition to libraries of schools and colleges. Students need to read this book so that they grow up into citizens with a liberated mind and a scientific attitude to life. Besides, a copy of this book is a must for public libraries and reading rooms of NGOs.