Matters of the Heart

 The most hurtful, of all the pain in the world is the one that the heart suffers. Emotional pain or psychological pain is said to be inescapable in human existence. What stems this pain can vary from each individual but the most common aspect of psychological pain is that, it is a result of extreme frustration and the inability to express one’s feelings about it.

Psychology which is the study of human behavior is said to have a wide impact on every aspect of life including health, corporate and personal achievements. The environment that a person dwells in has a great deal to with the psychological state of the person. It plays an important role in defining who we are as people.

Losing a dear one, undergoing a traumatic event, being subjected to stress or abuse, facing battling life choices, the cause of pain can be many! And the event may be big or small, but the impact it has on people can be severe. Everyone from little kids to the aged, go through emotional pain. People tend to take alternate paths to ease their pain like drowning themselves in drugs or even attempting to take their own lives. More than anything else, people need assurance, assurance that they aren't alone, assurance that there’s always someone to hear them out, be with them in times of their need.

 One of the best ways to ease the pain is to talk to somebody about it. But taking psychiatric help is considered a sign of weakness in our society. Despite having problems people generally hinder from seeking help from the outside. They feel like they will be judged or looked down upon if they admit to having a problem.

As many of you must be already familiar, Dr. Shyam  Bhat of Radio Indigo 91.9 who hosts Heartline, a show that is a means of reaching out to people with problems and helping them heal , throws light on the various issues that people go through.
The show, in which people call in anonymously and share their problems is a great platform to relieve the pain and have somebody to hear you out. To those of you who haven't heard of it, do check it out every Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 to 11 PM. 

Another initiative in Bangalore, Prasanna Counselling Centre, founded in the 1980, and located near Chamrajpet, is a centre which provides free counseling to those in distress. The centre which is recommended by NIMHANS for counseling and rehabilitation, is open all 7 days of the week. With a vision that a better society is a result of positive individuals, it aims to effectively guide people in overcoming their problems and houses some of the very well renowned psychologists, psychiatrists and trained counselors.

The centre specializes in counseling different groups of people like children with learning disabilities, emotional disorders, conduct and behavioral issues, alcohol and drug abuse, marital problems, etc. The ratio of the number of psychiatrists and counselors to the number of people seeking redemption is very low. To overcome  this setback, the centre also gives free training to people who are truly dedicated towards counseling.  With counseling centers and psychiatric clinics now becoming commercialized, the main motive behind the making counseling sessions absolutely free here, is that people from every walk of life can seek help. The vision that the counselors here hold, must truly be applauded. 

Such initiatives will encourage people to step out of their shell, and seek the help they require. An ideal society is not that which has no problems, but that in which people are aware of the problems and hence take suitable measures to solve those problems.