1. STRESS
AND
CONCEPTUAL
STRESS
DR.
SHRINIWAS
KASHALIKAR

2. Conceptual stress is not a separate entity. It is a part of
over all process of stress. We can also call it intellectual
chaos, confusion, conflicts, doubts, suspicions etc; born
out of various other causes, which may be physical,
instinctual, emotional and intellectual.
It is true that we should manage to bypass or ignore some
questions, and rightly so; e.g. mathematical problems
need not as a routine, bother a biologist. Similarly, the
problems in one’s educational career are best dealt with
in the text-books and guides of those subjects and or
solved by the expert teachers in that particular field!
But there are issues which are a) inevitable b)
inseparable c) unavoidable, d) are faced by most of us, e)
affect our personal, family and social life as well as the
life of the society as a whole; immensely.
These issues produce CONCEPTUAL OR
INTELLECTUAL STRESS in almost every one!
In modern life; where the pace of change of life has
become very fast and the nature of the influences of the
technological advances so much more complex, there are

3. rapidly emerging new issues and we are unable to
understand and deal with them!
Morality, ethics, customs, traditions, conventions etc. i.e.
guidelines of past in every sphere of life are being proved
to a large extent; inadequate and also irrelevant.
Conceptual stress results from day to day questions; such
as celibacy or free sex, divorce no divorce, legalization
homosexuality or no, two children or three, caste based
reservations or no, economic reservations or no, charity
or SWADHARMA, vegetarianism or non vegetarianism,
theism or atheism, rationality or shraddha, democracy or
dictatorship and so on!
Health related issues are even more troublesome. Thus
complexity, mysteriousness and dread of AIDS, cancer,
diabetes, heart disease; cause fear in our minds.
To give a simple example, cancer phobia [excessive and
unfounded fear of cancer] is nothing but a case of
conceptual stress. Cancer phobia many times results
from inappropriate views, feelings and actions
[conceptual deficiency] about the phenomenon of cancer,
its nature, its symptoms such as pain and its outcome.

4. What are the symptoms of cancer phobia?
A patient of cancer phobia may suspect that he/she has
cancer, whenever he/she gets pain. If he/she gets repeated
pain, in a particular organ then he/she starts suspecting
cancer of that particular part! This leads to morbid fear,
anxiety, worry, and sense of helplessness; due to
imagination of pain, agonies and physical, mental,
economic and social helpless and pity.
Conceptual stress involves defective or inaccurate
perceptions, imagination, ideas, thoughts, guesswork;
lopsided, disproportionate imbalanced emotions;
unreasonable instincts and unnatural physical needs,
which are associated with abnormal electrophysiological
interactions between various neurons in the brain. The
secretion of different neurotransmitters, hormones and
metabolic activities; their rates and interrelationships are
abnormal and involve deleterious effects on personal and
social health.
Conscious conceptual stress is minimal or absent if we
are totally ignorant and adjusted to a self centered, petty,
indifferent, reflexive, passive, and stereotyped life style

5. like a lower animal. But subconscious stress can play
havoc and hence being self centered is not safe!
Conceptual stress is not merely determined by the
technological advances and their complex effects
(confusion about the risk of using computers and mobile
phones, radiations of mobile towers, various comments,
opinions and claims about swine flu, bird flu etc) on
health and social life (e.g. cyber crimes); but also by the
nature, constitution and overall resilience, tenacity,
fighting spirit, patience, killer instinct and what I call
conscious evolutionary transformation or in simple
words; spiritual development.
Maximum conceptual stress is developed; when our
perspective assumes global dimension, your feelings
reach out to the miseries of the millions and your
thinking reaches out to probe into; and explore the
mysteries of various natural phenomena and also those
hidden in the past! Our conceptual stress magnifies when
our heart starts bleeding for suffering in even the
remotest part of the world and even to the suffering of
animals! The STRESS amongst the all time greats such
as SWAMI VIVEKANANDA, LOKAMANYA TILAK
led them to new theories, views, ideas and solutions.

6. This is true for all of us.
Our conceptual stress worsens when many of us actually
start searching (through the study and practice of Total
Stress Management) for solutions to the conflicting
situations and observations and inexplicable issues. This
STRESS gets further multiplied when we start coming
close to the solutions and begin to encounter difficulty in
expressing them. This becomes more disturbing when we
see every one turning away from us and our solutions
being proved ineffective, though not inaccurate! Since we
are not proved wrong, we do not find a valid reason to
abandon our views and mission and since we seem to fail
we get quite STRESSED in persisting with our views! We
then land in an agonizing question, “Why are we
ineffective if we are accurate?”
At this point the very foundation of our existence begins
to shake and our existence almost gets uprooted!
Then gradually if and when we begin to see increasing
matching, agreement, or harmony between our life and
the universe (which in most cases would constitute
changes in the direction of global welfare) our conceptual

7. STRESS begins to get relieved simultaneously with that
of the others!
If this does not happen; then at least our capacity to rise
above the STESSORS and conquer them triumphantly is
definitely increased. Our capacity to assert ourselves
victoriously and bravely is increased.
One of the key factors involved through out the study
and assertion of Total Stress Management is
NAMASMARAN.
NAMASMARAN is a very simple practice. There is no
technique, no methodology, no technology, no money, no
cooperation from a partner; and nothing for that matter.
In this sense; being beyond all kinds of “barriers and
walls” of beliefs and on beliefs; it is the most practical
and pragmatic super-solution provided by the seers and
sages; from round the globe and from most religions; but
especially the galaxy of saints in India and Maharashtra.
NAMASMARAN is remembering our true self. We can
give it a trial if we wish and get the empowerment and
light; and vision, clarity and clues to act for individual

8. and global blossoming satisfactorily; and overcome
conceptual stress.
Lastly; every one of us is bound to go through the
conceptual stress knowingly or unknowingly and
(whether one is conscious of the STRESS or not)
consciously and hence there is no escape. The only way is
to try and conquer it as early as possible or suffer from it
and infect others with our suffering.
SHRINIWAS KASHALIKAR