An interactive session called Game of Emotions was held at the The Bengal Rowing Club, Kolkata, recently.

It was about the positive and negative impacts of our intuitions in our daily lives, focusing on the question “do we use emotions, or are we being used by them?” The speakers were Rajiv N Jerajani, an eminent psychiatrist and consultant in Mumbai with experience in dealing with emotions and improving lives, and Mahesh Hiranandani, managing director, Anatta Humanversity Pvt Ltd, who manages a voluntary life treatment facility for those affected by addictions at Pune.

Hiranandani started the session saying that our lives are surrounded by emotions. The things we do or the food we eat, all have emotions attached to it.

According to him, we are “emotional junkies” because we crave for certain feelings all the time. He gave an example of the psychological workings of a five-year-old child who is offered a chocolate. At first, he would be happy but then would ask for permission from his parents. Thus, from a very small age fear is instilled in us.

He also spoke on how we have grown to believe that most of our problems are created by the mind and it alone can solve those conflicts. He suggested the audience a technique to keep away these by meditation, which he addressed as “mind body balancing techniques”. He asked the audience to close their eyes, think about their worst fears and concentrate on their breathing.

One will notice that the pattern of the breathing calms down eventually and a feeling of relaxation overtake it, making us forget those fears. Meditation is an effective tool for mind and body balancing. He shared some of his personal experiences like the fact that he had been an alcoholic for several years and how he used to be irritable all the time, and also his opinions on the process of rehabilitation in India which has no dignity.

Jerajani shared his views on how we become the victims of emotional responses as they rule and govern our behaviour. How uncertainty and indecision cause anxiety and discomfort. His emphasis was on conflicts due to desire and intellect, pain and pleasure. He gave audio visual presentations suggesting ways to bring about certain changes in lifestyle to enjoy a healthy blissful life.

The event was concluded by an interactive session whereby both the speakers and audiences tried to find solutions regarding conquering the mind and living a happy life.