Joy Can Come From Suffering, Says Ram Dass in Special Session

At APA’s annual meeting yesterday, APA President Paul Summergrad, M.D., presented a videotaped conversation with 1960s icon Ram Dass. They spoke of Dass’s extended journey through mysticism and spirituality. “I don’t identify with the mind,” he told Summergrad. “I identify with the soul. The mind has the ego.”

Dass experienced a stroke 12 years ago, leaving him with some aphasia. “The stroke bestowed on me spiritual stuff,” said Dass. “My body is 83, but I am infinite because I am soul in this body.”

The stroke also confirmed his belief in the value of letting go of expectations of the future and thoughts of the past. It is more important to be fully engaged in the present, said Dass, who wrote the classic countercultural book Be Here Now.

Dass holds a Ph.D. in psychology and once served on the faculty at Harvard. Summergrad recalled his own youthful exploration of Zen meditation and suggested that their divergent paths might provide parallel insights into the therapeutic relationship.

“Love, compassion, peace, wisdom, joy—these are in everyone,” said Dass. “You can bring joy from suffering. But when somebody is suffering, it’s important not to make them feel alone. With companionship, maybe you can provide something they need.”

Dass’s stroke led to other changes in his life, he said. “I gave up my MG and playing the cello and turned inward because of the stroke.”

Both in the video and in comments afterward, Summergrad spoke of how his own interest and current trends in psychiatry spurred him to seek out Dass for the extended interview.

“With the rising research into mindfulness, I thought it would be good to include this conversation in the mix of things at the APA meeting,” Summergrad told the audience.