Once I happened to meet a professor of reputed University who told me that it was not the in-thing in our country to take to psychoanalysis for dealing with psychological problems. He said that people in the USA and Europe went to their psychoanalysts or psychiatrists for consultations.

I told him that what the psycho-analyst did in the European countries is the domain of the astrologer and the palmist.

What I said was based on ray long experience of the subject and a deep study of physiology and psychology. Let me deal with them before I prove that the remedies suggested for dealing with the defects of the hand lines do have a scientific basis.

Psychology and Physiology - Some Facts

Modern physiology believes that emotional states like those of fear and anger are a danger signal for the human system. Many physiological changes take place when emotions hit a person. For example, when the cause for anger arises, the rate of breathing increases, which provides more oxygen to the human body. The heart rate also increases so that more blood can be pumped into the muscles. The spleen which stores blood become more active so that the number of red blood corpuscles increases and the face becomes red. These changes in the system are a result of the secretion of a hormone Norepinephrine into the blood stream.

When fright strikes a person his heart rate and breathing increases, but the face becomes wan or pale. This is caused by the hormone epinephrine.

The flow of these two hormones, though caused by different factors, comes from the adrenal medulla into the blood stream. But the signal which activates this gland comes from the Sympathetic Nervous System.

The Causes of Emotions like Fear, Anger and the System Which Counters Them

Fear and anger both arise when a person is faced by an unwanted person or situation. When a person feels that he can chase away the unwanted person or vanquish him, he feels angry. And when he is sure that he will not be able to face that individual or situation he is struck by fear.

The symptoms created by the stimuli which engender fear and anger are different. In both these emotional states various parts of the body need more energy. It is needed to fight, when one is angry and to flee when one is afraid.

"Vengeance" and "animosity" are two different facets of the emotion of anger. If we take the emotion of fear, "worry" and "despondency" are its two constituents. Both these emotional states are situations of a crisis for the human system. And the extra energy which the body needs to counter these two states does not come from outside but from the body itself. Some parts of the body reduce their level of activity so that more energy could be funnelled to the organs that need it. For example, when a man is angry there is more energy in his muscles, but the capacity to think and the digestive powers are reduced. The same happens when a person is afraid -- his power to think and to digest is reduced considerably. Tension increases which affects sleep too.

A doctor would prescribe tranquillizers to counter tension and depression and to bring on sleep. But the effect of these drugs is temporary. After their effect wears off, repeated doses are needed and the patient is likely to become addicted to them.

What Can a Palmist Do in Such a Crisis?

When a person is in trouble or worried he thinks of an astrologer or a palmist. It should be endeavour of both to remove the worries and tensions their clients complain of. In a situation of deep anxiety or tension a person is enmeshed in circumstances which do not leave any escape route for the stricken individual. The reason is that a person loses his capacity to think and he becomes incapable of solving the problem that confronts him. If at such a time he gets an assurance that there is a remedy which can help him counter his personal crisis, he is able to rid himself of the tension. His capacity to think returns and he can find a solution to his problem.

As we have said in the beginning, the tranquillizers prescribed by a physician are only temporary in their effect on the tensions and depression. But the palmist prescribes some remedies to counter the tension and if they are applied faithfully they have a salutary effect on the mind. The centres of the brain start producing serotonin which has a tranquilizing effect.

According to researchers in physiology if sufficient amounts of serotonin continue to be produced in the brain, the chemical protects the heart during trauma and the stricken one is able to have a restful sleep. But, according to the reasoned belief of the present author, it is the mind which leads to the production and flow of the hormones like epinephrine, norepinephrine and serotonin. It is the Sympathetic Nervous System, driven by the mind, which activates the glands to produce these secretions.

A psychiatrist, working according to his own methods, gives a fillip to the mental capacities of the patient and motivates him to face and s. lye the problems in which he is enmeshed. A palmist on the other hand, strengthens the mind of his client by suggesting a regimen of fasting, prayers and rituals. Such remedies are certainly beneficial if a person has faith in them.

Faith is the Key

Special emphasis must be placed on faith because without it.no remedy would succeed. Remember that if you have faith in a doctor even a placebo administered by him would put you on the road to recovery and 50% of your troubles would be over. Conversely, if there is no faith in the doctor or the drugs prescribed by him even the best of medicines would be totally ineffective. The question arises that if an individual does not have any faith how can he get out of the clutches of e problem which bothers him?

No, it is just not possible for a man to have faith in nothing and nobody. Everybody has faith in something or the other. If a person does not have any faith in mantras, fasting, prayer and rituals he may be a believer in science and may place faith in that. It would become necessary, in that case, to suggest scientific remedies.

If a person has faith and takes recourse to remedies suggested to him, his morale is enhanced to such an extent that he can convert misfortune into good fortune. The reason for this is that after a person gets rid of the tensions that bother him the energies released are utilized to solve the problems that caused the tension. It is necessary, therefore, for a palmist to suggest remedies to his client according to his psychological state and his faith.

One must take into account the financial position of the client while suggesting remedies. If you suggest the wearing of a topaz to a man who is pining to get a job which will pay him about a thousand rupees a month, it is merely adding to his tension because he can ill afford to spend a sum of five thousand rupees to buy a topaz ring. Even a copper ring would do in his case.

Remedies to convert the inauspicious into the auspicious are suggested in the next article according to the beliefs and the financial positions of the various kinds of clients who consult the palmists.