Source: # The five senses, the five elements and the mind How sight, sound, smell, taste and touch – and the five elements of Indian thought – affect the mind, with simple grounding practices. ## Chapters on this topic ### Chapter 6: The Five Senses and Mental Health Doors of the world, not decoration: Our senses affect our mood. Too much input, or too little, can change how we feel for days. - [6.1 Why senses matter for the mind](https://satish.myadvisorfriend.com/chapter/6#why-senses-matter-for-the-mind/) - [6.2 Sight (vision) and mental health](https://satish.myadvisorfriend.com/chapter/6#sight-vision-and-mental-health/) - [6.3 Sound (hearing) and mental health](https://satish.myadvisorfriend.com/chapter/6#sound-hearing-and-mental-health/) - [6.4 Smell (olfaction) and mental health](https://satish.myadvisorfriend.com/chapter/6#smell-olfaction-and-mental-health/) - [6.5 Taste (gustation) and mental health](https://satish.myadvisorfriend.com/chapter/6#taste-gustation-and-mental-health/) - [6.6 Touch (somatosensation) and mental health](https://satish.myadvisorfriend.com/chapter/6#touch-somatosensation-and-mental-health/) - [6.7 Sensory overload and sensory deprivation](https://satish.myadvisorfriend.com/chapter/6#sensory-overload-and-sensory-deprivation/) - [6.8 Sensory sensitivity and mental disorders](https://satish.myadvisorfriend.com/chapter/6#sensory-sensitivity-and-mental-disorders/) - [6.9 Using the senses therapeutically](https://satish.myadvisorfriend.com/chapter/6#using-the-senses-therapeutically/) - [6.10 The senses and the five elements](https://satish.myadvisorfriend.com/chapter/6#the-senses-and-the-five-elements/) - [6.11 A simple story](https://satish.myadvisorfriend.com/chapter/6#a-simple-story/) - [6.12 One companion verse](https://satish.myadvisorfriend.com/chapter/6#one-companion-verse-3/) ### Chapter 19: How Five Senses Actually Work Transduction before mood : A sense is a converter. Mood is what the converter feeds. - [19.1 Overview](https://satish.myadvisorfriend.com/chapter/19#overview-1/) - [19.2 Sight (vision)](https://satish.myadvisorfriend.com/chapter/19#sight-vision/) - [19.3 Hearing (auditory)](https://satish.myadvisorfriend.com/chapter/19#hearing-auditory/) - [19.4 Smell (olfactory)](https://satish.myadvisorfriend.com/chapter/19#smell-olfactory/) - [19.5 Taste (gustatory)](https://satish.myadvisorfriend.com/chapter/19#taste-gustatory/) - [19.6 Touch (somatosensory)](https://satish.myadvisorfriend.com/chapter/19#touch-somatosensory/) - [19.7 Sensory integration](https://satish.myadvisorfriend.com/chapter/19#sensory-integration/) - [19.8 A short clinic story](https://satish.myadvisorfriend.com/chapter/19#a-short-clinic-story/) - [19.9 One companion verse](https://satish.myadvisorfriend.com/chapter/19#one-companion-verse-13/) ### Chapter 20: Five Senses and Five Elements A map, not a diagnosis : Samya is a proportion. It is not a blood test and not a reason to skip a clinic. - [20.1 Why this map sits beside psychology](https://satish.myadvisorfriend.com/chapter/20#why-this-map-sits-beside-psychology/) - [20.2 The five elements](https://satish.myadvisorfriend.com/chapter/20#the-five-elements/) - [20.3 Combinations in lived life](https://satish.myadvisorfriend.com/chapter/20#combinations-in-lived-life/) - [20.4 Practical applications](https://satish.myadvisorfriend.com/chapter/20#practical-applications/) - [20.5 Meditation on elements](https://satish.myadvisorfriend.com/chapter/20#meditation-on-elements/) - [20.6 One companion verse](https://satish.myadvisorfriend.com/chapter/20#one-companion-verse-14/) ## Stories from real life (12) - [The Window Seat Experiment](https://satish.myadvisorfriend.com/story/the-window-seat-experiment-21/) – Aarav, fourteen, lived in a Delhi apartment and spent most of his holidays indoors with the curtains drawn, playing games on a screen. By… - [The Smell of Her Mother’s Kitchen](https://satish.myadvisorfriend.com/story/the-smell-of-her-mothers-kitchen-22/) – Ayesha, thirty-five, lived in Birmingham, far from her mother in Lahore. Her mother had died the previous winter. Weeks later, in a supermarket, Ayesha… - [Sugar Highs and Sunday Lunches](https://satish.myadvisorfriend.com/story/sugar-highs-and-sunday-lunches-23/) – Dev, nineteen, studied in Kolkata and lived in a hostel. During exams he lived on tea, packets of chips and sugary drinks, skipping proper… - [Too Loud, Too Quiet](https://satish.myadvisorfriend.com/story/too-loud-too-quiet-24/) – At a family wedding in Kochi, eight-year-old Nila covered her ears, hid under a table and then screamed when an aunt tried to hug… - [Ankit, Age 24](https://satish.myadvisorfriend.com/story/ankit-age-24-161/) – Ankit felt constantly "on edge". He lived in a noisy area, worked long hours on screens, ate irregularly, and slept late. He noticed frequent… - [The Grandfather Who Stopped Coming to the Table](https://satish.myadvisorfriend.com/story/the-grandfather-who-stopped-coming-to-the-table-77/) – Raghunath Kulkarni, seventy-one, used to be the loudest voice at the family dinner in Nashik. He argued about cricket, teased his grandchildren and told… - [The Dark Months in Helsinki](https://satish.myadvisorfriend.com/story/the-dark-months-in-helsinki-78/) – Aino Virtanen was twenty-three when she moved from Chennai to Helsinki for her master's degree. September was beautiful. By November the sun rose late… - [Mihir and the Scratchy Shirt](https://satish.myadvisorfriend.com/story/mihir-and-the-scratchy-shirt-79/) – Mihir, seven, cried every morning about his school uniform. 'It scratches! The tag is stabbing me!' His parents in Ahmedabad thought he was making… - [Leela, Age 41](https://satish.myadvisorfriend.com/story/leela-age-41-175/) – Two years after surviving a terrifying kitchen fire, forty-one-year-old Leela realised something strange was happening to her nervous system. Whenever she encountered the smell… - [The Restless Night Shift](https://satish.myadvisorfriend.com/story/the-restless-night-shift-80/) – Arjun, twenty-eight, worked in a software support centre in Bengaluru. His shifts changed every week. He ate when he could, usually cold snacks and… - [The Manager Who Burned Hot](https://satish.myadvisorfriend.com/story/the-manager-who-burned-hot-81/) – Seema Rao ran a busy finance team in Mumbai. She was sharp and respected, but lately every small delay made her snap. Her chest… - [Heavy as a Monsoon Cloud](https://satish.myadvisorfriend.com/story/heavy-as-a-monsoon-cloud-82/) – After her husband died, Kamala Devi, sixty-two, lived with her son's family in a village near Madurai. Months passed and she moved less and… ## Shloks (3) - [Bhagavad Gita 15.9](https://satish.myadvisorfriend.com/shloka/bhagavad-gita-15-9-17/) – Presiding over ear, eye, touch, taste and smell, and over the mind, the person enjoys the objects. - [Bhagavad Gita 15.9](https://satish.myadvisorfriend.com/shloka/bhagavad-gita-15-9-27/) – Presiding over ear, eye, touch, taste and smell, and over the mind, the person enjoys the objects. - [Bhagavad Gita 7.4](https://satish.myadvisorfriend.com/shloka/bhagavad-gita-7-4-28/) – Earth, water, fire, air, space, mind, intellect, and I-making — this is My eightfold nature. ## More topics - [What is mental health? A simple guide to the mind and who can help](https://satish.myadvisorfriend.com/topic/mental-health-basics/) - [The brain, hormones and body chemistry behind your moods](https://satish.myadvisorfriend.com/topic/brain-and-body/) - [Emotions, anger and mood swings – understanding your feelings](https://satish.myadvisorfriend.com/topic/emotions/) - [Stress – causes, symptoms and how to reduce stress at work and in exams](https://satish.myadvisorfriend.com/topic/stress/) - [Anxiety, panic attacks and fear – signs, causes and what helps](https://satish.myadvisorfriend.com/topic/anxiety/) - [Depression and low mood – signs, causes and the way back](https://satish.myadvisorfriend.com/topic/depression/) - [Trauma, grief and loss – healing at your own pace](https://satish.myadvisorfriend.com/topic/trauma-grief/) - [Children, teenagers and parents – mental health at home and school](https://satish.myadvisorfriend.com/topic/children-parents/) - [Sleep problems, food and daily routine for a healthy mind](https://satish.myadvisorfriend.com/topic/sleep-food-routine/) - [Counselling, therapy and psychiatric medicines explained](https://satish.myadvisorfriend.com/topic/therapy-medicines/) - [Helping a loved one with mental illness – family and relationships](https://satish.myadvisorfriend.com/topic/family-relationships/) - [Mental health crisis and suicide prevention – what to do](https://satish.myadvisorfriend.com/topic/safety-crisis/) - [Bhagavad Gita, yoga and Indian wisdom for mental peace](https://satish.myadvisorfriend.com/topic/spiritual-wisdom/) - [Addiction to alcohol, tobacco, drugs and gambling – signs and recovery](https://satish.myadvisorfriend.com/topic/addiction/) - [Phone addiction, social media and screen time – digital well-being](https://satish.myadvisorfriend.com/topic/digital-life/) - [Ageing well, memory loss and dementia – caring for elders](https://satish.myadvisorfriend.com/topic/later-life/) [myadvisorfriend@gmail.com](mailto:myadvisorfriend@gmail.com) · [Contact](https://satish.myadvisorfriend.com/contact/) · [About](https://satish.myadvisorfriend.com/about/) · [Privacy](https://satish.myadvisorfriend.com/privacy/) · [Disclaimer](https://satish.myadvisorfriend.com/disclaimer/) --- *Psychology for Everyone – A Mental Well Being Series* by Satish Zope · free to read · Contact: [myadvisorfriend@gmail.com](mailto:myadvisorfriend@gmail.com) · [About](https://satish.myadvisorfriend.com/about/) · [Privacy](https://satish.myadvisorfriend.com/privacy/) · [Disclaimer](https://satish.myadvisorfriend.com/disclaimer/)