Homa Therapy

Dr. Henry Gregory
Baltimore, Maryland, USA

“Under the constant agitation of the senses the mind is just like constantly churning water. You have to gain the capacity to stop the mind. To do this you have to be able to switch the senses off. When this happens the mind does something that it has never done – it goes still. When it goes still it begins to perceive in a different way.”–Vasant Paranjipe

Homa Therapy is the process and practice of training the mind, using meditation, mindfulness, values clarification, affirmation, and behavioral skills in an atmosphere seeded with Homa. Homa reduces pollution and consequently reduces stress and tension on the mind. When the stress on the mind is reduced and we become more relaxed, it becomes possible to dive deeper into the mind.

Homas were introduced in the Vedic science of bioenergy. Homa cleanses the atmosphere (air, water, soil, etc.) of the many pollutants that sap human energy by creating blockages to the flow of life energy also known as prana, chi or ntu, depending on the culture of reference. These pollutants have become a major source of stress and thereby dysfunction and illness as the world has become more industrialized. Pollutants overstimulate and tax our immune systems and limit the natural flow of mental, emotional, physical energy that is required for optimal human functioning. In today’s world, it’s as if we live in a dirty fishbowl absorbing endless toxicity without critical consciousness of the effect it has on us.

The Vedic science of bioenergy offers Homas as a calming, nurturing process that feeds nutrients back into the atmosphere, supporting higher mental functioning, resilience, and actualization of potential. There are individuals and communities around the world that have consistently practiced these Homas for the last fifty years.

In Baltimore, Maryland, one of the primary foci of Homa Therapy has been mental health. At one point there existed an agency staffed completely by clinicians and administrators who were Homa practitioners. The agency, The Baltimore Family Life Center, provided therapeutic foster care and behavioral health services as well as professional mental health training for many years, and facilitated the development of many offspring agencies.

Much of the personal and collective turmoil in the world is the result of the negative, dysfunctional programming that occurs as a result of a systemic focus on the acquisition of wealth and power that exploits rather than supports human needs. As a result, many people feel unattended to and uncared for. Whether they are conscious of these feelings or not, people act out these feelings of hurt, anger, isolation, etc. in many unhealthy ways. The current system that dominates the world seems to only exacerbate the problem, marketing to the vulnerabilities and weaknesses of the populations. The result is a tremendous increase in anxiety (future focus) and depression (past focus) that compromises the well-being and happiness of the population. While medications may help this situation in some limited ways, they are not the answer. Yes, they can raise or settle one’s energy in the short term, but what is required is shift in one’s thinking, emotional regulation and ultimately behaviors.

The common pattern is to get some quick relief without paying attention to long term consequences. So, addictions plague us as a society. When I say addictions, I don’t mean just drugs and alcohol. I also mean addictions to poor eating habits, emotional reactivity, blaming, gambling, smoking, complaining, avoiding discomfort, overthinking, etc. etc. etc. We are creatures of habits. The only question is whether we intentionally choose habits that are healthy for us (or are chosen by habits that are unhealthy for us).

Homa Therapy identifies six desires or passions that sabotage human happiness as the underlying causes of distress that must be accepted into awareness, managed and attended to with some manner of self-discipline (Tapa). The passions are: Anger, Lust, Greed, Pride, Envy and Attachment.

Homa Therapy supports health by having the client and provider’s interaction guided by the Seven Rules of Thumb in a nonpathological approach:
1. No Fault-finding: positivity (competence, coherency, harmony); compassion, empathy, forgiveness;
2. Single-pointedness: focus; concentration; present orientation; avoidance of distractions
3. Discrimination: freedom of choice; clarification of goals and objectives; finding purpose; follow through (commitment & persistence); conscious consuming
4. Non-Attachment: Letting go; Focus on Process (not outcomes/results); Acceptance; Faith; Courage.
5. Think Something Good
6. Say something Good
7. Do Something Good

So, in essence, Homa Therapy looks to identify, promote and reinforce the client’s innate strengths and competences, thereby assisting the client in understanding his/her purpose that may be facilitated and/or masked by addictions, abuse, neglect, etc. at an individual, familial or community level. Addictions at their source are futile efforts to feel good. Abuse, neglect and other traumas create unpleasant feelings that we frequently run from. However, one can run but one cannot hide, as each experience, pleasant or unpleasant, embodies a life lesson that will follow one until and unless one faces the experience and learns the lesson.

Homa Therapy promotes a gentle and supportive approach to facing oneself, processing the lessons and changing the behavior. It starts with the premise that each of us has what we need to heal, grow and actualize potential, inside of ourselves. The Homa Therapist’s responsibility is to lead the participant on a journey of self-discovery that uncovers growth-oriented meaning of one’s experiences while acknowledging one’s assets, competencies, capabilities, etc.

Homa Therapy can manifest at three levels of intervention.
1. Therapy provided by a practitioner of Agnihotra and the Fivefold Path.
2. Therapy provided by a practitioner of Agnihotra/Fivefold Path in an environment infused with Homas. (As a private practitioner, it is not unusual for a client to visit my home office for the first time and express their awe of the “peacefulness” they experience upon entering the residence.)
3. Therapy provided by a practitioner of Agnihotra/Fivefold Path in an atmosphere infused with Homas, where the client directly experiences the Homa fire. While benefits are derived at all three levels of intervention, having the client directly participate in the Homas regularly is optimal.

As one client, with a long history of childhood trauma, substance abuse, and incarceration shared recently after experiencing Homa Therapy (via the therapist’s regular practice of Agnihotra/Fivefold Path): “This has been great. I really feel like I’ve been freed from my past. You have given me the tools and a process to get over my stuff! Your approach was natural, coming from the inner man, letting the process work for me.”

Homa Therapy shapes the energy that the practitioner brings to the interaction, facilitating a more authentic interaction.

Homa practice calms the nervous system which is generally what is being futilely pursued through substance addictions. Homa helps the client to settle internally so emotional management and regulation become more possible. In a time when anxiety and depression are running rampant all over the planet and being acted out in so many destructive and harmful ways, Homa Therapy offers participants the opportunity to go deeper into their own minds and access deeper brain wave frequencies (Alpha & Theta) which facilitate rest, rejuvenation and connection. Once off the surface of experience that is dominated by sensory overload, one can shift perspective to a less temporal view of life and experience That which is more enduring, limitless, and empowering. Homa Therapy facilitates the healing process by introducing the participant to a deeper, more enduring version of oneself.

Client: “I finally feel free and redeemed! I love me some ME now!”

In today’s overstimulated world many of us live on the surface of our minds. Stillness is required to access the depth of our minds where the healthiest parts of oneself reside. Homa provides the opportunity to experience deeper understanding, and connection with self and others. This is the experience for both the Homa Therapist and the client participant, as it is a parallel process. Ultimately, we are all energy. Homa Therapy helps us to access our purest energy states and thereby manifest our highest potential.

For years we have started group therapy sessions for men with a Homa so participants would feel more relaxed and access deeper levels of emotional awareness and regulation. During the COVID epidemic, our monthly men’s groups were held virtually. While we always started the session with a Homa fire when in person. I had not planned on doing one virtually, but the men asked for it. They say it helps them feel calmer and more open to experiencing and sharing their emotions and connecting with others, even virtually. Homa helps create a safe environment for approaching uncomfortable issues.

W. Henry Gregory, PhD. is a clinical psychologist with over 45 years of experience as a trainer, consultant, therapist and author in a number of mental health related areas including Substance Abuse Treatment. He served as an assistant professor at the University of Maryland, School of Nursing, the Clinical Director for several agencies in Baltimore and Washington, DC and he maintains a private practice. He is also the president of the Baltimore Homa Community, LLC.