Maatram – Transformation

Auroville Today: What was the original inspiration behind Maatram? How did this team come together? 

Gopa: Maatram has been around for the last eight years. There had been a group of people trying to build a mental health platform for quite some time but, for various reasons, it hadn’t come together. Then, in 2017, things finally aligned. Jerry, a clinical psychologist from the Netherlands, and Palani, a retired psychologist, came together along with a few others. They co-founded Maatram.

The name “Maatram” means “transformation” in Tamil. It’s not an acronym, but a deeply meaningful word that reflects our intention. It was Palani who chose the name. The inspiration for Maatram came from the Mother’s vision – that Auroville should have a space for mental well-being and inner growth.

By 2018, others like myself, Chetna, Saif and Rashmi also found our way here. None of us planned this, it just happened. Personally, I see it as a calling. We each came to Auroville with a desire to offer our services to the community.

The idea was never to create a conventional clinical setup. Instead, Maatram was envisioned as a space for collective growth - emotional, intellectual, spiritual – a place where the entire being could evolve. Mental health just happens to be our area of training, but the broader vision has always been about supporting holistic development, both individually and as a community.

And how did it all start taking shape?

It started in a very raw and emergent way. When we started, we encountered people who were dealing with a lot: mental health issues, major life transitions like divorce or loss, domestic violence, even community conflicts and misunderstandings between neighbours. A group of us – Jerry, Saif, myself, and others – began supporting individuals through these situations. We worked with various groups at the time, including the Auroville Council and the Working Committee. But from the very beginning, we were clear: we were here for the community, not for any one group or institution. Our position was often misunderstood, so we had to reiterate that we weren’t affiliated with any decision-making bodies. We were simply here for the people of Auroville. That clarity was essential. Our work was always based on consent – if someone wished to grow beyond a difficult situation and was open to support, we would step in.

Initially, much of our work was crisis response – firefighting, really. But we wanted to move beyond that and offer steady support. That’s when we started Open Consultation Hours (OCH) – a space for anyone to walk in, without needing a diagnosis or 'problem’. It could be anything: a need to talk, a curiosity about psychology, or just a feeling of something being ‘off’. We deliberately made it non-clinical, informal, and accessible.

We worked quietly, with our heads down. We didn’t promote ourselves much. I think we’ve only made one major community presentation, in 2019. Otherwise, we’ve let our work speak for itself. We estimate that between 400 and 500 people come into contact with us annually. But what’s more important than quantity is the depth of engagement. We grow with our clients. Some people stay with us for over two years. The process is never rushed.

Unlike in many places where therapy is limited by insurance or financial constraints, we don’t work that way. We let the timeline be organic. Healing isn’t linear, and everyone unfolds at their own pace.

The Open Consultation Hours, do they still happen?

Yes, they do. Open Consultations run Monday through Friday, from 9:00 to 10:00 AM. Each team member takes a specific day. This structure also allows people to experience different therapeutic styles. We are a diverse team with varied specialisations, and we each bring something different. And that’s also the reality of mental health – it’s not one-size-fits-all. It's a rainbow of approaches.

So OCH provides a window into these different paths – each therapist brings something unique, yet we’re united by the same ethos. What’s beautiful about Maatram is that we work as a team. A client can simultaneously receive support from a psychiatrist, a psychologist, and a neurofeedback specialist, depending on what they need. We’re not isolated in our roles – we’re integrated, and that’s part of how the Maatram model functions. We look at the whole person, and we work together without the compartmentalisation that’s common elsewhere.

One thing that sets Maatram apart is that we don’t focus on diagnosis. While we may understand a client’s condition, our clients are not defined by it. That’s why we created the concept of ‘Unclinic’, which helps us focus on systemic awareness and relational healing. If medication is needed, we use it sparingly, and always with the intention of moving toward talk therapy, not away from it.

We see mental health challenges not as isolated disorders but as part of a larger, interconnected system, shaped by relationships, environments, life events, and personal narratives. Our role isn’t to label, but to walk alongside someone as they deepen their self-understanding. So we aim for a trajectory that moves from symptom management to deeper self-exploration. And we believe talk therapy can be transformative.

Do you think there are specific mental health challenges that are prominent in Auroville?

Yes, definitely. When we talk about Auroville, we also have to distinguish between the challenges within Auroville itself and those in the surrounding bioregion, because they’re very different.

For instance, in Auroville, a few years ago we experienced a cluster of suicides, including within one family. That was a deeply challenging time for the community, and we had to respond quickly and sensitively.

Another area of concern is the elderly, as there is quite a large senior population here. During COVID, many were isolated and lacked support. We stepped in at the time, but it's incredibly difficult to sustain such outreach without a larger team or infrastructure. That’s one of our biggest challenges – resources. We could offer so much more if we had more support, but sustaining initiatives, especially in emergencies, is tough.

In terms of ongoing care for people with serious mental illnesses – like schizophrenia or bipolar disorder – there’s often no clear space for them to recover. We don’t yet have dedicated infrastructure to support those needs properly.

However, most of the clients we see don’t come in with severe clinical diagnoses. The vast majority are people facing everyday emotional challenges – anxiety, sadness, grief, confusion, transition. And they know they can seek help.

Are there any other groups in Auroville that you see as particularly vulnerable?

Yes, definitely. I’ve worked a lot with schools, and there are some consistent challenges – especially around resources, both human and financial. Teachers are stretched. Some families, like single mothers, face unique difficulties trying to balance work, healing, and raising children. Interestingly, that’s very different from the challenges in the bioregion. There, people often have extended families to lean on – grandparents, aunts, uncles. But the challenges there are more related to domestic violence, abuse, and untreated mental health issues like depression, which people are still very reluctant to talk about.

So yes, we’re working with very different realities. And we try to meet them both with care and respect.

Newcomers to Auroville can face specific challenges.

Yes, it’s very real. When newcomers arrive in Auroville, one of the first things they need is a sense of safety – a stable place to live. If you think of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, this is the foundation. But housing is already a challenge here. Once that’s addressed, they also need to think about their children’s schooling, and to do that, they often need to find a volunteer unit where they can contribute. That brings its own complexities – which unit will take them in? What will their work hours be? Will they receive any support?

Auroville, as many people learn quickly, isn’t cheap. People are expected to contribute – not just through work, but also financially. And in the early phase, schooling can be expensive. So it becomes a lot to navigate all at once – housing, work, finances, and family life.

It’s also important to recognise that people from the bioregion who become Aurovilians sometimes face a different, unique hardship: they may have to leave their families and villages behind, and that can lead to a sense of being cut off or even rejected. I’ve seen that happen. They become a bit of an outsider in both worlds.

That said, in my experience, many do eventually find their footing. There’s a period of churn and struggle, and then, often, a kind of settling. But some people leave, and they leave disillusioned or disappointed. We’ve seen that too.

But what brings most people to us at Maatram isn’t necessarily housing or education. It’s more often their personal inner life – emotional

struggles, relationship issues, identity shifts. It can be incredibly intense if they’re also navigating something like a separation while trying to establish themselves here.

Has there been resistance to your mental health work in Auroville and the bioregion?

In the bioregion, it’s still difficult. There’s still a stigma, and not everyone feels comfortable walking into a space like Maatram. Conditions like depression or anxiety are not always acknowledged, let alone spoken about. So, there's deep-rooted cultural resistance.

But within Auroville, things have shifted significantly in the past few years. There’s a global conversation around mental health now, and Auroville is part of that wave. People here are much more aware and curious now.

People still ask us things like, “What do you really do?” or “Why would I talk to a stranger?” There’s a belief that one can just talk to a friend or family member. But what we offer is different. We’ve been trained to ask the right questions, to hold space, and most importantly, to do it without judgment.

There’s a misconception that therapy is just talking. But it’s not. It’s a skilled process of creating a space where someone can explore themselves safely, honestly, and often, for the first time.

There’s also the spiritual dimension in Auroville – how does that intersect with mental health work?

I’m glad you asked. Auroville is a spiritual community, and with that comes another layer of resistance – not from ignorance, but from belief. Some people think, “I don’t need therapy, I have my spiritual path,” or “I can work through this on my own.”

That belief, while sincere, can overlook something essential: that growth is layered. Spirituality might be the highest aspiration, but to truly grow we have to first move through the earlier steps – emotional regulation, relational awareness, self-understanding.

Western psychology in the 1960s and 70s may have left some people with a bad taste, and I understand that. But the field has evolved immensely. With developments in neuroscience, we now understand trauma, regulation, memory, and healing in far deeper ways. Therapy today is much more nuanced, integrated, and gentle.

And so, we don’t position ourselves as “knowers” or “healers.” We simply say – we’ll walk with you. We’ll be that mirror, that witness, and that companion on the journey inward. Because we all have blind spots. We all carry shadows. And having someone trained to help navigate those places can be transformative.

So no, we’re not here to interfere with your spiritual path. We’re just here to support those first few steps – to help you look within, with kindness and clarity.

How do the professionals at Maatram manage their own learning and growth while serving the community?

Each of us has our own way of navigating this balance. But one thing is clear: while we are rooted in Auroville to serve the community, we also have a deep commitment to staying current in our field. That means continuing education, training, supervision, and regular reflection.

At Maatram, we have a training budget that allows us to pursue learning each year. Some of us attend international conferences or present our work – like Chetna, who recently presented a paper on neurofeedback in Malaysia and who now plans to host a conference in Auroville. I stay closely connected to the EMDR [Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing] community worldwide and receive regular supervision from professionals outside Auroville. That external perspective is vital for identifying blind spots and maintaining ethical clarity.

Every month, our team also holds intervision sessions – collaborative learning spaces where we explore emerging topics together. For example, our last discussion was about how AI, including tools like ChatGPT, might influence or reshape the future of therapy. We also share recent research, new books in neuroscience or trauma studies, and bring back insights from workshops. It’s a culture of ongoing curiosity and humility.

In a place like Auroville, where professionals can easily become isolated over time, this kind of deliberate connection to the wider field feels essential – not just for our clients, but for ourselves.

Where is Maatram now, and what does sustainable growth look like, for the team, the work, and long-term impact?

Maatram has evolved significantly. We began as a small group in a dining room at Mitra Hostel. Today we work out of Arka, with dedicated therapy spaces, including a new clay therapy room and a child therapy room. That’s been a big step forward.

Our team is also growing. We have Mathilde, who is an experienced play and art therapist, currently pursuing her degree in Clinical Psychology from France, offering child therapy and Social Emotional Learning in schools. We've had international therapists join us, both short- and long-term, from Ukraine, US and different parts of India. Some, like Marina and Raam, are considering becoming newcomers. Psychology students frequently reach out for internships, and trained professionals around the world are expressing interest in our vision and Auroville’s ideals.

Our current space is working for now, thanks to staggered timings and flexible use, but we know expansion will eventually be necessary. We're not actively trying to grow; we’re simply responding to a naturally increasing need. It’s a very organic process.

And what about sustainability in terms of resources, financing, and your ability to serve more people?

That’s one of our biggest challenges. As a service unit, we don’t charge Aurovilians, newcomers, volunteers, or the bioregion community. That’s intentional, it's aligned with Auroville’s spirit, but it also means we have very limited income.

We are grateful to receive basic operational support from the BCC, which helps cover rent and minimal team support, thus enabling us to offer free services to Aurovilians, newcomers and volunteers. But to improve our infrastructure, offer preventive education programmes, support addiction recovery, or develop new therapeutic tools, we need additional funding.

Right now, our therapy rooms are quite basic, having cracked tiles, minimal furniture. The child therapy room came together through small donations and toy contributions. To truly equip our space in a way that reflects the depth of our work, more support is needed.

We’ve received some donations already and hope to collaborate with Auroville International and AVI USA for future fundraising. Specific initiatives, like theatre therapy or Social Emotional Learning in schools, could also attract targeted grants. So yes, we’re dreaming ahead.

Maatram has grown organically from a handful of volunteers experimenting with what might work to a diverse team offering psychiatry, psychology, neurofeedback, clay and movement therapy, group work, trauma care, and education.

We hope Maatram continues as a living, evolving organism, responsive to community needs while advocating for gentler, deeper ways of being with ourselves and each other.

We’re still growing. But what anchors us is that we hold space not just for healing, but for transformation.