Did you know that gems are used in mental health therapy? This method doesn’t only perceive gemstones and crystals as fashion ornaments but also acknowledges their therapeutic properties, which are influenced by the various minerals used to craft them.
Swarna Srikanth spoke to Dr Nandita Shah PhD, a pioneer of mental health jewellery along with her husband, Dr Viral Shah.
Excerpts:
Q. The psychological approach is widely prescribed for healing anxiety and mental health worries, but where do you see gemstones?
A. I call it complementary medicine. We see that even before consulting a doctor for mental health care, people visit us to seek the benefits of these crystals. The treatment a patient might be taking with a psychology expert has its benefits, but side by side if one is feeling better with this, then nothing like that. Here, there’s no popping of pills or side effects. So, this is a fearless method absolutely.
Q. Have you come across cases where crystals have helped?
A. About three to four years ago, a girl I met at a shopping mall left me touched. She was a radiologist who approached me after learning about my work in gemology. The other day she called me. She confessed to wanting to commit suicide, but things changed after we interacted and believed in the energy of crystals. Now, she’s doing great. This incident made me feel that if crystals and healing jewellery can heal mental health problems, then why not!
Q. People, especially Gen Z, see these as a fashion statement. What’s your take?
A. I don’t wish to make this a taboo jewellery. It should be a ‘feel good jewellery.’ People should enjoy carrying it as they seek its goodness. We want to make it a ‘wow’ piece of jewellery that stands as a fashion statement. When someone wears it, it mustn’t intentionally remind people of mental health and therapy but make them admire and appreciate it for its beauty. So, yes, people must wear it with pride and happiness.
What’s the most significant thing about crystals you want everyone to know?
It is important to know that crystals have no rules and restrictions. Wear it whenever you want to and take it out whenever you feel like. There’s no fear involved about wrong usage. It rather aims at making one confident and fearless by strengthening their mental health.
It’s for everybody, be it a four-year-old or someone in their 90s. Also, whoever is not going through any major mental health issue, it doesn’t mean they shouldn’t wear it. Just having something which makes you feel better and confident is like why not...
Are these gemstones suggested as per one’s zodiac sign or it depends on their energy resonance and liking?
It mostly depends on what a person is getting attracted to. There are about 19 parameters further, but they usually point to the same gem stone which one has picked based on their liking. Impressively, you will like and select the one which you need. It’s like an inner calling in this case.
Q. How do you see lab-grown diamonds, which are gaining popularity these days?
A. There are many people who go for lab-grown diamonds, which are easily available for a reasonable price. But then, I feel in this case the soul is missing. The natural formation holds its own uniqueness. The process of coming out of Mother Earth involves pressure and a lot of other factors that manmade alternatives can’t achieve.
What’s your motto behind using crystals for care and cure?
It’s a way we wish to give back. We want people to be more confident and fearless and crystals will do it without a doubt. We have proved it through our research and case studies.