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(Dr. Gopal Krishna belongs to that rare breed of authors who write their first piece of work in late eighties. At 84, he wrote the first book of his life (Read and Resolve - Sex Problems in Marriage) which became an instant hit. Just one year after that he came up with a sequel "Marriage Intimacy - New Approaches", which is doing brisk business all over the world.
His latest book Marriage Intimacy: New Approaches (Gopal Krishna Publishing, 2003) won rave reviews from our expert reviewers. Naturally we couldn't contain our desire to know more about him. We at the "Anil Aggrawal's Internet Journal of Book Reviews" approached him for an online interview and he graciously agreed. The interview was conducted for well over a month by the Editor-in-Chief Dr. Anil Aggrawal. Some excerpts...)
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Qu.1. Doctor, I understand, you are basically a psychologist. What made you choose this vocation of Psychology in the first place?
Ans. It was a mere intuition. At that young age I was not aware of my aptitude and interests. My parents and my wife's parents, after I had done my MA, wanted me to join law to adopt family profession. But after doing law and internship when I attended court, on the day first, I felt I am incapable of arguing right cases for wrong, and wrong cases for right. I decided without any objective assessment of my abilities, aptitude and interests to start afresh, after 8 years gap, to study in the University again for post graduation in Psychology.
Qu.2. How did you enter in the applied side of Psychology, and with what rises?
Ans. Immediately after doing post-graduation in Psychology I was selected in Bureau of Psychology, Govt. of UP, Allahabad, a premier and solitary institution in Applied Psychology in India then, before independence. Rising from Asst. Psychologist I was promoted to Regional Psychologist, Benaras U.P. (Varanasi) with 8 districts under my jurisdiction adjoining it. There I had to provide guidance to student community for choice of courses, and careers. Those were days where there was shortage of qualified, trained professionals as Psychologists. As such my services were borrowed by Govt. of India to serve as Counsellor in C.B.E.V.G. (now NCERT). Two years later, my services were again borrowed by Rajasthan Govt. as Director, for newly started State Bureau of Educational & Vocational Guidance Rajasthan established for providing guidance to student community.
Qu.3. You mention 'Dr.' before your name? How?
Ans. When I was regional Psychologist at Benaras I did Ph.D. from Benaras University on a topic in Psychology.
Qu.4. It seems that you were providing guidance to student community for their courses and careers. How then you were drifted to Personality side of Psychology?
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Ans. Right from the beginning while in U.P. Bureau of Psychology, being more interested on personality aspects (than the cognitive) I developed taste, interest and knowledge in that sphere. Then my topic of thesis for Ph.D. consisted of "Personality Patterns of Delinquents in U.P. (India)".
Qu.5. Even then, you claim to be specialist in dealing with cases of mental disorders, and sex problems? How?
Ans. While I had been dealing mostly with personality aspects of student community, I often came across cases where students suffered from various types of strains and stresses as an outcome of growth of their personality at pre-adolescent and adolescent stages. Often, they resulted in fears, phobias, anxiety disorders, and even depression. Adolescence is called the period of Strains and Stresses.
As regards sex problems, one of the stresses of students at adolescent period is that of sex. Many of the students are baffled and alarmed when their reproductive organs grow, creating sex desire, which they think to be undesirable and abnormal. Nocturnal emissions, urge to masturbation in male and female students created fears in them. Half-baked hearsay knowledge gathered from their student colleagues, equally ignorant, made them all the more apprehensive of losing potency by masturbation. Girls on getting menses, their recurring pains on during menses, growth of breasts and other genetics etc. also made them apprehensive. Attraction towards other sex, desire and attempts for seeking sexual outlet with opposite sex created guilt feelings and shame, sometimes, resulting in depression and even suicides. Seeking help from quacks, or so-called unqualified doctors made them all the more terrified. Thus, on their gaining confidence in me, empathy and support they divulged their inner disturbed feelings relating to sex matters as well. This made me gain knowledge, experience, and acquiring knowledge while providing guidance to them.
Qu.6. But, then again you say you are practicing for 25 years as Marriage Counsellor and Sex therapist in Delhi? How you drifted to that?
 ...As regards sex problems, one of the stresses of students at adolescent period is that of sex. Many of
the students are baffled and alarmed when their reproductive organs grow, creating sex desire, which
they think to be undesirable and abnormal. Nocturnal emissions, urge to masturbation in male and
female students created fears in them. Half-baked hearsay knowledge gathered from their student
colleagues, equally ignorant, made them all the more apprehensive of losing potency by masturbation....
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Ans. You are right. There are in fact no training courses for marital counselling and sex therapy available in India. All of them in this field have gained knowledge by study of scientific books on the subject, and by experience while dealing with such cases. Moreover, basic principles of Psychology are same in whatever areas they may be applied. First, by profession I am a Psychologist. Secondly, I gained knowledge and experience by dealing with problems relating to sex of the student community, (males, females) during the course of providing guidance to them. Thirdly, though it may not seem out of the way, I had gained by my own personal experience. It so happened that during my own adolescent stage, I was once encountered by a situation where a Christian girl studying in one class higher made advances to me. I was nervous, grew anxiety ridden, became dumb and inert. Later I thought, possibly, I was lacking in potency. It made me study scientific books on the subject of sex. Fourthly, after my retirement, on settling down at Delhi for practice, while dealing with mental disorder cases, I found that behind their any personality disorder marital maladjustment and sex were important factors, specifically in the cases of depression of married females. Sex in them, more or less, was one of the determining causes. Thus, during the course of 25 years of practice at Delhi, I slowly but surely drifted to marriage counseling and sex therapy. I studied scientific books, latest worldwide researches, surveys and studies and by applying them on my own clients evolved and developed special techniques during the course of 25 years of practice.
Qu.7. Doctor you have vast experience in your field. Why do you not benefit the married couples in general and those having sex problems in particular?
Ans. Yes, I have written two books. The book "Marriage Intimacy (New approaches)" is the latest one and is self-published.
Qu.8. Doctor, would you tell us, for whom is your book meant?
Ans. It is meant for newly-weds, middle-aged, and aged people, equally. Also meant for professionals in the field.
Qu.9. Can you tell me what concepts of married couple intimacy you believe in, and what NEW APPROACHES as sub-title of the latest book; "Marriage Intimacy" suggests are?
Ans.If you see my latest self-published book "Marriage Intimacy", and its sub-title 'New Approaches', you will find certain things enumerated and discussed in the book worth mentioning. Let me tell you about its Philosophy and Concepts first.
The whole book is based on 3 words "Mutual Total Involvement". It must be a mutual commitment. Unless mutual i.e. both the partners are interested and interesting on the same wave length, the pleasure is not ecstatic, fulfilling with fulfilment. Here I would like to take the liberty of quoting a famous Urdu couplet:
"ulfat ka mazaa tab hi hai,
jab aag ho dono taraf, barabar lagi hui"
("Sexually one can enjoy truly only when both partners are completely, equally and constantly consumed by passion")
...Yes, Psychasm is indeed a neologism created by me. I define it as mental, physical and emotional fulfilling and fulfilment by both the couples. While orgasm may be merely physical, psychasm is more on a psychological plane. It is like, while travelling in the train, one may enjoy more all the way, varied scenes and sceneries, flora and fauna, rivers, deserts, mountains, sunrises and sunsets falling on the way, than simply lying, dozing and sleeping all along the way till the end of the journey. I believe that PSYCHASM (and not Orgasm) should be our goal. I ask, why worldwide there is an undue fuss, craze and emphasis for erection, penetration, intercourse and orgasm? Why everybody is 'performance - oriented' or 'orgasm oriented'? Why not 'pleasure - oriented', ...
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Some points which I have tried to highlight in this book are:
Qu.10. Have you suggested some treatments for sexual disorders too? Would you enlighten us a little please?
Ans. Yes, I have called that part "Treatment (step by step)". It is the second part of this book. In this part I have asserted that male's and female's sexual dysfunctioning are mostly psychological - 95%. Law of nature is : Every human being is born mostly normal. One acquires dysfunctioning subsequently.
I have a section in my book called "New Approaches : Learning Exceptional Techniques". In this section, I talk about such things as Mutual intercourse, Emotional orgasm, Vaginismus (in females), Males getting multiple orgasms (like females) and Simultaneous orgasms. Some specialties of my book are:
Qu.11. In your book, you have talked about psychasm. I have never heard this term. Is this a neologism coined by you?
Ans. Yes, indeed it is. Psychasm is mental, physical and emotional fulfilling and fulfilment by both the couples. While orgasm may be merely physical, psychasm is more on a psychological plane. It is like, while travelling in the train, one may enjoy more all the way, varied scenes and sceneries, flora and fauna, rivers, deserts, mountains, sunrises and sunsets falling on the way, than simply lying, dozing and sleeping all along the way till the end of the journey. I believe that PSYCHASM (and not Orgasm) should be our goal. I ask, why worldwide there is an undue fuss, craze and emphasis for erection, penetration, intercourse and orgasm? Why everybody is 'performance - oriented' or 'orgasm oriented'? Why not 'pleasure - oriented', whatever way achieved - sexually or sensually. Having sex or no sex. Couples treading together, pace to pace, all along the road of love and sex, romancing in-between, is more important and pleasure giving than craving, spectatoring, hankering and worrying to reach to goal - i.e. orgasm. Most of the irks and ills of sexual dysfunctioning of males and females will mostly be resolved without seeking their treatment.
Qu.12. What about your first book which though also self published, is different from your above book?
Ans. The name of my first book, 'Read & Resolve Sex Problems in Marriage', the stock of which is fully exhausted. I am planning to bring out the second edition soon.
Read reviews of the book by Gopal Krishna by Clicking here.
Order this Book by clicking here.
Contact Dr. Gopal Krishna, the author of this book by clicking here.
Download extracts from Dr. Gopal Krishna's Book by clicking here.
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Interviews - Collective Index (Appearing in Anil Aggrawal's Internet Journal of Book Reviews)
Interviews - Collective Index (Appearing in Anil Aggrawal's Internet Journal of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology)
Interview appearing in last issue (Volume 2, Number 2, July - December 2003)
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