Motivated by a strong will to treat her young sick mother, Suryani learned meditation when she was only 14. While many of her family members initially doubted her abilities, they were surprisingly convinced to see her mother cured. Suryani then began treating sick people in her community through meditation.
After graduating from high school, Suryani studied medicine at Udayana University in Bali, where she specialized in psychiatry. In 1982, she received her degree as a psychiatrist—a profession she chose out of an innate curiosity to understand her upbringing and its effects on her current personality. In 1988 Suryani attained her Ph.D. from Airlangga University, Surabaya.
While working as the head psychiatrist at Udayana University in Bali, Suryani introduced a more efficient standard operational procedure to manage mentally ill patients. The procedure decreased the treatment from one month to six days in the residency hospital. While the procedure was initially accepted and did result in numerous adjustments, the hospital chief of staff eventually rejected it and discontinued its use.
Through her academic and clinical practices, Suryani has been resilient in her attempts to bridge indigenous spirituality with Western psychiatry and psychology. While many have criticized her findings, Suryani’s approach is widely considered a breakthrough in the field of psychiatry. To further develop the field, Suryani retired from her position as the Head Psychiatrist at Udayana University and is now dedicating all her time to leading the Suryani Institute of Mental Health and the Committee Against Sexual Abuse.
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