It’s rare when a graduate of medical school is also an accomplished author, but this exactly describes Indian-American author Deepak Chopra.
A prominent figure in the New Age movement, Deepak is one of the most famous alternative medicine practitioners in recent memory.
He’s also a very controversial figure, having been on the receiving end of scathing criticism from physicians and authors alike.
This quick review will go over the most important bits concerning Deepak Chopra.
Early Life & Education:
In 1946 on the 22nd of October, Deepak Chopra was born in New Delhi, British India.
He descended from a line of doctors, which had an influence on him in his later years of education.
Having completed his primary education at St Columba's School, Deepak proved himself in high school as a top student. He enrolled in the All India Institute of Medical Sciences and graduated in 1969.
Chopra’s interest in endocrinology was sparked at med school, and that interest was born out of his desire to understand the biology behind thoughts and emotions. Thus, he specialised in endocrinology.
Deepak soon decided to emigrate from India to the US in 1970. He completed a medical internship to join the workforce there and successfully established himself.
He earned the licence to practise medicine in 1973 in the state of Massachusetts and began his downward spiral caused by burnout after many years of practise.
Influences, Philosophy, and Writings:
Deepak has written over 91 books since 2021, 21 of which were New York Times bestsellers. Needless to say, he found a unique voice by discussing meditation, the matters of the soul, the relation between emotion and thought, and many other ideas considered pseudoscience by the scientific community at large.
Meditation is what pulled Deepak out of the hole he found himself in after burning himself out working as a physician.
He listed Maharishi Mahesh Yogi as a key influence on his writings, citing Transcendental Meditation, made famous by Maharishi, as a practice he continues to do to this very day.
Deepak published his first book, Quantum Healing: Exploring the Frontiers of Mind/Body Medicine, in 1989 to great success. The book earned him notoriety because he discussed alternative medicine in a way that contradicted proven scientific studies.
This trend continued with his 1993 book, Ageless Body, Timeless Mind, which saw Deepak’s real rise to fame as an author.
At first, Deepak never imagined his writings would catch on like wildfire, but on closer examination, it appears his words resonated with people because:
- They gave them a sense of purpose.
- They promised them immortality of the soul.
- They made them cope with daily life struggles.
- They were full of positive messages.
Chopra made it his job to discuss all of the above and more in his books. There are many passages dedicated to explaining metaphysics, the study of consciousness, and Vedanta philosophy, another key influence on Deepak’s writings.
In the field of alternative medicine, Deepak advocated for using cannabis (CBD) and melatonin, as he saw them as tools that help people overcome insomnia and sleep disorders.
Other medical treatments he used were “quantum healing.” This controversial treatment is centred around understanding the mind-body connection in order to overcome bodily diseases such as cancer and AIDS.
He claims these diseases can be overcome when a person is able to peel off the layers of consciousness and access his “spiritual” side.
Quantum healing has never been tested in a real clinical trial, so there have been no success stories using this type of treatment until now.
Criticism:
There’s no doubt that Deepak Chopra is one of the most controversial figures in the medical industry. He has been constantly criticised and attacked for profiting off imaginary treatments that have no real-world applications.
His New Age style of writing was also the subject of criticism, as many saw Deepak as simply trying to profit off the misery of others.
According to critics, he did that by promising people miracles and exaggerated success stories if they followed his lead and applied what he said.
Perhaps the most questionable of all are his various attempts at explaining scientific problems in spiritual terms. In other words, Deepak never understood what quantum physics was, yet he claimed mastery over it since his mind was trained to absorb the unknown and go over it in the spiritual realm, hence granting him special cognitive abilities that allowed him to apply quantum physics in the real world through his quantum healing treatment.
Obviously, these claims were considered bogus by the scientific community, which accused Deepak of preaching pseudoscience, meaningless sophistry, and blatant incorrect usage of scientific terminology.
In fact, criticism of Deepak Chopra got so bad that he found himself the winner of the satirical Ig Nobel Prize in physics in 1998 for "his unique interpretation of quantum physics as it applies to life, liberty, and the pursuit of economic happiness."
Up until this day, Deepak continues to generate controversy every time he speaks or publishes a new book, but at the same time, many people view him as a hero and a pioneer in his field.
In Conclusion:
Deepak Chopra, an accomplished author, alternative medicine expert, and self-help guru, is a polarising figure.
He has gained a ton of success thanks to his upbeat writing style, which appeals to people’s basic instincts and tendency to believe in something higher than themselves.
It remains unknown if Deepak himself believes in what he preaches and writes about or whether it’s all a marketing scheme designed to make him rich.
To many, he’s no more than a snake oil salesman who preys on people’s lack of knowledge and insecurities. To no small subset of people, he’s a hero of the highest order.
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