About Us

Atmaviswas vidyalaya is instituted as residential community for persons with schizophrenia and such other psychological disorders. The bhoomi puja was performed on 04.04.2003 and inaugurated by Swami Shree Hariprasadji on 18.03.2006. The rehab center is built on scenic and serene banks of river wanki at Valsad, Gujarat state. The total built-up area is 16200 sq ft and has infrastructure and facilities to treat 56 young men and women of all communities. The maximum period of treatment is upto 18 months.

We at AVV believe that downslide into a meaningless troubled life can be controlled through personalized, demanding, caring treatment in a therapeutic community as to come out of mental illness on their own is quite difficult. Their pitiable condition can not be allowed to be a sentence of rejection for their entire life span. One main obstacle is that an invisible wall is set up by them for their unnecessary protection separating them from their family, friends, society and environment. Our objective is to dissipitate that obstacle by opening communication with ill person so that they are willing to be engaged in helping relationship with others. Without this opening the person stays isolated and lost within their uncontrolled feelings, disorganized thinking and misguided selfish attitudes.

Our initial effort is to develop a feeling in them that there is someone interested and attempting to understand him, accept him and lead him back to the life, through living alongside with others. The desired objective can be achieved by establishing a meaningful contact with that special person, a focus on intensive combination of individual and group psychotherapy, yoga, a help with social skills and experience of daily living with others. Recreational activities such as occupational therapy, role play, music and drawing lessons, indoor and outdoor games, occasional visit to nearby picnic spot are all part of curriculum to keep them entertained.

All these activities are self empowering. Routine journal writing by ill persons is very helpful to counselors for updating the program of every individual. With active involvement in all above activities, it is possible to bring ill person to realize his chaotic state of mind. May be with this realization, the ill person can begin to speak about how his past experience has brought him to this point and his present state of mind. The individual opens to his mentor or guide or therapist or newly discovered friend from the community and discovers that as he changes his attitude and beliefs, his former negative feelings slowly slide away, be familiar with his responsibilities and lead him to journey of purpose.