Personality Types and Prānic Energy Perceptions: An Exploratory Study

Abstract

Personality, from the perspective of Vedic literature, appears to be a combination of three gunas: sattva, rājas, and tamas. In the traditions of yoga, the term prānā denotes the all-permeating ‘life force’, which can be detected empirically by the use of specifically designed procedures. The current study is aimed at describing the relationship between the gunas and prānic energy perception involving 299 students of the National Cadet Corps of India. The personality type was assessed via the Vedic Personality Inventory, and prānic energy perceptions were recorded using Pranic Energy Perception Schedule. Chi-square Test of Independence was used to examine the subgroup differences in prānic experiences. Pearson Product–Moment Correlation Coefficient and Spearman’s Ranked Correlation were used to find the correlation between personality types and energy experiences. Prānic experiences of magnetic (X2=144.8, p.000), electric (X2=436.7, p.000), and tingling (X2=278, p.000) are independent on quantitative subgroups. Sattva (-.165, p≤ 0.01) and tamas (.174, p≤ 0.01) were significantly correlated with electrical experience. Other prānic energy experiences did not correlate significantly with the three guna types.

Keywords

• prānā
• pranic healing
• prānic perception
• triguna
• spirituality