Understanding Pranic Energy Experiences: A Qualitative Approach.

Prana is the driving and organizing force of the entire universe, and essential for survival. It can be experimental and experiential. This is a retrospective analysis of the pranic energy perception data collected for an exploratory study conducted in 2014 using the convenience sampling method. This paper describes the experiences of 100 participants during a hand sensitization practice. Participants were guided to feel the prana between their hands according to prescribed steps in the pranic healing technique, taught by Master Choa Kok Sui. The experiences reported by participants were analyzed by three independent judges and one expert using the qualitative content analysis technique introduced by Strauss and Corbin. Responses were first grouped according to nine elements. These elements were categorized under four major properties - positive experience, experience of awareness, energy experience, and feedback on the study program. These properties were further divided into two categories - experiences and feedback - based on the theme they cover. Participants experienced various sensations, which demonstrates that energy can be felt, and can benefit one's affective and physical state. Because of this qualitative content analysis, we have a better understanding of the various ways people perceive, experience, and benefit from pranic energy experiences.

The Need, Feasibility and Willingness to Explore "Meditation on Twin Hearts" as a Self-administered Tool for Mental Health Management among Transgender Women: An Exploratory Survey.

Hijras are the transgender community and have been socio-economically marginalized and hence their mental healthcare needs to be addressed. This was a descriptive, qualitative study, conducted in Mysore, India to examine the mental health status of 33 transgender women (TGW) and their response to the "Meditation on Twin Hearts (MTH)" intervention. Assessment of anxiety, depression and suicidality was carried out before the meditative session followed by a single session of MTH. Their feedback on meditation experience was collected, coded, and transformed into quantitative data. Among total participants, 39.4% of TGW exhibited severe anxiety, 21.2% has severe depression and 75.8% of them were at suicidal risk. Depression was positively correlated with anxiety and suicidal behavior. Most participants reported MTH was useful with signs of improvements in mental state. Thus, a single session of MTH has shown good signs of improvement in mental state among TGW.

Amelioration of mild and moderate depression through Pranic Healing as adjuvant therapy: randomised double-blind controlled trial.

OBJECTIVES: Depression is a mental disorder, affecting the quality of life. Our study explores the efficacy of Pranic Healing (PH), as an adjuvant therapy in treating depression Methods: In this randomised double-blind controlled trial, 52 participants with a mean age of 34.4 years, with mild to moderate depression were assessed using the Hamilton Depression Rating (HAM-D) scale during the 5-week study. Both Medication + PH (MedPH) and Medication + Mock PH (MedMockPH) groups comprising 26 members received Pranic and mock healing lasting 20 minutes per session respectively once a week for 4 weeks, along with the antidepressant drug. RESULTS: The average decrease in HAM-D score in MedPH was median 11 (Interquartile Range (IQR) 7-12) and was significantly higher compared with the MedMockPH group median 6.5 (IQR 3-9). At pre-assessment, both groups had 8 cases of mild and 18 cases of moderate depression. At post-assessment, HAM-D showed that the improvement in depression category was seen in 69.2% of participants in the MedMockPH group and 100% in MedPH group. CONCLUSIONS: These results give first the evidence that PH can aid as an adjuvant therapy for depressed people.

Perception of Subtle Energy "Prana", and Its Effects During Biofield Practices: A Qualitative Meta-Synthesis.

Background: The idea of "life force" or "subtle pranic energy," sometimes referred to as prana, ki, qi, vital force, and scientifically accepted as biofield, is prevalent across many cultures. Objectives: This review's objective is to synthesize data from studies that looked at a range of physical, psychological, and biofield sensations while experiencing prana and receiving biofield therapies. Method: We looked for qualitative, exploratory, and mixed-method studies on subtle pranic energy perceptions, as well as the physical and emotional experiences connected to biofield therapeutic procedures, through searches in 3 electronic databases, including PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus. Based on inclusion and exclusion criteria, ninteen studies were appropriate for this review. The results were synthesized using the 6 steps of the thematic analysis approach. Results: The first concept, "energy experiences," comprises 4 themes that describe participants' sensations of prana (awareness of temperature variation; presence of energy; physical sensation of energy; and magnetic sensation). The second concept, "positive experiences," consists of 3 themes that describe the benefits of undergoing biofield therapy on the physical and emotional conditions of the participants (positive affective experiences; positive physical sensations; and positive valued experiences). The third concept, "experience of awareness," describes how participants become aware of their mental activities (awareness of mental activities). Conclusion: Our knowledge of perceptions and experiences related to biofield therapy is enhanced by this meta-synthesis. It gave a comprehensive picture of the enormous sensations and advantages that were felt when engaging in biofield practices.

Nursing Student's Experiences of Meditation on Twin Hearts During Eight Weeks Practice: A Qualitative Content Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Meditation on Twin Hearts (MTH) involves blessing the earth to alleviate the sufferings, and praying for the well-being of the entire society using heart and crown chakra. This meditation is characterized by mechanisms of loving-kindness, self-healing imagery, and open awareness. PURPOSE: This study aims to identify the experiences and perceived benefits associated with practicing MTH by nursing students. METHOD: Qualitative method using content analysis was used to study meditation experiences. After obtaining the informed consent, 22 nursing students were introduced to MTH. Experiences and feedback from meditation sessions were reported each day during their 8 week practice. Nursing students also answered seven open-ended questions on the last day of the meditation session. FINDINGS: The verbatim descriptions of experiences reported by nursing students were abstracted to elements (17), properties (6), and categories (2). Identified properties are positive experiences, experiences of awareness, energy experiences, tangible outcomes, physiological reactions, and feedback on the study program. CONCLUSION: The experiences narrated by nursing students include positive affective experiences, health benefits, resolution of problem, awareness and energy experiences, and prosocial tendencies. These findings indicate that MTH would enhance the well-being of the nursing students and could be used as a self-care measure.