Question. Can a reliable survey be designed to tell a therapist exactly in which chakra a client is currently functioning?
Response by Gerald Schueler, Ph.D. © 1997
The theory of the chakras or psychic centers and the use of
chakras in transpersonal psychology was discussed in Question #3.
According to this theory, the therapist should determine the primary chakra
in which the client is currently functioning, and then direct the therapeutic
process toward that chakra in an effort to help the client progress to a
higher chakra. A reliable but simple test to determine the chakra in which a
client is currently functioning would be useful.
Reliability of a test can be defined as "the extent to which it is free from random error components" (Judd, Smith, & Kidder, 1991, p. 51). The general equation for reliability of a test is:
where R is the theoretical reliability of the test,
is the variance of the
true scores, and 
is the variance of the observed scores (Kaplan &
Saccuzzo, 1989). If a test is given with a reliability of .70, for example, then
70% of the variation for that test can be associated with true variation and
30% of the variation is considered random. The higher the reliability, the
lower the random variation.
Probably the easiest method to determine the reliability of a psychological test uses the test-retest method which yields a test-retest reliability (Judd, Smith, & Kidder, 1991). A test is given a second time at a later date, and the results of the two tests are compared. The correlation between the two test scores can then be considered as an estimate of test reliability. However, in the case of chakra determination, this reliability may be misleading. For example, if a test is given at the beginning of therapy and again near the end, the client may, in fact, have progressed to a higher chakra.
Another method of determining reliability is to look for internal consistency using the split-half method. To do this, a test is divided in half and given as two separate tests. The two scores are then compared to determine internal consistency. However, test reliability usually increases as the number of items increases (Kaplan & Saccuzzo, 1989). So any correlation would actually be an estimate of the reliability for half of the test. In order to correct for half-length, the Spearman-Brown formula should be applied as:
where R is the estimated correlation between the two halves of the test if each had had the total number of items, and r is the actual correlation between the two halves of the test. R is always larger than r, so the effect of using the Spearman-Brown formula is to increase the estimate of reliability.
Another method for determining a reliability estimate is Cronbach's formula for coefficient alpha. This is actually a variation of the Kuder-Richardson formula specifically developed for tests with yes-no or right-wrong responses. A test for chakra activity would probably not address right-wrong or yes-no responses, and so the coefficient alpha could be determined by:
where is the coefficient alpha and a general estimate of the internal
consistency reliability, N is the number of items on the test, S2 is the
variance of the total test score, and 
is the variance of the individual
items on the test (Kaplan & Saccuzzo, 1989).
Another important parameter to consider in addition to reliability is validity. Validity is defined as "the extent to which a measure reflects only the desired construct without contamination from other systematically varying constructs" (Judd, Smith, & Kidder, 1991, p. 51). Validity requires reliability as a prerequisite so that an unreliable score cannot have validity. However, a score may be reliable (free of random error) without being valid.
Face validity is "the extent to which items on a test appear to be meaningful and relevant" (Kaplan & Saccuzzo, 1989, p. 568). Face validity is subjective, and indicates whether or not a test "looks like" it is valid. Usually face validity can be determined by experts in that particular area. A general measure of face validity would be the percentage of experts who agree the test items are valid.
The following test was developed by this researcher to determine which chakra is currently activated. There are fourteen questions, one for each chakra, arranged randomly:
The Chakra Test.
1. I am active in organizations
never occasionally sometimes many times always
2. I have experienced ESP (telepathy, foresight, out-of-body experiences, near-death experiences, etc)
never once twice often many times
3. I control my own life
never occasionally sometimes many times always
4. My dreams are pleasant
never occasionally sometimes many times always
5. I see myself as a famous and/or powerful person
never occasionally sometimes many times always
6. I worry about my security and well-being
never occasionally sometimes many times always
7. I feel satisfied with my life
never occasionally sometimes many times always
8. I feel that I am only my physical body (without a soul or spirit)
never occasionally sometimes many times always
9. I feel spiritually fulfilled
never occasionally sometimes many times always
10. I go out of my way to help others
never occasionally sometimes many times always
11. I treat others as I would like to be treated myself
never occasionally sometimes many times always
12. I have experienced an altered state of consciousness
never once twice often many times
13. I think about sex
never occasionally sometimes many times always
14. I have had a mystical or spiritual experience
never once twice often many times
Table 1. Test Items Per Chakra.
Chakra Test Item #s
1 6 & 8
2 4 & 13
3 3 & 5
4 1 & 10
5 7 & 9
6 2 & 12
7 11 & 14
Question #6 asks if the client is worried about personal security and well-being. Question #8 asks if the client identifies with the physical body. Both of these should be true for anyone functioning, at least in part, in the first chakra (security).
Question #4 asks if the client has pleasant dreams. Question #13 asks if the client thinks about sex. Both of these questions should be true if the client is functioning in the second chakra (sexuality).
Question #3 asks if the client has control over his or her life. Question #5 asks if the client sees himself or herself as famous or powerful. Both of these questions should be true if the client is functioning in the third chakra (power).
Question #1 asks if the client is active in organizations. Question #10 asks if the client goes out of his ir her way to help others. Both of these questions should be true if the client is functioning in the fourth chakra (love).
Question #7 ask if the client feels satisfied with his or her life. Question #9 asks the client if he or she feels spiritually fulfilled (which could refer to a specific religion, but not necessarily). Both of these questions should be true if the client is functioning in the fifth chakra (communication).
Question #2 asks the client if he or she has ever experienced extra-sensory perception of some kind. Question #12 asks the client if they have ever had an altered state of consciousness. Both of these questions should be true if the client is functioning in the sixth chakra (intuition).
Question #11 asks the client if he or she treats others like he or she would want to be treated. Question #14 asks if the client has ever had a mystical or spiritual experience. For example, Spilka, Hood, & Gorsuch (1985) report that 30-40% of the population have had mystical experiences. Both of these questions should be true if the client is functioning in the seventh chakra (cognition).
Each question allows for five possible answers which could be quantified as:
1 2 3 4 5
never once twice often many times
Reliability of the test can be determined from the Spearman-Brown formula by splitting the test into two sub-tests as shown in Table 2 below.
| Table 2. Sub-tests. | |
| Question # | |
| Test 1 | Test 2 |
| 6 | 8 |
| 4 | 13 |
| 3 | 5 |
| 1 | 10 |
| 7 | 9 |
| 2 | 12 |
| 11 | 14 |
Test #1 would consist of questions 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, and 11. Test #2 would consist of questions 5, 8, 9,10, 12, 13, and 14. The scores would be correlated, and that number, r, would then be inserted in the formula for reliability:
In this way, a reliable survey could be used to allow therapists to determine the chakra(s) activated in their clients.
References
Judd, C. M., Smith, E. R. and Kidder, L. H. (1991). Research methods in social relations (6th ed.). Fort Worth, TX: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.
Kaplan, R. M. and Saccuzzo, D. P. (1989). Psychological testing: Principles, applications, and issues (2nd ed.). Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole.
Spilka, B., Hood, R., and Gorsuch, R. (1985). The psychology of religion: An empirical approach. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.