- Question - How do we measure the effects of qi gong?
- Sub-question 1: Can Qi Gong emit noticeable sensory information between non-touching hands?
- Sub-question 2: Can Qi Gong heal people better than placebo?
- Sub-question 3: Can Qi Gong move people better than placebo?
- Sub-question 4: Can Qi Gong move inanimate objects? \
- Context -
- Scientific evidence of the benefits of mindfulness meditation has been gathered over the past half a decade years and it seems plausible that qi gong may have strong benefits but its healing biofeedback mechanisms that have not yet been measured.
- A more extreme example is compassion meditation, which provokes altered state of consciousness like the Jhanas. Jhanas have just starting to be documented in research literature of the past 10-15 years and the results are pretty insane. People can experience complete happiness just by sitting, as measured with fMRI and EEG.
- A lot of my friends here in the Bay Area have qualitative evidence of having their wrist, knee, back pains healed from qi gong, so I’m curious to examine this.
- There’s another part of this which is qi gong’s ability to move other people and move inanimate objects using qi and, this seems plausible from what I saw from a practitioner knocking down inanimate objects and other people. It did seem like it was more than just hypnosis, as is the current common belief about psychic phenomena. However, I’m a human, and I am also susceptible to believing things that may be caused by hypnosis, so am curious to see what the test results would be!
- Scientific evidence of the benefits of mindfulness meditation has been gathered over the past half a decade years and it seems plausible that qi gong may have strong benefits but its healing biofeedback mechanisms that have not yet been measured.
- Primarily for personal learning or novel discovery? - novel discovery
Tags
- personal mnemonic:
- type: #true-bit-flip
- theme: #self-states
- status: #idea
1. Feeling energy - Hands
- Question - Can Qi Gong emit noticeable sensory information between non-touching hands?
- Context - The question arises from the need to understand the physical changes that occur during qi gong. This could potentially provide insights into the physiological effects of qi gong and how it impacts the human body. How might we measure the ultrasound, heat, and electromagnetic waves emitted from a person’s hands while they are meditating?
- Answer - This could be achieved through the use of various devices such as an ultrasound machine to measure ultrasound waves, a thermal camera to measure heat, and an electromagnetic field (EMF) meter to measure electromagnetic waves. These devices would need to be positioned in a way that they can accurately capture the emissions from the person’s hands during meditation.
- What is the delta? - Difference in the ultrasound, heat, and electromagnetic waves emitted from a person’s hands before, during, and after qi gong.
- Observations -
- This experiment would require careful setup and calibration of the devices to ensure accurate measurements. It would also be important to control for other factors that could influence the results, such as the temperature of the room and the person’s state of mind.
- A simpler version of this experiment would be a mix of the third experiment with this one, which would not involve tools to measure.
2. Heal a knee or neck
- Question - Can Qi Gong heal people better than placebo? How might we measure how Qi heals a person, given that energy moves through their body?
- Context - Current pain management strategies often involve medication, physical therapy, or invasive procedures, which may not be suitable or sufficient for all patients. This study explores the efficacy of a non-invasive, alternative therapy method—healing energy—in managing pain, potentially offering a new, accessible form of pain relief without physical intervention.
- Answer - Participants will undergo 2 30-minute healing energy sessions to evaluate changes in pain intensity and satisfaction with the treatment, using both quantitative and qualitative measures.
- What is the delta? - The delta would be the change in pain intensity, measured by the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) or a similar tool, recorded before and after the session.
- Observations - The study design includes data collection, statistical adjustments, and qualitative analysis of open-ended survey responses. Challenges include ensuring accurate self-reporting from participants, managing possible placebo effects, and logistical considerations.
Method:
Participants:
- Recruit a diverse group of volunteers who experience knee or neck pain.
- Inclusion criteria: Adults aged 18-65, experiencing chronic pain for at least 3 months.
- Exclusion criteria: Individuals currently receiving other forms of physical therapy, surgery for pain, or who have received any pain treatment in the week prior to the study.
Design:
- Observational study with pre- and post-session surveys.
Procedure:
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Scheduling and Sessions:
- Participants attend a two healing energy session scheduled every Thursday.
- Each session lasts for approximately 30 minutes.
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Survey Administration:
- Participants complete a pre-session survey to assess their initial pain levels and other relevant health variables (e.g., recent treatments, medication use, physical activity levels).
- Immediately following the session, a post-session survey is administered to measure any changes in pain levels and to gather participant feedback on their experience.
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Healing Energy Session:
- Conducted by a qualified practitioner.
- The session involves no physical contact; energy healing techniques are employed as per the practitioner’s standard practice.
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Primary Outcome:
- Change in pain intensity, measured by the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), recorded before and after the session. This scale is a score from 0-10.
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Secondary Outcomes:
- Participant perceptions of pain relief and overall satisfaction with the session.
- Collection of self-reported data on any other health changes noted during the session.
Data Analysis:
- Descriptive statistics to summarize participant demographics and baseline characteristics.
- Paired t-tests to compare pre- and post-session pain scores for each participant to assess significant changes.
- Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) to adjust for potential confounding variables like age, gender, baseline pain severity, medication use, and other health interventions.
- Qualitative analysis of open-ended survey responses to understand participants’ perceptions and experiences.
Control for Confounding Variables:
- Detailed data collection in the pre-session survey regarding other potential healing factors such as recent treatments, lifestyle changes, and medication adjustments.
- Statistical adjustments during analysis to isolate the effect of the healing energy session from these factors.
Challenges and Considerations:
- Ensuring that participants accurately report their pain levels and other health-related information.
- Possible placebo effects, where participants might report pain relief due to expectations from the session rather than the healing energy itself.
- Managing and scheduling logistics to ensure that all participants receive their session and complete both surveys in a timely manner.
Ethical Considerations:
- All participants will provide informed consent, fully understanding the nature of the study and their right to withdraw at any time.
- The study will be reviewed and approved by an ethics committee to ensure compliance with ethical standards and participant safety.
- Privacy and confidentiality of participant data will be strictly maintained throughout the study.
Expected Outcomes:
- The study aims to provide empirical evidence on the immediate effects of a single session of healing energy on knee and neck pain.
- Insights into participants’ subjective experiences and satisfaction with healing energy as a treatment modality.
- Data that could contribute to broader discussions and research into alternative and complementary therapies for pain management.
Timeline:
- Preparation and recruitment phase: 2 months
- Session and data collection phase: ongoing, as participants are available every Thursday
- Data analysis and report preparation: 1 month after the last participant completes the study
- Total duration: Depending on the number of participants, the study could span 3 to 6 months.
3. Move people - energy bar test
- Question - Can Qi Gong move people better than placebo? How might we observe energy Qi that moves other humans without touching?
- Context - While energy practices like Qi Gong have shown health benefits for practitioners, there has not yet been outstanding scientific evidence of bioenergetic feedback mechanisms allowing one person to influence another’s physical sensations or movements. Specifically, the ability of one Qi Gong practitioner to transfer energy to another and affect their physical state has not been measured in a controlled environment.
- Answer - Set up an experiment with a Qi Gong practitioner and a recipient separated by a high table and a white sheet to prevent visual cues. Ensure participants keep their eyes open, as the effect reportedly requires it. The practitioner will use an “energy bar” technique, placing their hand between the recipient’s hands to sense their energy and attempt to move them using Qi.
- What is the delta? - The delta would be the change in the recipient’s physical sensations or movements when the Qi Gong practitioner is actively trying to pull them using Qi compared to when the practitioner is doing nothing.
- Observations - The experiment involves a controlled setup, a specific procedure, and careful measurement of outcomes. Potential challenges include ensuring a controlled environment, minimizing external influences, and managing potential biases or inaccuracies in measurement tools and methods.
Method:
- Setup:
- Position the Qi Gong practitioner and recipient on opposite sides of a high table, separated by a white sheet.
- Ensure neither party can see each other or their hands.
- Procedure:
- Participants keep their eyes open and refrain from speaking.
- The practitioner places their hand between the recipient’s hands to feel the energy.
- The practitioner then uses the “energy bar” technique to attempt to pull the recipient.
- Sessions:
- Conduct an equal mix of sessions where the practitioner actively attempts to pull the recipient and sessions where the practitioner does nothing (inactive sessions).
- Ensure recipients are unaware of whether the practitioner is attempting to pull or doing nothing to maintain a blind test.
- Repeat trials with both participants wearing earplugs to eliminate auditory cues.
- Instruct the practitioner to make no noise and not move their feet during the pulling process. If noise occurs, the trial does not count.
- Duration:
- Each attempt lasts for two minutes.
- Conduct multiple trials with both expert practitioners and control groups (non-practitioners).
- Measurement:
- Record if the recipient experiences any physical movement or sensations.
- Use motion sensors and cameras to capture and analyze the movements.
- Control Sessions:
- Include trials where no energy technique is used to compare results.
- Validate the practitioner’s ability to sense and influence Qi by having them assess the presence of Qi in the control group.
Eval plan:
- Independent Variable (IV): Whether the practitioner (puller) is actively trying to pull or not.
- Dependent Variable (DV): Whether the recipient (pullee) gets pulled.
- Tasks:
- Assemble measurement tools for heat, electromagnetic waves, ultrasound, sound frequency, and wind.
- Set up a high table to hide hands and a white sheet to separate participants.
- Ensure participants follow the procedure of staying silent and not moving their feet.
- Threats:
- Small sample size due to the limited number of practitioners who claim this ability.
- Ensuring a controlled environment to minimize external influences.
- Potential biases or inaccuracies in measurement tools and methods.
- Participant non-compliance or inadvertent cues during the experiment.
Scenarios:
- Puller actively tries to pull; pullee gets pulled.
- Puller actively tries to pull; pullee does not get pulled.
- Puller does nothing; pullee gets pulled.
- Puller does nothing; pullee does not get pulled.
Implications: If successful, this experiment could demonstrate that people can influence others without using the traditional five senses, suggesting the existence of another sense or mechanism not currently tracked or understood by conventional science. This could lead to a significant reevaluation of bioenergetic interactions and open new avenues for research into human sensory and energetic capabilities.
4. Move inanimate objects - poker chip test
- Question - Can Qi Gong move inanimate objects, as measured by a simple A/B test?
- Context - There are not yet conclusive scientific studies showing Qi Gong can move objects without physical touch. Specifically, there is no conclusive evidence of Qi Gong moving other humans or objects using qi alone.
- Answer - Given a stack of poker chips on a marble counter, test if a Qi Gong practitioner can move or knock over the poker chips using only qi, without any physical contact.
- What is the delta? - The delta would be the change in the position of the poker chips when the Qi Gong practitioner is actively trying to move them using qi compared to when the practitioner is doing nothing.
- Observations - The experiment involves a controlled setup, a specific procedure, and careful measurement of outcomes. Potential challenges include ensuring a controlled environment, minimizing external influences, and managing potential biases or inaccuracies in measurement tools and methods.
Method:
- Setup:
- Place three poker chips on their edges on a marble counter in a controlled environment to minimize external influences.
- Sensors and Monitoring:
- Install high-precision motion sensors, cameras, and anemometers (to measure wind) around the setup.
- Use electromagnetic wave detectors, sound frequency analyzers, and air pressure sensors to capture data on any emissions from the practitioner’s hands.
- Baseline Tests:
- Conduct initial tests without the presence of the Qi Gong practitioner to establish a baseline for any environmental movements and ensure the poker chips do not fall over by themselves.
- Ensure the poker chips are set up by an independent party not affiliated with the practitioner.
- Qi Gong Session:
- Have the Qi Gong practitioner attempt to move or knock over the poker chips using qi, by visualizing their qi going into their hand and pushing it towards the poker chips.
- Record if the practitioner can target specific poker chips and observe if the intended chips fall over.
- Control for Wind and Other Factors:
- Use anemometers to measure and confirm that no wind is being generated by the practitioner’s movements that could affect the poker chips.
- Measure electromagnetic waves, sound frequencies, and air pressure from the practitioner’s hands during the session.
- Control Sessions:
- Conduct an equal mix of sessions where the practitioner actively attempts to move the chips and sessions where the practitioner does nothing (inactive sessions).
- Include trials where no Qi Gong practice is performed to compare results.
- Data Recording and Analysis:
- Continuously record all sessions using sensors and cameras.
- Ensure that all measurements and observations are conducted by an independent party not affiliated with the practitioner.
- Analyze the recorded data to detect any significant movements of the poker chips during the Qi Gong sessions compared to the control sessions, focusing on whether the practitioner can specifically target and knock over the intended poker chips.
Evaluation:
- Measure data on electromagnetic waves, sound frequencies (including ultrasound), wind, and air pressure during Qi Gong and control sessions.
- Compare movements of the poker chips in Qi Gong sessions versus control sessions.
- Check if the practitioner can selectively target specific poker chips and knock them over.
- Ensure independent verification of all measurements and observations.
Implications: If successful, this experiment could reveal a previously unmeasured phenomenon where humans can move objects using energy beyond their physical body. This could suggest the existence of a unique technique within Qi Gong that is not widely taught or shared, potentially due to fears of misuse. Such findings could challenge current scientific understanding and open new avenues for research into human bioenergetics.
Eval plan:
- IV: Presence of Qi Gong practice (active vs. inactive sessions).
- DV: Whether the poker chips fall over.
- Tasks:
- Assemble measurement tools for wind, electromagnetic waves, sound frequency, and air pressure.
- Set up by an independent party.
- Ensure participants follow the procedure of staying silent and not moving their feet.
- Threats:
- Small sample size due to limited number of practitioners.
- Ensuring a controlled environment to minimize external influences.
- Potential biases or inaccuracies in measurement tools and methods.
- Participant non-compliance or inadvertent cues during the experiment.