The Psychology of the Chakra System

By Gail W. Testa, Ph.D.

The Chakra System is an ancient belief system, which says that we have seven major energy centers, or Chakras, in our bodies.  The word Chakra means wheel or disk and the Chakras in our bodies are spinning disks of bioenergetic activity. 

Each of the seven major Chakras develop at various stages of our own growth and development and they supply us with the energy we need to function in various situations in life.  These energy centers can be damaged either in our early development, or later in life through circumstances or trauma. As a result, the energy in these centers may learn to respond by either becoming deficient or excessive.  A deficient Chakra will not have the energy needed to respond to a situation appropriately.  An excessive Chakra will have too much energy and may also handle a situation inappropriately.

The first Chakra is located at the base of our spine and is known as the “root” Chakra and helps us with issues of security and survival.  This is what we feel when we talk about being “grounded”.  It’s where we draw strength and security and corresponds to our early development.  If we were nourished as a young baby and had our emotional and physical needs met, this Chakra will be developed and can support us through our life.  If however, during this early stage of development we experienced a deficiency in meeting these needs, either through neglect, an illness of some sort, death of a parent, etc., or due to a trauma experienced later in life, we may have problems in our life revolving around issues of security.  Physically, frequent illnesses and eating disorders can be manifested as an imbalance in this Chakra.

The second Chakra is found in the abdomen and corresponds to our emotions, desires, and sexuality.  When this Chakra has been developed fully we are secure in our sexuality and balanced emotionally.  This Chakra can be damaged through sexual or physical abuse, or religious or moral severity.  A person suffering from an imbalance in this Chakra may become very cold emotionally as a result of a deficiency of energy in this Chakra, or could become highly emotional because of an excess of energy in this Chakra.  Physically, problems such as menstrual difficulties, low back pain, or lack of flexibility can all be indications of problems associated with this Chakra.

The third Chakra is located in the solar plexus.  This Chakra corresponds to our will, our determination, and our fears.  The development of this Chakra corresponds to that period in our life known as the terrible twos.  If we were allowed to have a healthy development of this Chakra, then we will feel comfortable exerting our will.  We will have a balanced will, being strong in our opinions, but not having a need to overpower others.  If the development of this Chakra is not supported by understanding parents who accept the need for a child to express his or her will, then later in life we can feel uncertain or scared to express ourselves.   This can affect how we feel about ourselves, and it can affect our relationships with others.  Weight problems, stomach problems, and digestive disorders can be manifested due to an imbalance in this Chakra.

The fourth Chakra is located in the heart.  The energy of this Chakra is expressed through our feelings of love and our relationships.  The energy of this Chakra can be damaged in childhood by parents who are unaffectionate or through rejection or abandonment, or in adulthood as a result of a bad relationship.  An imbalance in this Chakra may be expressed by an individual who is very clingy or demanding in a relationship (too much energy) or by someone who withdrawals and is afraid of intimacy (too little energy).  Physically, imbalances in this Chakra could present themselves as problems in the heart, lungs, thymus, breasts, or arms.

The fifth Chakra is located in our throat.  The energy of this Chakra is expressed in our communication and our creativity.  This Chakra can be damaged in development when we are told not to speak or to express ourselves.  Comments such as “don’t speak to me that way” or “we don’t talk about things like that” teach children to suppress the energy of this Chakra.  An imbalance in this Chakra is expressed by the person that either talks too much (excessive energy) or the person who has an unnatural fear of speaking (deficient energy).  People who have an imbalance in the fifth Chakra may be poor listeners, have trouble verbalizing their feelings or be prone to sore throats and problems with the neck and shoulders.

The sixth Chakra is located between the eyes in the area often referred to as the “third eye.”  This Chakra is related to our intuition and our imagination.  This Chakra can be damaged when we are told that what we see is not real as in “daddy doesn’t have a drinking problem” or other situations that obviously conflict with what the child sees.  Problems in this Chakra can be expressed emotionally through poor memory, difficulty concentrating, or nightmares, and physically in vision problems or headaches.

And finally, the seventh Chakra is located at the crown of the head.  This Chakra relates to consciousness and awareness.  When fully developed, this Chakra brings us wisdom, knowledge, and a desire for spiritual growth.   Children who are not allowed to think for themselves or who have had religion forced on them will have trouble experiencing the energy of this Chakra fully.   Emotionally, we see problems in this Chakra manifested as depression, boredom, confusion or frustration, and physically as migraine headaches, amnesia, or even brain tumors. 

Now, obviously, all of us have not grown up in a perfect world with perfect parents who supported us fully in every way during every stage of our development.  Nor have we all had perfect lives where we never experienced any trauma or heartbreak.  As a result, many of us have problems or blocks or imbalances in our energy that result in insecurities, relationship problems, emotional problems, or are manifested as physical problems in our body.  Understanding the root of these problems and then working to balance or redirect the energy as needed is the first step in overcoming these problems. 

Talk therapy can be very helpful in understanding these problems, but talking alone cannot alleviate tension in the body or address health problems. Bodywork can help reduce or eliminate tension, but bodywork alone does not bring the information into consciousness, allowing the mind to implement the changes needed to result in permanent improvements in our health. 

The body and the mind must work together.  Memories are stored both physically and mentally in the body.  The body often recovers memories that our minds have cut off, as body workers often see when working on a client.  As it is not enough to just understand the problem without taking action, it’s also not enough to just discharge energy or take action without understanding.  It’s important to integrate both the mind and the body in order to bring about real change in one’s life.

Mind-body therapies work together to do just this.  They link our psychological problems to the experience of the body and link our physical problems to the experience of the psyche, allowing us to be fully present, active and aware.  Energy is the interface between the mind and the body that makes this possible.  Our minds may know how to act in a certain situation, but without energy, our minds cannot communicate this information to our bodies.  This energy plays a significant role in how we see ourselves and others around us and how we react to everyday situations.  By understanding this energy and how we respond to it, we can learn to improve our emotions, our relationships, and our health.

So let’s take a look at what may block a Chakra and how that may affect you.  As mentioned, things such as childhood trauma, cultural conditioning, belief systems, injuries and traumas, or simply lack of attention could all result in imbalances in the Chakras.  As a result, we develop coping strategies, or patterns of behavior, to cope with these imbalances.  These behavior patters then create holding patterns in the body that restrict the free flow of energy and can cause tension and physical problems.  This tension can manifest itself in the body either through an excess or a deficiency of energy in one or more Chakras.  This can then affect our posture, breathing, metabolism, emotional or physical health, perceptions, beliefs, etc.  As a result, small fears can grow into major phobias limiting our freedom or affecting our health. 

By understanding the dynamics of the Chakra system and how the energy works in the body, we learn to recognize this excess or deficient energy in the body and then allow specific exercises and therapy bring the energy in the body back to balance.   This may include exercises such as body movements and physical exercises or yoga to address the physical (body) along with understanding and talk therapy to address the emotional (mind).  As a result, the unconscious messages can then be brought to awareness and the body can be released from the negative effects of these messages.  Tension or physical problems are then free to dissolve as the energy finds new and healthier pathways.