A Candidate EEG Spectral Index of Internally Oriented Attention: An Exploratory Comparison of Prayer and Relaxation

Higher scores on an EEG-derived Transcendence Index were associated with oscillatory patterns consistent with internally oriented attention and reflective self-processing, particularly in theta–alpha dynamics with lower beta contribution. In a within-subject design with 39 participants, prayer and relaxation showed descriptively distinct oscillatory patterns, suggesting prayer engages internal-focus processes not fully captured by relaxation alone. The findings are exploratory and support the feasibility of using scalp EEG spectral activity to examine candidate internally oriented attentional dynamics potentially related to transcendence.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Background: Self-transcendence has been described in psychological literature as an orientation toward meaning beyond the individual self. However, because the present study does not directly measure transcendence as a psychological construct, we approach it cautiously as a candidate form of internally oriented attention, operationalized through EEG spectral dynamics. Although this construct has been linked to self-referential cognition and large-scale brain systems supporting internal mentation, electrophysiological evidence remains limited, especially in designs that compare spiritually oriented practices with non-spiritual internal-focus controls. Objective: We examined whether a candidate EEG-derived Transcendence Index (TI) is associated with EEG oscillatory activity across canonical frequency bands and whether prayer and relaxation show descriptively distinct oscillatory patterns. Methods: In a within-subject design, participants completed a psychological assessment battery including personality and anxiety measures and underwent EEG recording during two eyes-closed conditions (Prayer vs. Relaxation). Spectral power features were extracted for delta, theta, alpha (low/high), beta (low/high), and gamma (low/high, where signal quality permitted). We examined associations between TI and band-limited activity and explored condition-related oscillatory patterns across Prayer and Relaxation. Given the modest sample size (N = 39), the study was designed and interpreted as exploratory research. Results: Higher TI was associated with an oscillatory profile consistent with internally oriented attention and reflective self-processing, with the most consistent patterns observed in theta–alpha dynamics (and comparatively lower beta contribution). In addition, Prayer and Relaxation showed descriptively distinct oscillatory patterns, suggesting that prayer engages internal-focus processes that may not be fully captured by relaxation alone. Conclusions: These findings support the feasibility of examining internally oriented attentional dynamics potentially related to “transcendence” as a candidate construct through scalp EEG spectral activity. Integrating theory-informed indices with EEG features may help refine psychophysiological models of self-transcendence and inform digitally supported assessment approaches, pending further construct validation. These findings should therefore be interpreted as exploratory preliminary evidence supporting the feasibility of EEG-based indices of internally oriented attention.