A Candidate EEG Spectral Index of Internally Oriented Attention: An Exploratory Comparison of Prayer and Relaxation
Cristian Manea, Corina Costache Colareza, Dana Rad, Mușata-Dacia Bocoș, Teofil Panc, Mona Bădoi-Hammami, Gheorghe Mihai Banariu
Brain Sciences March 14, 2026 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci16030311 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Within-subject design Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 39 |
| Interventions | Prayer Relaxation |
| Topics | Anxiety |
| Keywords | Electroencephalography Prayer Relaxation psychology Orientation vector space Personality Transcendence philosophy Beta rhythm Cognitive psychology Cognition Developmental psychology Exploratory research Spectral density Operationalization |
| Key points | Higher Transcendence Index was associated with theta–alpha dynamics and lower beta contribution, and prayer and relaxation showed descriptively distinct oscillatory patterns. |
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.