Selflessness as the Neuropsychological Foundation of Spiritual Transcendence
Brick Johnstone, Daniel Cohen, Andrew Dennison
March 31, 2026 DOI: 10.4324/9781003158189-3 (opens in new tab) via OpenAlex
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractSpiritual experiences can be understood as neuropsychological processes that reduce the sense of self (selflessness) and lead to spiritual transcendence. A longitudinal fMRI study of individuals with acquired brain injury or multiple sclerosis found that decreased functioning of the right inferior parietal lobule (RIPL) correlated with greater reported selflessness and higher measures of spiritual transcendence. Declines in RIPL performance over time predicted subsequent increases in selflessness and were also linked to enhanced transcendent experiences.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Longitudinal fMRI study |
|---|---|
| Population | Individuals with acquired brain injury or multiple sclerosis |
| Keywords | Neuropsychology Foundation evidence Transcendence philosophy Longitudinal data Theism |
| Key finding | Decreased right inferior parietal lobule functioning correlated with greater selflessness and higher spiritual transcendence, and declines in RIPL performance over time predicted subsequent increases in selflessness and enhanced transcendent experiences. |
Abstract
This chapter describes results obtained from our Shirley Ryan AbilityLab/JTF funded study, A Longitudinal fMRI Study of Theistic Relational Processing in Individuals with Neurologic Dysfunction, which demonstrated that spiritual experiences can be conceptualized in terms of neuropsychological processes minimizing the sense of self (i.e., selflessness), and can also lead to experiences of spiritual transcendence. The research interconnects selflessness with transcendent experiences and shows both phenomena related to the functioning of the right inferior parietal lobule (RIPL). Data collected from individuals with acquired brain injury or multiple sclerosis indicated that decreased RIPL functioning correlated with greater reported selflessness and higher measures of spiritual transcendence. Additionally, longitudinal data revealed that declines in RIPL performance over time predicted subsequent increases in selflessness, and were also connected with enhanced experiences of transcendence.