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Psychiatrists' EEG-informed study of self-transcendence in empathic listening assessments: Towards spiritual-psychiatry pedagogy
Abstract   Open access

Psychiatrists' EEG-informed study of self-transcendence in empathic listening assessments: Towards spiritual-psychiatry pedagogy

Parameswaran Ramakrishnan
Indian journal of psychiatry, v 68(Suppl 1), pp S181-S181
01 Jan 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4103/indianjpsychiatry_59_26
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https://doi.org/10.4103/indianjpsychiatry_59_26View
Published, Version of Record (VoR)CC BY-NC-SA V4.0,  Open

Abstract

Conferences and conventions Conferences, meetings and seminars Crisis intervention (Psychiatry) Evidence-based medicine Medical colleges Patient compliance Social aspects Public Health
Background: Empathic listening (EL) assessments in psychiatry and chaplaincy are believed to induce self-transcendent experiences. However, neuroscientific studies of it are sparse. Aim: To report a methodology for electroencephalogram-based objective correlations of self-transcendent experiences among care providers (psychiatrists and chaplains) and their care recipients during empathic listening assessments. Methodology: Nine participants (2 EL-trained clinicians, a psychiatrist and a chaplain, and 7 untrained students: 4 medical, 3 theological) engaged in empathic listening across 12 dyads. Trained providers led six intervention dyads; untrained student-led dyads served as controls in the remaining six. Sessions averaged 34.3 minutes (SD = 4.25). Pre-/post-session wellness was measured using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS). EEG data (Delta-Gamma bands) were recorded via Muse® headsets during all sessions. Qualitative data were analyzed using autoethnography and grounded theory. Results: EL in trained-provider dyads demonstrated the mindfulness-to-transcendence (MT) framework, characterized by sequential alpha-theta-gamma EEG activity. Gamma predominance, marking self-transcendence, correlated with self-reported awe and healing experiences. Gamma synchronization (with 0-1 minute lag), indicative of the we-modeor non-dual empathic state, was observed in all trained-dyads. Care recipients in the trained-dyads showed significantly higher post-session VAS well-being scores (p < 0.001) compared to controls. Control-dyads lacked sustained gamma activity and neural synchrony, paralleling muted subjective experiences. Conclusion: Portable EEG devices offer a viable method for the evidence-based study of self-transcendence and its healing in EL assessments in psychiatry and chaplaincy. EEG correlates demonstrating connectedness, empathy, and transcendence supports an evidence-based approach to spiritually informed psychiatric assessment and care.

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