Entre o Cérebro e o Sentido: Neurociência da Espiritualidade e Autoconhecimento nas Ciências Humanas
COGNITIONIS Scientific Journal March 5, 2026 Rômulo Terminelis da Silva, Luana Flores de Oliveira
A interface between spirituality and neuroscience has become a transdisciplinary field that illuminates processes of self-awareness, self-reference, and meaning-making without reducing human experience to isolated brain locations. This integrative literature review analyzes how neural networks associated with the self and social cognition support spiritual experiences and contribute to self-knowledge in the humanities. Findings converge on the role of the default mode network (DMN) and midline cortical structures in self-reference, as well as the mediation of salience and executive control networks in attentional and emotional regulation during contemplative practices. Evidence also indicates that trust and bonding (e.g.