Where is God? A comparison of the neural correlates of mystical and religious praying
bioRxiv Preprint Server February 22, 2026 Sergio Elías Hernández, Katya Rubia, Oscar Perez-Diaz et al. preprint
Praying to a God perceived as immanent (inside oneself) versus transcendent (outside oneself) activates different brain regions. In a comparison of brain scans, Christians praying to a transcendent God showed thalamus activation, whereas practitioners of Sahaja Yoga Meditation praying to an immanent God showed thalamus deactivation. The thalamus relays sensory information, so its deactivation during immanent prayer likely reflects reduced attention to external stimuli to focus inward, while its activation during transcendent prayer may support a perceived dialogue with an external divine presence.