Neuroscience is one of the most important and intriguing disciplines in medicine today, and innovation in neuroscience is not just evolutionary but revolutionary.

The quest to understand and optimize the human brain stretches back thousands of years. From philosophers and shamans to physicians and neuroscientists, there is a rich history of inquiry into consciousness, spirituality, brain stimulation, health, and the interwoven relationship of body, mind, spirit, and soul.

A cancer diagnosis is a trip wire, forcing patients and their families into what often feels like a never-ending existential crisis. As an orthopedic oncologist and surgeon, I have treated over 10,000 patients, and as a physician-philosopher, I have witnessed the power of empathy in driving positive outcomes.

From ancient shamans to modern neuroscientists, humans have long grappled with the nature of consciousness, spirituality, and the essence of what makes us who we are. Science continues to make tremendous headway in understanding and guiding the brain’s complex machinery. Our role as healers calls us to build emotional strength and deep empathy in service to treating the whole patient, the whole human, and their families.

The brain is mysterious and surprising, and empathy itself can be measured through neuroscientific feedback technologies that assess electrical activity, including neurons, synapses, and the functioning of a healthy brain, as well as changes that may require neurosurgery or non-invasive treatments.

Can the intangible mind, spirit, and soul be mapped against the physical structures of the human body and brain?

I recently discovered Vital Neuro and, earlier this year, worked with Dr. Kamran Fallahpour, Founder and Chief Science Officer of Vital Neuro, as well as Founder and Director of the Brain Resource Center in New York, to gain a deeper understanding of my own brain through more than thirty years of research and practice.

Advances in brain imaging now enable researchers to visualize the inner workings of the brains of individuals engaged in intellectual, creative, and spiritual pursuits. With the Vital Neuro platform, the brain can be retrained through innovative neurofeedback technology, delivered via a specialized headset and mobile application that adapts to brain activity in real-time.

Since my initial deep-dive assessment with Dr. Fallahpour, I have been improving my neuroplasticity almost daily, using highly innovative, AI-enriched personalized audio that allows me to shift my state instantly. This technology enhances mental performance and well-being by integrating responsive music and video, produced by Dr. Fallahpour, amplifying traditional focus and relaxation techniques with proven science.

Vital Neuro’s closed-loop neuroresponsive system ensures comprehensive monitoring of crucial brain areas, improving the accuracy and effectiveness of real-time feedback. Backed by decades of neuroscience from Dr. Fallahpour and his team, the headset’s sensors capture and analyze brain activity in a closed loop. The technology shapes mental states with adaptive music, also developed under Dr. Fallahpour’s guidance, leading users into the optimal zone for peak cognitive performance.

Vital Neuro’s approach is not only about reducing symptoms but also about creating lasting resilience, helping the brain learn to interpret everyday signals more calmly and easing pain, fatigue, and anxiety. The system is designed to become a daily habit, already embraced by many of the world’s most successful people, offering a simple yet powerful way to enhance mental health and well-being.

More studies are now being published on new frontiers in brain fitness and neuroplasticity, including the relationship between meditation and prayer, which are proven to activate specific brain regions. The prefrontal cortex, which is involved in attention and self-awareness, often exhibits increased activity during prayer and relaxation. At the same time, the parietal lobe, which helps humans navigate their physical environment, tends to quiet down. Imaging and AI tracking of neural patterns validate what those who meditate and pray regularly experience as an expanded consciousness.

Research on the Default Mode Network (DMN)

The term “default mode network” (DMN) was first proposed by Raichle in 2001 to describe a constellation of brain areas showing reduced activity during attention-demanding, externally oriented tasks. Since then, the DMN has become a major focus of research. It is now seen as reflecting the brain’s intrinsic activity, including resting states and abstract cognition such as self-referential thought, memory, and future planning (Davey, Pujol, and Harrison, 2016; Smallwood et al., 2021).

The DMN is a set of interconnected regions that activate when the brain is not focused on the external world. It plays a significant role in abstract thought, including empathy and spirituality. Studies show that meditation and prayer alter DMN activity, moving away from ego toward a sense of unity with the universe.

The theory of dualism holds that mind, spirit, and soul are separate from the physical body, fundamentally different in nature.

Monism offers the opposite polarity, suggesting that the soul and brain are not separate but two aspects of the same underlying reality. Some schools of thought view consciousness (often linked with the soul) as a fundamental property of the universe, particles, mass, photons, and electricity. Another perspective holds that consciousness emerges from complex brain processes. A third, emergent theory suggests that the soul, our experience of consciousness, is an emergent property of brain function, bridging the gap between physical processes and subjective experience, including mind, spirit, and soul. According to this view, such experiences can be adapted and improved through innovations in neuroscience, such as those offered by Vital Neuro.

Our brains shape our spiritual experiences, and brain science can contribute to leading a more spiritually and mystically fulfilling life.

In my own experience, and in my continual quest for self-improvement, body, mind, spirit, and soul. I recognize a deeply intertwined relationship between my spiritual life, which includes daily prayer and meditation, and my neurological health. We are each unique, like snowflakes in the billions. There are no simple categorizations or explanations, but what is clear to me is that empathy is an emotional state that can be cultivated when we invest in our human experience, harnessing innovations that help us become more aware healers, both as physicians and as human beings. I will continue to explore and write about the connection of body, mind, spirit, and soul, and how understanding these interplays, while tapping into neuroscientific innovations like Vital Neuro, can help my patients when my care for them is both physical and spiritual, with empathy always at the forefront.

Originally published on Empathy Innovations Foundation.