A network for self-transcendence derived from patients with brain lesions

Self-transcendence—the reorientation of experience away from the self toward others, nature, or broader meaning—is a fundamental aspect of human psychology, yet its causal neural architecture has remained poorly understood. In this study, we applied lesion network mapping to 88 neurosurgical patients who underwent pre- and post-operative assessments of trait self-transcendence. The identified network showed significant spatial correspondence with the default mode network and, at a finer level, with frontoparietal control subnetworks. Posterior midline regions were identified as the most stable correlates of increased self-transcendence, acting as a functional brake on transcendent experience, while brainstem and anterior midline regions were found to facilitate self-transcendent experience. These findings provide causal evidence for a specific network architecture in the human brain organized around the capacity to move beyond the self, which was further validated against fMRI meta-analyses of self-referential processing, compassion, ketamine administration, and neuromodulation targets.