In the first blog we have covered What is Spiritual Quotient (SQ)? The Ultimate Intelligence, in second we delve into the Crisis of Meaning(purposer) and Why SQ is necessary in today’s world. In this blog we will cover the Science of SQ.
SQ may sound abstract, but neuroscience provides compelling evidence that it is real.
Three Kinds of Thinking
The brain supports three distinct modes of thinking:
- Serial thinking (IQ): Linear, step-by-step reasoning, like solving math problems.
- Associative thinking (EQ): Pattern recognition and emotional learning, like recognizing a face or learning to ride a bike.
- Unitive thinking (SQ): Integrative, creative, and meaning-making. This is what allows us to invent, to see the bigger picture, and to experience wholeness.
While computers can do serial and associative thinking, they cannot do unitive thinking. That is uniquely human.
The 40 Hz Mystery
Neuroscientists have long wondered how the brain binds together countless inputs into a single coherent experience. The answer may lie in 40 Hz synchronous oscillations, brain rhythms observed in people meditating or dreaming.
These oscillations are absent in coma or deep anesthesia, but present in states of awareness. Some researchers suggest they may be a neural basis for consciousness itself—and possibly a link to a universal proto-consciousness. If true, SQ would not just be brain-based but also rooted in the very fabric of reality.
The “God Spot”
Another discovery comes from the temporal lobes of the brain. Stimulating this area can trigger profound spiritual experiences—a sense of presence, visions, or mystical states. Epileptics with seizures in this region often report such experiences.
This doesn’t mean God is “just in the brain.” Instead, it suggests that the brain has evolved mechanisms to connect with the transcendent. Interestingly, the same brain activity links spirituality with creativity—and sometimes with madness. Many artists and intellectuals with heightened temporal lobe activity report visionary experiences, though also a vulnerability to instability.
The Lotus of the Self
Zohar visualizes the self as a lotus flower:
- Outer petals (IQ): Rational, ego-based personality types.
- Inner petals (EQ): The associative unconscious, emotions, archetypes.
- The central bud (SQ): The unifying centre, where 40 Hz oscillations bind the self into wholeness.
There are six major personality types (Conventional, Social, Investigative, Artistic, Realistic, Enterprising). People with high SQ integrate traits from multiple types, while low SQ can make each type distorted—fanatic, depressive, paranoid, or obsessive.
Healing Through SQ
Spiritual illness is fragmentation; spiritual health is wholeness. SQ heals by recollection—remembering and unifying the self. Every time we ask “Why?”, every time we are moved by beauty, prayer, or truth, we use SQ to reconnect with our deepest centre.
In practical terms, Zohar outlines six spiritual paths—duty, nurturing, knowledge, transformation, brotherhood, and servant leadership. Each is valid, and together they lead to the centre and back into the world.
Living With SQ
Modern culture encourages consumerism, surface desires, and distraction. Cultivating SQ means pausing, reflecting, and reconnecting. Practices like meditation, poetry, walking in nature, or journaling help us listen to our inner lives.
Ultimately, SQ is our compass at the edge—standing between chaos and order, fear and creativity. Like a tightrope walker, we risk falling, but the journey itself brings depth, healing, and meaning.
