Synchronicity and the Brain: The Science Behind Spiritual Signs

Have you ever wondered whether the “signs” you notice — a feather on your windshield, a song lyric that speaks directly to something you've been thinking about — are just coincidences, or something more?

In this episode, Tatiana explores the fascinating intersection of neuroscience, psychology, and spirituality to ask: are spiritual signs real, and if so, how do we make sense of them?

Drawing on neuroscience research — including insights from Dr. Tara Swart’s work on the brain’s meaning-making systems — Tatiana explores how our minds are wired to notice and interpret patterns. She then takes the conversation further, weaving in psychology, spirituality, and lived experience to reveal a bigger truth: perhaps spirit and science were never separate to begin with.

You’ll learn:

• Why the brain is designed to notice patterns and symbols.
• How neuroscience and spirituality can both explain (and enrich) our experiences of signs.
• Two personal stories that illustrate how signs can guide us through uncertainty and difficulty.
• Gentle reflection prompts to help you notice your own symbolic language.

✨ Reflection Prompts (for listeners who want to go deeper):

1. Recall a Sign: When was the last time you noticed something — a feather, a song, a number — that felt like more than coincidence? Write it down.
2. Body Awareness: How did your body feel in that moment? Did your shoulders drop? Did you feel warmth, expansion, or relief?
3. Reframing Challenge: The next time you face uncertainty, try asking: If the universe or my guides wanted to reassure me right now, how might they show up? Notice what unfolds in the hours or days ahead.

Deepen your learning:

The Science of Spirituality FREE micro-course - https://www.integratedwisdom.com.au/microcourse

The Signal Newsletter: https://www.integratedwisdom.com.au/

Contact Tatiana:

You can now send me your comments or questions, to hello@integratedwisdom.com.au or you can also find me on Instagram  https://www.instagram.com/wisdomwithtatiana/

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Intro and Outro music: Inspiring Morning by Playsound

Disclaimer: This podcast is intended for educational purposes only. It is not intended to be treated as psychological treatment or to replace the need for psychological treatment.

Transcript

Tatiana: 0:00

Welcome to the Integrated Wisdom Podcast. I am your host, Tatiana Ola, psychologist, spiritual educator, and founder of a body of work. Devote to lead others to remembering what we never truly forgot, that science and spirit were never separate. They are H in their RY. Expressions of the same sacred architecture. This podcast is for the quiet revolutionaries, the therapists, the seekers, the spiritually discerning and scientifically curious who know that we are being called into a new paradigm for personal and collective transformation. Together we explore what it means to live a coherent. Soul led life drawing from psychology, neuroscience, epigenetics, energy medicine, and spiritual remembrance. These aren't just conversations. They are transmissions for those ready to return to what's true, to what's quietly waiting beneath it. Hello everyone and welcome back to the Integrated Wisdom Podcast. Thank you so much for joining me today. So today I want to talk about something that sits right at the heart of my work, what happens when neuroscience meets spirit, and why the signs were always here. Recently I listened to neuroscientist Dr. Tara Swart on the Diary of a CEO podcast with Steven Bartlett, and she was asked some really profound spiritual questions and listening to her, got me reflecting on my own journey, me, because for me, this has been something that I've lived. It's something that I've taught and it's something that I've wrestled with. personally myself. And so I want to share. Some of that today along with what the neuroscience already shows us about why signs matter and how they can become a bridge between our inner guidance and navigating life. Firstly, I want to say this, it takes immense courage for any scientist or clinician to publicly acknowledge spiritual questions and experiences. Whilst we've made a lot of progress, we're still not there yet. There's still a lot of skepticism and pushback and, uh, a materialist mindset that in some ways still dominates the narrative. And so for Dr. Swart to step bravely forward to speak about her own experiences with spirit. has opened a door that I deeply respect and appreciate because it makes it so much easier for the rest of us to come forward and share our own experiences and insights when someone's so credible comes out and speaks about their own. And so here's where my perspective comes in. I don't believe spirituality and science were ever separate. They've always been describing the exact same sacred framework of life just through different languages. And I'll share a story to illustrate this. A few years ago I was wrestling with a decision that honestly terrified me. Some, those of you who have been following along this podcast will have heard me talk about the challenges I had moving into this work. But I felt this deep urge to speak more openly about spirituality and science for a really long time before I felt ready to do it, and to go beyond my clinical practice and step more fully into this space that didn't quite exist yet. Um, at least not in the way that it does now. And I kept asking myself, Who am I to do this? You know, what if I'm wrong? What if people think that I've lost it and I lose all credibility? Um, until one day you know, it was a day that I was really wrestling with these questions. Um, I was driving out of the clinic and these questions were front of mind for me and out of nowhere. A single large white feather landed directly on my windshield. Now, it didn't just float past, it actually wedged itself under the wiper blade of my windscreen wipers and forced me to stop my car because it was, you know, in front of me and get it out and hold it in my hands and in that moment. I just knew I had a full body reaction to this. This was confirmation. This was a sign that I was on the right path, even if it felt uncertain. And now scientifically speaking. Sure we can say, well, birds fly all the time. There are feathers everywhere. But it was the, the, the unique way in which this feather just appeared immediately in front of me wedged itself. And my windscreen wipe was one of the chances my car wasn't still, it was moving. Um, so already that kind of, you know, begs further. Further thought, like you don't wanna just dismiss something like that and what we know, scientifically speaking, is that our brain is constantly scanning for patterns. It's designed to do that. And what we can call signs are often arise through a process called salience detection. So it's the way that our brain will filter out billions of stimuli to highlight what feels personally meaningful. Our brain is always thought into, you know, what it should pay attention to and what it's safe to ignore. But research also shows that meaning making is a central aspect to human wellbeing. It's not irrational. Or magical thinking. It's actually a core function of the brain to create meaning out of chaos. And so while a feather on a windshield might seem random to somebody else, to me, in that particular moment of uncertainty, it became a profound marker of alignment. It was an answer that I needed to receive. Another example from my life. Is that whenever I'm going through a hard time, I tend to see moths. That sounds very weird. I don't even know why it's moths, but it's always moths. Um, and most of the time it's just the one. Sometimes it's two and you know it, it'll be on my wall at home. Sometimes it'll be at. My therapy rooms or somewhere in the practice, sometimes in the bathroom of the practice. That's actually happened a few times. Um, and more than once I have come, you know, to get into my car, to find one perch, either on the hood or on a window of my car. And over time, I've come to realize this is a personal sign for my guides, that I am protected, that I can keep going, that I'm not alone. Everything will be okay. And this is where spirit and science intersect, what neuroscience describes as pattern recognition. I describe as a sacred guidance speaking in the language of my nervous system. And here's where the research can help. Again, studies in psychology and neuroscience show that belief in signs or symbols can reduce stress and increase resilience. Spiritual narratives can have this soothing effect on our nervous system and deactivate several aspects of our brain that are involved in processes of rumination or feelings of overwhelm. There's also lots of research that demonstrates that the meaning that we assign to experiences can directly shape our physiology by lowering cortisol, calming our nervous system, and even improving health outcomes. And finally, from an evolutionary perspective, our brains are wired to see more than meets the eye. Because finding meaning often helps us survive uncertainty. And so my moth experiences aren't just comforting stories, they're ways of engaging with reality that shift my biology into a state of safety and hope. And so when Dr. Swartz said that we can train our brains to perceive more signs, she was pointing to something profound. She. And I would take it a step further that we don't just train our perception, we also train our trust. When we engage in practices like this, the more we allow ourselves to notice these moments, the more the brain and spirit collaborate to show us the path forward. What spirituality adds is the trust that these aren't just brain quirks. That meaning itself is part of the architecture of reality, that the universe is responsive, that we're in dialogue, not in isolation, and that is why the signs have always been here. Science is only now catching up to describe the mechanics. But humans across cultures and centuries have always looked to signs, to make sense of their, their experiences in the world, to feathers, to moths, to numbers, dreams, synchronicities. Not because we human beings are foolish, but because we were wise enough to know that life speaks if we're listening. So here's my takeaway. The signs were always here. Science explains how we see them, and spirit explains why they matter. And when we stop insisting that those two things are separate, we open ourselves up to the full depth of what it means to be human. And we arm ourselves with tools that help us navigate the challenges that we inevitably face in life. So let science explain the how, if that helps to ground you. But don't lose the wonder of the why, because sometimes what looks like random things that are happening, it's actually life saying to you. You're not alone. You're on that path. Keep going. And so before we finish, if you want to take this deeper, invite you to sit with some of these reflection prompts. When you take some time, if you want to pause, grab yourself a journal, sit down, or after you listen to this episode, jot down these these prompts, and then sit down somewhere that feels really serene and comforting and soothing for you, and work your way through some of these prompts to just help you embody and integrate what we've been talking about. So firstly, I want you to recall a sign that you yourself have experienced. So when was the last time that you noticed something, whether it was a feather or a song with a special, lyric, a number, something that felt like more than a coincidence. And when you can pinpoint what that was, write it down. And then I want to bring your awareness to your body, connecting with that moment. Can you remember how it felt in your body at that time? Did you feel warmth, expansion or relief? Or maybe you felt a heaviness or a drop in your shoulders? Just try to scan back and connect with anything that happened in your physical body in response to that sign. And once you've got that, I'm going to invite you. To now start paying attention to moments like this moving forward, the next time that you face a period of uncertainty, try asking, okay, if the universe or my guides wanted to reassure me right now, how might they show up? And notice what unfolds in the hours or days ahead. Dr. Swart actually in her book, the Signs that's just about to come out and in her interview was talking about asking for very specific signs. So you can play around with that and exercise that muscle. You know, make it unique. Make it something that's really meaningful to you, something that's going to not happen fairly readily to, so that when you, you come across it, it becomes very clear to you, yes, this is, this is for me, this is speaking to me. So I just wanna thank you for being here today, and if this conversation resonated, I'd love to share more with you. I, I've just recently dropped a free micro course called The Science of Spirituality. Where I break down some research back spiritual practices and showcase a little bit about what's, what the science is showing in terms of the role that spirituality plays in our life. all delivered in a bite-sized, easily digestible way that's grounded and accessible. You can find the, the course, the link. In the show notes or through my website on integrated wisdom.com au. And if you'd like more grounded tools and reflections like this, I share them in my monthly newsletter. The Signal, um, it's where I go on, I go a bit deeper into the intersection of psychology, spirituality, and science. And you can find the link into the show notes. In the show notes as well, or on my website. You can subscribe to the newsletter there. So as always, thank you so much for listening and for daring to live at the intersection of science and spirit. Until next time, stay discerning, stay curious, and remember, you are never disconnected. Only waiting to remember. Bye. Thank you for tuning into this episode of Integrated Wisdom. It is my sincere wish that this episode may have intrigued and inspired you to reclaim your power and step into becoming more fully integrated spiritual beings. New episodes are published every second Wednesday, and I hope that you'll continue to join us as we dive deeper into what it means to live an integrated life. If this space has stirred something in you, I invite you to subscribe, share it with those attuned to this path, and explore the full body of work@integratedwisdom.com au. You can also find me on Instagram at Wisdom with Tatiana, where the conversation continues. Until next time, stay discerning, stay curious, and let this be your reminder. You were never disconnected. Only waiting to remember.