When Something Holy Brushes Past the Soul (and the Nervous System Notices)

This episode explores what happens in the brain and body when something holy brushes past the soul—and why witnessing moral beauty may be one of the most regulating experiences we have.

An interaction with another, observed or experienced

A story on the news

A good book, a movie, a tv show, even a commercial

Have you ever felt unexpectedly moved by an act of kindness—your chest warm, your breath slower, your heart a little more open? That experience has a name: moral elevation.

In this episode, we explore the cognitive science behind moral elevation—the emotion we experience when we witness moral beauty—and why it can be deeply regulating for the nervous system. Drawing from neuroscience, psychology, Scripture, and cultural examples like the Olympics and Call the Midwife, we look at how goodness restores hope, widens perspective, and gently shifts us out of survival mode.

You’ll also hear why reading fiction strengthens empathy and moral imagination—and how intentionally exposing yourself to stories of goodness can change how you live, lead, and care.

We’ll close with reflective coaching questions and an invitation to connect in whatever way feels right for you.

✨ Listen in if you’re feeling tired, cynical, or disconnected—and ready to remember who you really are. Listen if you want to ground yourself in the beauty you see all around you.

Transcript

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Have you ever had one of those moments where something just gets you, maybe you're watching a clip, reading a story. It could even be a television commercial, seeing someone do something unexpectedly kind, and suddenly you feel that warmth in your chest. maybe you catch your breath, maybe it slows a little bit, maybe even tear up a little bit and you don't. Totally know why. Nothing dramatic happened to you, but something inside you shifted and that experience actually does have a name. And once you know it, you start seeing it everywhere. Researchers call this moral elevation. And moral elevation is what happens when we witness moral beauty, real acts of goodness, and courage and compassion and integrity. It's not perfection. It's not heroics for applause. And it's not just people choosing love when it would be easier not to. And here's the wild part, is that your brain and nervous system respond to that kind of goodness as if it's regulating you. Before we get into the science, I just wanna start with where this originated in me and where this really re started resonating with me. And that's, in a, a book I read decades ago called Windows of the Soul by Ken Geier. Gaia writes about those moments when something holy just brushes past the soul when beauty and goodness breaks through ordinary life and leaves us quietly changed, and that phrase brushes past the soul. I'm not sure if that's in the book or somewhere else. I read that stuck, but it feels exactly right because we've all had moments like that, right? Moments that don't shout at us, they don't demand action. Like I said, sometimes we're watching something that the moment doesn't, match the response and we might feel a little silly. And so it's doesn't always show up in the opportune moments, but They just stop us in our tracks. Ken Geier does say in his book, the Windows of the Soul, that there is something beyond the surface of everyday events of our lives and something beyond the surface of the lives of everyday people. We pass by. sometime or another we have all seen it or at least sensed it and we can't put our finger on it, but it puts its finger on us, tapping us on the shoulder, urging us to stop and look and listen to what God might be saying to us through them. God speaks in through many things That's what I wanna talk about today. How many of those moments are you noticing and allowing to into your life? And how many of those moments are we missing because we are, have the expectations of others on our minds or, time pressures? Maybe we're, we're too busy trying to get things done or to stop and really notice what's going on. Let's talk a little bit about the science of what this is. Cognitive science actually has the name for this experience, moral elevation. So what Moral elevation is just in plain language. It's what happens when we witness moral beauty, those acts of kindness, courage, compassion, integrity. Again, not perfection, not performance. Just humans choosing love when it would be easier not to. Now, maybe you watch the Olympics these past couple weeks, and maybe you haven't. But for me, noticing the response and the reactions of the athletes hearing their stories is where the meaning really happens. It's like connecting with their human story and seeing their responses, seeing their joy and their disappointment, and the way they respond to that. It's really inspiring When the community comes around, someone who just fell on the ice, or when a gold medal winner celebrates with the bronze medal winner and puts that feeling that that celebration first elevates that celebration. Those are the beautiful moments, and there's something in those that just helps us choose love when it would be easier or not to. Research on moral elevation also points out that when we witness these moments, and not just the emotional moments, but all of the work and the dedication when we see people work really hard and, When we see them really put themselves on the line, when we hear people, speak up or do something that we think required some bravery, don't you just wonder what you are capable of? I think we're more apt to then go do some of the things that require our own courage. We gain that courage, we gain that bravery and that inspiration. So when I say we're inspired by it, that's what I mean research says that we are more likely to then go do the things that require, courage on our part to do the things, to take action and to be brave and to be more loving, and to put ourselves out there. And here's the fascinating part is again, your brain and your nervous system respond to that kind of goodness as if it's regulating you. When you have pictures in your mind and you experience a story, even if it's not your experience or your story, when you really al allow that in and you observe that and you have those feelings, your brain doesn't know the difference between it happening to you and it happening to them. And so in essence, it is happening to you. It's regulating you. Research shows that moral elevation is associated with a calming parasympathetic response, increased oxytocin, which is that hormone that helps us with connection and trust. It also reduces stress and inflammation. it gives us that natural desire to be kinder and braver and more generous. So goodness doesn't just inspire us. It literally helps our bodies feel safer. So this is also why what we choose to read and what we choose to watch matters because it matters to our health. It, matters to our mental health and emotions, and it feeds our brain with what it needs to keep us safe. It literally helps our bodies feel safer. So think about the last time that you felt this, maybe you were watching the Olympics, and not just, like I said, gold medals, but the memories or the moments that athletes stop to help a competitor. Someone finishes last and the crowd rises anyway. Those moments hit differently. Right now my husband and I are watching Call The Midwife. And in this show it's just one story after another where people keep showing up for each other in quiet, sacrificial ways. No spotlight, no reward, just love. And sometimes it's not repaid with love and they show up anyway and they do it again and again. Your nervous system recognizes truth when it sees it, and this is why I'm off. I'm frequently brought to tears during the show and I've. Actually am, six or seven seasons in. And I, have said before, like, I wanna go live at an anest house. I want to maybe, I wanna be a midwife, but I've certainly questioned what I'm doing with my vocation. Because of this show, my nervous system is recognizing the truth when it sees it. And that's not really, I think benching on Netflix is, we've talked about that before as being escapism or numbing and using that as a buffer to other things. So sometimes that's true. And sometimes it's not escapism, it's remembrance. It's actually connecting with those windows of the soul. Since I read that book decades ago, like I said, I have viewed. Shows and moments and interactions, even people watching through this lens, like, what could God be showing me in what I'm seeing or what I'm hearing, what I'm experiencing? And it makes all the difference as long as I'm quiet enough to pick it up, I'm not focused on what I'm doing. Ken Geier emphasizes in this book how we could just easily miss these moments by, getting too distracted with the point we're making to remember who we're making it to, to get so distracted with the task, to remember why we're doing who we're doing it for, to get so distracted. For me as a nurse, to get so distracted with the work that I'm doing to forget who I'm doing it for or who I'm serving, and that makes all the difference. When we're burned out, overwhelmed or stuck in survival mode, the brain narrows and we start scanning for threat. We brace, we protect. I notice it when I start to get really cynical. that's probably how I protect myself. I get more like nothing's ever gonna change. usually it will come out in some sarcastic comments, and then I know that maybe I won't change that behavior. but I do need to notice it because I do know it's one of my tells. This is when my focus has shifted off what it needs to be on instead of really tapping into the principles of moral elevation.'cause moral elevation does just the opposite. It widens us. It gently tells the brain that there is goodness here, there are still people who choose love. That you are not foolish for caring. And this is so important when you do things for other people, when you care for other people. When you sacrifice for other people and you don't feel like it's reciprocated, that is not on you. You are not foolish for caring. So the reminder, that reminder alone can change how you show up for the rest of your day, right? You've all been there. I know that I have, I get one interaction with an ungrateful. Patient or a family member who is, not grateful for the care or maybe just all out mean or rude about, that as I'm there caring for their loved one for maybe no reason at all. Maybe it's just they're ignoring me and refusing to answer my questions. Maybe they're just being disrespectful, That and that alone can change the rest of the day for me if I don't tap into moral elevation or some kind of way to just keep myself focused and looking for these windows. Neuroscientists have shared how reading fiction also strengthens empathy and moral imagination. So sometimes our turnaround is not that difficult and sometimes we can find that in one of the things that we would normally think of as being distraction or a waste of time, or an indulgence. So reading a book, watching a show, especially like Call the Midwife, because stories give us that safe place to practice being human. And I think that's why I really love to read and I really like to read things that people I know have enjoyed. So often I will read a book just because somebody else That I know is reading it or has read it and really enjoyed it because if nothing else, I might learn something about my friend. regardless. Stories give us a safe place to practice being human. They let us feel compassion without overwhelm, courage without the immediate risk, hope without denial. I've heard people who enjoy horror stories. say that they can also then experience fear without the danger involved. Now, when you read a meaningful novel or watch a story rooted in goodness, your brain is quietly rehearsing who you might become. Again, another reason for us to choose wisely what we watch and what we take in, what we spend our time on. That's one reason that scripture teaches us through story and not instruction. The verse still resonates so deeply. Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely. Think about such things. I remind myself about this and I think one of my alarms on my phone reminds me of this in the middle of the afternoon. I was using that for a long time. Probably may need to turn it on more frequently. and that's not pretending the world isn't hard. That's training our attention. You've all heard it probably said where your attention goes, energy flows and attention shapes. The nervous system. And the nervous system shapes how we live. Many of us can get caught in the cycle of thinking that we need more discipline, more effort, more fixing. I need to change this, I need to do that. I should work on this. All of those messages that we give ourselves and we beat ourselves up with, sometimes we even beating ourselves up with self-care tools. I need to breathe more. I need to practice meditation and mindfulness more. I need to journal more, I should pray more. All of those things That we tell ourselves, we can even put more pressure on us. But what if we don't need to push harder? What we actually need is a reorientation. What if letting yourself witness goodness on purpose is an indulgent, but it's necessary. There's lots of research on moral elevation and moral elevation does not ask you to do anything more. It simply reminds you who you already are. Now I'm gonna throw out some questions for you to take with you, today and just really reflect on when was the last time that you witnessed moral beauty and what happens in your body when you let yourself stay there and linger there and dwell on that. What stories or shows or books or people reliably. Elevate you? What are the triggers for that moral elevation that you've experienced? How could you make a little more room for it this week and What would one small act of moral beauty look like in your own life right now? These are things to just get curious about. There's no pressure here. Even if you answer one of those questions or just to think about that or notice, notice the beauty around you. If this conversation resonates, I'd love to stay connected with you. whatever way feels right, you can sign up for the newsletter, get this in your inbox every week with additional tips, and I go a little deeper on the science. Share this episode with someone who needs it. Leave me a message. These are all things you can access easily and just scroll down wherever you're listening to this and click the link. Reach out when you feel ready to talk. I offer a 20 minute conversation. No fixing, no forcing, just clarity and support. You don't have to say yes to everything. Just the next honest, yes. as you go this week, may you notice goodness more quickly than fear may your nervous system soften when you witness love. And may you remember your tenderness is strength, not weakness. And as you move back into your life this week, may you default to yes, your extraordinary self.