The Default Mode Network (DMT)
The default mode network is a group of brain regions that seem to show lower levels of activity when we are engaged in a particular task like paying attention, but higher levels of activity when we are awake and not involved in any specific mental exercise.
It is during these times that we might be daydreaming, recalling memories, envisioning the future, monitoring the environment, thinking about the intentions of others, ruminating on our performance or actions. All the things that we often do when we find ourselves just “thinking” without any explicit goal of thinking in mind.
Additionally, recent research has begun to detect links between activity in the default mode network and mental disorders like depression, anxiety, and schizophrenia. Furthermore, therapies like meditation have received attention for influencing activity in the default mode network, suggesting this may be part of their mechanism for improving well-being.
(https://www.neuroscientificallychallenged.com/blog/know-your-brain-default-mode-network)
How the Default Mode Network operates:
The default mode network, discovered by neurologist Marcus Raichle, spans a number of brain regions, incorporating parts of the prefrontal, parietal, and temporal cortices that show joint activation, or deactivation, in connection with particular mental functions.
Evolutionarily speaking, the DMN is the most recent part of the brain, and it’s closely connected to the brain regions responsible for memories and emotions (Michael Pollan quote, you can read more here: (https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2018/5/21/17339488/psychedelics-mental-health-michael-pollan-lsd-psilocybin)
A lot of commentary exists regarding the DMN and that it is essentially ones Ego, the decision-making component of personality. Your ego’s job is to feel important. Its survival depends on it. Unfortunately, this translates to your ego needing to fight and defend itself. It seems counterintuitive, but the ego needs negative situations to arise so it can have something to do, something to worry about, or something to change. So, if you’re happy, and everything is perfect, your ego will already be looking for an issue to cling to or a drama to create.
The ego does not live in the present. While it is a fact that only the present moment exists, and the past and future exist only in the mind, your ego wants you to be thinking about the past and future. This means thinking about things that have gone wrong in the past, or things that may go wrong in the future.
How the ego can cause harm:
Your ego takes you away from the present moment. Imagine living your whole life thinking about the past and the future, and then realizing at the end that all you ever had was the present moment – but you were too stuck in your head to fully engage your senses and enjoy the world around you. You can read more about the ego here: (https://www.ihasco.co.uk/blog/entry/2206/get-to-know-your-ego)
Psychedelics and the Default Mode Network:
Psychedelics reliably induce an altered state of consciousness known as ‘ego dissolution’. The term was invented, well before the tools of contemporary neuroscience became available, to describe sensations of self-transcendence: a feeling in which the mind is put in touch more directly and intensely with the world, producing a profound sense of connection and boundlessness.
Here’s where psychedelics come in. These drugs alter maladaptive self-models, because they affect the neural mechanisms that self-awareness springs from. At the point of ego dissolution, two things seem to happen. One, the integrity of the self-model degrades. And two, we no longer take it for granted that our experience must be interpreted by that model.
When the self falls apart and is subsequently rebuilt, the role of the self-model seems to become visible to its possessor. Yes, this offers a psychological reprieve – but more importantly, it draws attention to the difference between a world seen with and without the self. For an anxious or depressed person, psychedelics make it possible to appreciate the intermediate, representational role of the self-model. Ego dissolution offers vivid experiential proof, not only that things can be different, but that the self that conditions experience is just a heuristic, not an unchangeable, persisting thing. Read more on this fascinating concept here: (https://aeon.co/essays/psychedelics-work-by-violating-our-models-of-self-and-the-world).
A research article published in August 2019 titled Psilocybin-assisted mindfulness training modulates self-consciousness and brain default mode network connectivity with lasting effects showed that the ego-dissolution can be achieved with psilocybin and meditation.
The extent of ego dissolution and brain connectivity predicted positive changes in psycho-social functioning of participants 4 months later. Psilocybin, combined with meditation, facilitated neurodynamic modulations in self-referential networks, subserving the process of meditation by acting along the anterior–posterior DMN connection. The study highlights the link between altered self-experience and subsequent behavioral changes.
Unfortunately, the entire article is not available to view without purchase, but the abstract can be viewed here: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2019.04.009
Our opinion at Alkamystik Journeys:
Psilocybin assisted therapy that takes into consideration the mind-set and setting can achieve conscious mind expansion, allowing the ego to get the hell out of the way. To use Huxley’s phrase, the doors of perception can be opened and we can free our minds from old thoughts that hold us back, no longer serve us and block us from reaching our full potentials as humans. This ego dissolution and integration with the universe has the potential to expand one’s connectedness, creativity and overall well-being.
Ketamine is an option that is currently legal and readily available for use. We emphasis the importance of the ‘mind-set’ or intention, which directly challenges the DMN.
Even if one is not considering psychedelic assisted treatments, being aware of this concept of the DMN and the ego, can be beneficial for changing one’s mind-set. Be curious about your actions, your strong emotions and where they are felt in your body. Be aware of your mind “time-traveling”. Be more cognizant of being present in the here and now. Look around and bring your mind back to the present. Notice 5 things your eyes are seeing. Next, notice 4 things your ears are hearing. Then notice 3 things your body is sensing (the tightness of your shoes, your watch, your hat, etc.). Now notice 2 smells. And last, what taste can you identify in your mouth. If none, pop a mint, or piece of candy, chocolate, take a drink, savor that moment. This present moment… and make it last.