What you need to know

ANDYou can get away with your car: “I don’t care how the brakes work, just fix them.” But that won’t work with emotional and mental illnesses. It is important to try to understand how our brain works, especially the anatomy and physiology that generate our challenges.

That three-pound mass of tissue and fluid in our skulls: 86 billion neurons making a quadrillion neural connections at 270 miles per hour.

Much of our way of operating is generated by very ancient anatomical and physiological networks. For those suffering from emotional and mental illnesses, the network in default mode needs to be understood.

Introduction

In an article I wrote several years ago, The Thoughts Keep Coming: 10 Ways to Manage Rumination, I noted that reflective thoughts are associated with greater network connectivity in default mode.

I hinted at an article coming about default mode networking, and finally, here we go.

What is the default mode network?

The default mode network (DMN) is a large-scale network composed of several areas of the cerebral cortex in the prefrontal, parietal and temporal regions.

How important is it? Some scientists have referred to the DMN as the neurological basis of the self.

The DMN is active when we are not focused on anything in particular, the brain is in awake/passive rest. Therefore, the DMN hums in the background when we engage in introspective, undemanding activities, such as daydreaming and mind wandering.

And the wonderful thing about all this is that the brain – the mind – handles the switch to the default mode and we don’t even know it.

Network functions in default mode

So what does the DMN do? When active, these are some of the functions it participates in…

• Memories of events and facts that concern him.
• Refer to descriptions and traits of oneself.
• Thinking about one’s emotional state
• Understand the emotions of others and empathize with their feelings.
• Determine if an action was right or wrong
• Perceived lack of social interaction.
• Recall past events from memory
• Imagining what the future may bring
• Understand and remember a narrative
• Perception of beauty with a deep feeling of pleasure and personal identity.
• Creativity

Can you see why the DMN has been referred to as the neurological basis of the self? And can you see why we need an active DMN?

But things get interesting in the area of ​​emotional and mental illnesses when the DMN is overactive and when it clashes with other brain networks.

We’re going over there…

The default mode network and emotional and mental illnesses

DMN is involved in numerous emotional and mental illnesses, including Alzheimer’s disease, autism spectrum disorder, schizophrenia, major depressive disorder, ADHD, post-traumatic stress disorder, Parkinson’s disease, and chronic pain.

For explanatory purposes, let’s use major depressive disorder (MDD). As I mentioned, rumination, both a symptom and cause of depression, is associated with greater DMN connectivity and dominance over other brain networks during rest.

In the article on rumination I mentioned that psychiatrist Dr. Chris Aiken believes that changing the habit of rumination can double your chances of recovery from depression.

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And why not? Reference the functions in which the DMN participates. It makes sense that altered DMN connectivity changes the way a person remembers past events, perceives themselves and their emotional state, and imagines what the future holds. All of them can increase susceptibility to depression.

And let’s not forget the participation of rumination in the presentations of anxiety, OCD and bipolar mania. If it is rumination, it is associated with the DMN.

Finally, the DMN is more active in the brains of lonely people. After all, they are likely to frequently think about what happened in the past and what may happen in the future. So much worry, anxiety and dread.

How to manage the network in default mode

“It’s okay, we know what’s going on upstairs. With patience and skill, we can do it.”

Before we discuss how to manage the runaway neural network, let’s lay some groundwork. The goal is to deactivate it (silence it) so that it is less active. To be clear, allowing the runaway neural network to be overactive means signing up for a lot of introspection, and that can get us into a lot of trouble.

Again, we need participation in the DMN to make sense of ourselves, but if we don’t disengage when told, we’re in for an unpleasant ride.

Now, as we have mentioned before, the brain activates the DMN without us realizing it. However, as we learn to recognize the signs and symptoms of an overactive DMN, we can intervene and calm it down. It may not happen overnight, but with practice and perseverance, change can occur.

Ways to manage the network in default mode

Well, here are some ways to manage the DMN…

• Relaxation and mindfulness techniques (including deep breathing)
• Meditation
• Psychotherapy
• Antidepressant medications
• Physical activity and exercise.
• Awesome experiences: walking to the top of a mountain, watching the moon rise, swimming in the ocean, etc.
• Using the DMN image above, visualize the colors fading, while asking your DMN to calm down.

And be sure to reference the rumination management techniques mentioned in the article. Since DMN generates rumination, surely some of them apply to the management of DMN.

Bottom line: It’s largely about getting us out of our heads. I mean, enough is enough, right?

Lasting relief

Don’t we wish it were like a car: fixing it without having to learn what went wrong? But when it comes to the mind, it won’t be so easy.

Lasting relief from emotional and mental illnesses comes from understanding the anatomical and physiological events that cause them. And knowing and managing our network in default mode is a great example.

Again, be sure to read The Thoughts Keep Coming: 10 Ways to Manage Rumination. And don’t forget Chipur’s information and inspirational titles.

Information sources: Psychology TodayDr. Chris Aiken: Overthinking, worrying and ruminatingDefault mode network image: Wikimedia Commons: Public Domain

After a decades-long battle with panic, general anxiety, mood swings, and alcohol dependence, Bill finally found the passion of his life and work: helping those in the same situation. At age 49 he began graduate school and earned his counseling credentials. And he continues his service through Chipur and other projects.