How Ketamine Affects The Default Mode Network
Learn about what the default mode network is, how ketamine affects it, and how this interaction could play a role in improving your mental health in this post!
What’s The Default Mode Network?
The default mode network (DMN) describes various portions in your brain that seem to get activated when your mind is in a passive, non-task oriented state. So it might be when you're just relaxing, daydreaming, thinking about the future or the past without a specific goal. Some people hypothesize that this is actually where the ego may reside and also where we hold a lot of these internal beliefs that may not be supporting us. So for example, you might habitually be saying to yourself, "I'm not good enough" or "I'm not worthy " or "I don’t deserve that.” These automatic thought patterns may be stemming from your default mode. You're not consciously trying to think of this but it just reflexively comes up.
What IS Ketamine Doing To The Default Mode Network?
What's interesting about ketamine is that studies show it reduces the functional activity of the DMN. Think about that. If someone is saying these terrible negative things about themselves, it's cathartic to be able to take a break and turn down the volume. By doing that maybe you can take a breather from those automatic thought patterns. You can potentially experience a quieter mind that is free from the internal mental chatter.
Learn more about the calming meditative effect during ketamine in our Theta Brain Waves & The Anti-Anxiety Effects of Ketamine blog post.
What’s Possible With the Reset With Ketamine
Accordingly, by turning the volume down on the internal mental chatter, you can start creating new stories, empowering thoughts, phrases, and or beliefs that you have about yourself or about the world. Much of the suffering we experience in life comes not from the actual events or people around us, but rather from the stories and beliefs we have about them. The new meaning you create can be incredibly restorative and healing.
Ketamine affecting the DMN is only one way it works to alleviate both emotional and physical pain. Learn more about the ways ketamine works in our Four Mechanisms of How Ketamine Works blog post.
Setting The Intention (Upgrading the Software)
As an analogy, imagine the default mode network is the hard drive, the unconscious thought patterns are the software programs, and the intention is the new software program you want to upgrade. We tell our patients that setting an intention is one of the most crucial components of the ketamine infusion. As one enters the ketamine non-ordinary state of conciousness, it can decrease the internal mental chatter from the DMN. Ultimately, allowing for reprogramming a new thought pattern.