What is the operational definition of the Self? A rookie intro to the brain's Default-Mode-Network and why it is important in psychotherapy for the self obsessed Homo sapiens sapiens.
The self, together with its non-identical twin consciousness and their enigmatic companion the free-will are some of the most prized assets of the intellectual real estate of all times, aren't they?
The self (along with the other two in the trio) is the usual playground for the top tier of the intellectual ecosystem: philosophers, mathematicians, physicists, and cognitive neuroscientists. Recently, biologists have also been attempting to chip in the debate.
The self clearly is a high stake question for the self-obsessed Homo sapiens sapiens.
Psychotherapists are not usually invited to hang out with the cool intellectual kids. But we have a Self obsession of our own.
Indeed, the concept of the Self is central to psychotherapy, as exemplified by numerous psychotherapy theories and key concepts referencing it, such as selfobject, Self Psychology, Ego Psychology (where 'ego' is often used interchangeably with 'Self,' depending on the context), and the Self in Analytic Psychology.
We can lose the sense of self and we can have an over-inflated sense of self.
The Default Mode Network and "The Story of Me"
In fact, any definition of the Self will fall short in some respect because, to me, the Self is a sort of blanket term that encompasses many self related concepts.
But if we were to consider a scientific approach to measuring the Self, one way to proceed would be to eliminate all other variables from the equation, right?
Well, something like that was done some 25 years ago, by pure accident. The neuroscientist Marcus Raichle and his collaborators were trying to evaluate the effect of a specific task on brain activity using neuroimaging techniques. In such experiments, a baseline of brain activity is needed to serve as a 'control'.
But what instruction should be given to participants to emulate the baseline or 'resting state' of the brain? The researchers decided to instruct participants to 'sit there and think of nothing.' An interesting outcome occurred: although participants were supposed to be doing nothing, several brain areas were simultaneously activated. Remarkably, the same cluster of areas were activated across different participants.
When it became clear that this was not an artefact and other researchers were able to confirm the findings, it was identified as the brain's Default Mode Network (DMN) - a sort of intrinsic brain activity network.
The exact role of the DMN is still debated and is likely irreducible to a single purpose expressed in human language. However, it appears that the DMN plays a significant role in 'self-referential' processing, which involves brain activity related to thinking about oneself.
It has been hypothesised that the DMN could serve as the neurological basis for the Self. This is because it is involved in processing autobiographical information, self-referential thinking, reflecting on one's own emotional states, and theory of mind (i.e., understanding what others think and positioning oneself relative to them).
Now, let's pause and do a little experiment? Imagine that you are a participant in that study and have been given the instruction: 'Sit here and think of nothing specific '. Just sit comfortably, close your eyes and give yourself 3 minutes to try to follow this instruction.
There’s a good chance that, at some point, thoughts began to pop up, and elements of your 'story of me' likely started to be rehashed.
Can we give it a rest?
Indeed, this proves to be a difficult task for the self-obsessed Homo sapiens sapiens.
As the 'story of me' unfolds, the mind becomes engaged in 'mind-wandering,' which is typically considered the opposite of being in the 'here-and-now'.
Personally not being fanatical about the 'here-and-now', I believe that mind-wandering can be a great source of ideas and inspiration. However, as a therapist, I am well aware of how maladaptive and damaging certain forms of negative mind-wandering and rumination can be.
Yet, most of us seem to have little control over what the mind gets up to when idle.
Therefore, it seems like a good idea to gain some control over this process, and Buddhist meditation practices claim to offer a solution for exactly that.
One of the first exercises when starting to learn to meditate is to sit and do nothing, both physically and mentally. The idea is to first acknowledge the unsettled nature of our mind before we gradually learn to gain some control over it.
Furthermore, the Buddhist philosophy seems to be talking an awful lot about letting go of the ego (Self) and moving beyond it.
So conceptually, the Buddhists seem to be bang on when it comes to all this Self and mind-wondering business.
But what does science say about the Buddhist intuition?
Indeed, it looks as though the Buddhist brethren and sistren were on to something. Research shows that meditation can help quiet DMN activity. In fact, experienced meditators exhibit reduced DMN activity compared to novices.
Given the DMN's role in mind-wandering and rumination, a decrease in its activity would suggest an improved capacity to be in the 'here-and-now.' In this sense, the Buddhists were bang on the money.
By the same token, if we accept that the DMN can be considered a neural correlate of the Self, then meditation, it would appear, does lead to a greater capacity to let go of the 'story of me'.
It is a remarkable—and perhaps rare— example of a religious practice aligning so closely with scientific findings.
How we can use it in therapy?
I cannot overstate how significant this is for psychotherapists: at our current understanding of the brain, there are very few volitional strategies that can directly affect specific brain areas and networks.
Mindful meditation through its ability to affect DMN activity is one of these rare strategies. As therapists, we need to be able to leverage this fact to its full potential.
When used astutely, mindfulness—as a form of mental training rather than a religious practice—is a powerful ally to psychotherapy.
So much so that several of my clients, after learning to meditate, felt they no longer needed therapy. Bad for business, good for nirvana!
More questions
There are so many more questions I would like to explore: Why did we evolve to be so self-obsessed? Do we become self-obsessed because we love ourselves too much, or because we are a self-loathing species? Have we, in modern times, pushed this tendency too far or were we always so self absorbed? Additionally, what is the relationship between DMN activity and mood disorders such as depression and anxiety? And finally, considering other living creatures, do animals have a default mode network?
I'll try to find the answers. I will. Soon. As soon as I am done with the DMN-intense navel-gazing!
As always, thank you for reading. For updates follow me on BlueSky or Twitter or subscribe to my mailing list.
Could knowledge of the self be essential for complex social interaction and societies? To my cost, I have learned that humans cannot truly live without relationship. We are an interconnected species. We need each other, and for that we need to know ourselves.