How Magic Mushrooms and Other Psychedelics Affect the Human Brain

What is the Default Mode Network?

The default mode network refers to an interconnected group of brain regions that are associated with introspective functions, internally directed thought, such as self-reflection, and self-criticism. Increased activity of the DMN is correlated with the experience of mind-wandering and our capacity to imagine mental states in others (i.e. theory of mind) as well as our ability to mentally “time travel”, projecting ourselves into the past or future.

The DMN is thought to be crucial to regular, everyday consciousness and is most active when a person is at rest and their attention isn’t focused on something happening in the outside world. For instance, if you place a person in an MRI scanner without giving them anything to do, their mind will begin to wander and you will notice the DMN’s component areas lighting up.

The DMN doesn’t become completely active until later in a child’s development, appearing around the age of five as the child develops a firm sense of narrative self or “ego.” The functional connections that make up the DMN expand from birth to maturity.

As we become older, we learn to react to life’s stimuli in predictable ways and form habitual communication channels across different brain regions, especially the DMN. As we grow, our brain gets more “constrained” because communication is restricted to certain pathways throughout time. Our ‘default mode’ of operation in the world, which shapes how we see the world, is actually these limited pathways of communication between brain areas.

According to evolutionary theory, the DMN aids in our survival by assisting us in developing a consistent sense of self and separating ourselves from the environment. According to psychiatrist Matthew Brown, the DMN is the area of the brain that “reminds you that you are you.”

Mental Health Issues with Excessive Default Mode Network Activity

The DMN has been found to be particularly overactive in certain mental health conditions, such as depression, anxiety, and OCD. Matthew Brown likens DMN overactivity to experiences of “hypercriticality”, “rigid thought patterns”, and “automatic negative thought loops” about oneself.

Consider cracking a joke at a party that is met with an awkward pause. People might at first think, “Oh no, that wasn’t so funny,” but they usually forget about it altogether as they swiftly go on to the next part of the conversation. But when you get home that night, you discover that you are utterly unable to sleep as a result of anxiety over the poor joke you told, how foolish you came across, and how others may be harshly criticizing you as a result. This is a classic case of DMN overactivity and the kind of unfavorable thinking that depression, anxiety, and OCD sufferers frequently exhibit.

How Does the Default Mode Network React to Psychedelics?

Simon Ruffell, a psychiatrist and expert in ayahuasca, compares the effects of psychedelics on the DMN to “defragmenting a computer.” The DMN’s activity is markedly reduced while the rest of the brain’s connection is increased when you take a psychedelic.

“Brain imaging studies suggest that when psychedelics are absorbed they decrease activity in the default mode network. As a result the sense of self appears to temporarily shut down, and thus ruminations may decrease. The brain states observed show similarities to deep meditative states, in which increased activity occurs in pathways that do not normally communicate. This process has been compared to defragmenting a computer. Following this, it appears that the default mode network becomes more cohesive. We think this could be one of the reasons levels of anxiety and depression appear to reduce.”

Dr. Simon Ruffell, Psychiatrist and Senior Research Associate at King’s College London

Psychedelics have a particularly effective therapeutic potential when it comes to altering negative thought patterns since they have the capacity to disrupt the DMN’s function. For instance, a study conducted by Imperial College London evaluated the effects of psilocybin-assisted therapy on twelve individuals who suffered from severe depression. Results showed that for a period of up to three months, psilocybin-assisted therapy was able to significantly lower their depression levels.

A further study hypothesized that psilocybin’s therapeutic effects were related to its capacity to ‘reset’ the DMN by turning it off and reconsolidating it in a form that is a little less rigid than before.

In general, it has been shown that psychedelics produce increases in psychological flexibility, positing another explanation for why we see decreases in depression and anxiety following a psychedelic experience. Based on what we know about the DMN, we could hypothesize that it plays an influential role in one’s ability to be psychologically flexible. 

When explaining how psychedelics can reset the DMN and increase psychological flexibility, Matthew Brown used the following analogy:

“If you do the same thing repeatedly, it is like you are walking down the same path all the time. Naturally, that path becomes very well worn and easy to walk down. However,  you realize that maybe there is another path that might be more advantageous for you and you want to try walking down that path. Psychedelics ‘mow the lawn’ so that it doesn’t seem that the weeds are quite so high and you can walk down that new path a little bit more easily.”

Theory of the Entropic Brain and the Reducing Valve

The highly organized network system that makes up the DMN is momentarily disassembled by psychoactive drugs, allowing for “less ordered neurodynamics” and a higher level of entropy in the brain. That is to say, communications between brain regions that are typically kept apart start to become more open and free.

The ‘entropic brain’ theory claims that the psychedelic state of consciousness is similar to that of early childhood, when we are filled with awe and wonder and view everything around us as being completely unique.

These results are consistent with Aldous Huxley, a writer and philosopher, who described psychedelic consciousness as “Mind at Large” in that it gives us access to a wider range of brain functions and enables us to access an unbounded state of consciousness that transcends the individual and extends into the collective. He postulated that in order “to make biological survival possible, Mind at Large has to be funneled through the reducing valve of the brain and nervous system.” Take a look at his experience here!

In this situation, the DMN can be thought of as the “reducing valve,” which in some ways protects us from being overwhelmed and confused by the vast majority of irrelevant and useless knowledge while leaving only a very small and special selection that is likely to be practically useful.

The Default Mode Network & Ego Death 

In 2016, a breakthrough study by Imperial College London used a combination of neuroimaging techniques to measure electrical activity and experiential reports from participants to investigate the link between brain activity and reported psychological responses to LSD in twenty volunteers.

he findings showed that LSD inhibits the DMN’s ability to function, and this decline in activity was highly connected with the subjective sense of “ego dissolution” or “ego death,” suggesting that the DMN plays a crucial role in maintaining the “ego” or “self.”

Similarly, researchers at Johns Hopkins University published a pioneering study, demonstrating that psilocybin is able to produce mystical-type experiences in participants, such as the experience of ego death. These experiences were considered to be deeply meaningful by participants and were seen to elicit sustained positive changes in attitude and behavior.

Negative thought patterns typically originate from and are harbored by our ego, or sense of “I”. When we experience mental health issues like depression and anxiety, we tend to become self-absorbed, narrowly focused on our own ideas, and unable to step back and see the wider picture. The ego creates barriers that might make us feel cut off from those around us, separated from nature, and even disconnected from ourselves.

These barriers are relaxed when the ego dissolves, and a big “zooming out” occurs where you start to see things on a macroscopic scale. Instead of existing in isolation from the events occurring around you, you are now a part of the web of life, which connects you to everything. It is a felt sensation of immense love and reconnection rather than a rational one.

When questioned about the potential therapeutic benefits of an event like ego disintegration, Matthew Brown responded that it can be extremely restorative since our consciousness is able to expand itself beyond the boundaries of our particular experience and become one with nature’s greater total.

“You realize that you are extremely insignificant, and perhaps that sounds defeating. However, it can be very freeing to realize that you are just one human who is existing for a very small blip of time in the grand scheme of the universe.” 

— Dr. Matthew Brown, DO, MBA, ABPN, Child, Adolescent, Adult Psychiatry

The long-lasting, permanent therapeutic effects that persist beyond the temporality of the drug are maybe what are most intriguing about the ego death experience and the transient rewiring of the brain made possible by psychedelics. One of the most profound experiences in a person’s life is frequently described as the resetting of the DMN in conjunction with the potent ego death experience brought on by psychedelics. Aware of our place in the interrelated web of life, we are better able to break away from harmful thought patterns, develop psychological flexibility, and break down barriers between ourselves and the outside world.

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