The Default Mode Network, Psychadelics and Spirituality

This is the second of this Spirituality And Psychedelics Series, we discuss the Buddhist Theory of "Good, Bad and Neutral" and the use of psychadelics. We look at the brain and psychedelics, breaking down the Default Mode Network and the role it plays in our limiting and distorting our experiences of our worlds.   The Default Mode Network "The concept of a default mode network was developed after researchers  inadvertently noticed surprising levels of brain activity in  experimental participants who were supposed to be "at rest"--in other  words they were not engaged in a specific mental task, but just resting  quietly (often with their eyes closed). Although the idea that the brain  is constantly active (even when we aren't engaged in a distinct mental  activity) was clearly expressed by Hans Berger in the 1930s, it wasn't  until the 1970s that brain researcher David Ingvar began to accumulate  data showing that cerebral blood flow (a general measurement of brain  activity) during resting states varied according to specific patterns;  for example, he observed high levels of activity in the frontal lobes of participants at rest. Thus, 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, and so on--all  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." -NeuroScientifically Challenged Finally, we tackle society's list of "accepted mind altering substances"--coffee, sugar, alcohol, pharmaceuticals--and the criminalization of Consciousness Elevating Substances throughout history until the now . . .