The Default Mode Network is our neural programming — not in the rigid sense of fixed commands, but in the way complex systems develop scripts & routines over time.
From early life onward, a person’s experiences — especially relational ones — contribute to sculpted patterns of thought, expectation, and self-perception. These patterns are stored in memory and in the structure/functioning of the DMN.
This “programming” includes:
— How the self is represented
— What the mind assumes about others
— and How meaning is made from inner and outer experience
Crucially, this programming is:
— Recursive: it reinforces itself over time
— Opaque: it runs outside our awareness
— and Modifiable: with curiosity, safety, & analytic engagement — this programming can become visible, questioned, and rewritten.
Use the code, and explore it: expand its flexibility & and introduce new adaptive scripts. In this sense, PSYCHOANALYSIS BECOMES COLLABORATIVE DEBUGGING.
The DMN is not deterministic. With the right conditions, we can open it up, see how it runs, and ask if it’s still optimally serving us.
Yes, A NEW PSYCHOANALYSIS (RELATIONAL ANALYSIS) — IN SERVICE OF ADAPTATION!
Our Brain’s DMN (Default Mode Network) & a New Psychoanalysis
Anna Frost, NCPsyA
Anna Frost, NCPsyA, is a Nationally Certified Psychoanalyst and Relational Analyst with over 28 years of private clinical experience. She works with high-achieving professionals, including physicians, engineers, and executives, who excel at work but want more from their personal lives and relationships. Anna is a training analyst for the Philadelphia School of Psychoanalysis and practices in Boulder, CO, with sessions available by phone, Zoom, or in person.
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