Awe, Concerta and the default mode network (DMN)

Written 2025-08-19 · Published 2026-10-17 · Last edited —

It comes up like a sneeze, suddenly; with a sense of imminent revelation, my awe suddenly blasts in an explosive manner.

I look at the traffic light ordering me to stop, and I see in the distance rows of equal red lights. I concentrate. And like a strike of lightning, I am overwhelmed by a feeling of wonder: how come such simple structures orchestrate the complexity of traffic; since when is it normal and mundane to have color coded signs, all agreed upon as the status quo, a harmonious consensus, that tell us how and when to move, like an omnipotent rhythmic beat. The traffic lights put me at awe in the most primitive way I can be.

And this experience is not singular, I've had this with language (and the fragility yet persistence of communication) , means of transportation (and the insane multiplication of human efficiency in travel), paper (and their ability to capture ideas and meaning), bags (and the not so easy task of to hold and carry), etc... My mind is blown by things that appear mundane at first glance.

But as I share these thoughts with others, and retrospect about my speech; I ,as well as the others, notice that this has a strong resemblance with the speech of people who are high. It's very easy to put what I've said in a hippie's mouth and it would sound all the more familiar :

• "brooo, isn't it insane bro that like the traffic lights, just like tell us how to move bro"
• "come to think of it, bags are mad yoooo"
• "trains be carrying us like we could never move brooo!"

But this intuition might be on to something

The main drug that is associated with theses types of experiences are mainly psychedelics like LSD, DMT and psilocybine. And all these drugs, summoners of the novel, work on the same physiological mechanism: they down regulate the default mode network (DMN) .

The DMN is a region/network of the brain that can be defined by its cause and its consequence.

• cause of the DMN : it is "default", meaning active when not actively focused on a task or the outside world. It's basically the autopilot when one mind wanders off.
• consequences of the DMN : the roles of this network are notably twofold: self referential thought (creation of the ego) and the predictive filtering of sensory information.

This network is usually "turned off" when one is starting to focus on a task like solving a math problem; then, the task positive network (TPN) gets activated.

But when a drug like LSD artificially silences the DMN, the user feels this wave of awe since this passive filtering of known information is shut down, as it is the first time one encounters a traffic light in their life.

The hypothesis is that I might be actively down regulating my DMN in a semi voluntary manner without being under the influence of substances like LSD or DMT, through deep attention.

The plausibility of this hypothesis lies in the fact that the down regulation of the DMN is a practice that can be mastered trough meditation, with mindfulness. In fact, MRI scans show that monks under deep mediation show the same neural activity as a person who is under the influence of LSD.

But why would I be able to down regulate my DMN without LSD if I'm neither a monk ?

I believe that the answer lies in my ADHD and my past use of Concerta. One of the key aspects of ADHD is that normally the DMN and the TPN are exclusive , meaning that the TPN is inactive when the DMN is active and vice versa. But with ADHD, the DMN isn't properly shut off when one is trying to focus on an external task, when the TPN activates. In other words, the reason why ADHD shows signs of inattentiveness is that when the brain is supposed to be in a focused state, i.e TPN dominant, it is also in a state of mind wandering, i.e DMN dominant.

The ADHD drug which is Concerta acts by making more dopamine available and helping the TPN activate more effectively. Which means that I was, during a brief period off my life, artificially down regulating my DMN. Although I stopped taking Concerta because of its side effect , its effect probably lasted because of the neural plasticity that was taking place during this dopamine abundant period of Concerta use. To put it simply, my brain went through "DMN control" boot camp and this skill has now been acquired.