Practical Problem-Solving for Peer Supporters
The Default Mode Network (DMN) stands as interesting group of neural areas that has a unique role in introspection, daydreaming, and problem-solving. Recent studies have shown that the DMN is not just about idle thought but plays a critical role in creative thinking and problem-solving. Understanding the DMN’s function can enhance peer support mechanisms, making it connect well with programs like Resilience First Aid (RFA).
Let’s learn more about what the DMN does, where we can find it in the brain, and some practical ideas that can help us use this effectively for problem-solving and peer support.
Understanding the Default Mode Network
The DMN is most active when the brain is at rest and not focused on the external environment, such as during daydreaming, recalling memories, envisioning the future, or considering others’ perspectives. Functions include:
- Self-Referential Thinking – The DMN is actively engaged in self-referential processes, including thoughts and reflections about oneself (Raichle, 2015)
- Recollection of the Past – The DMN supports the retrieval and reflection of autobiographical memories, playing a key role in recalling past experiences (Raichle, 2015)
- Mind Wandering – This network is highly active during mind wandering, allowing thoughts to drift freely without external focus (Raichle, 2015)
- Creativity – Research shows the DMN is crucial for creative thinking, facilitating the generation of novel ideas and connections between concepts (Bartoli et al., 2023)
- Future Planning – The DMN is involved in imagining future scenarios and planning, helping individuals to anticipate and prepare for upcoming events (Bartoli et al., 2023)
- Social Cognition – This network contributes to understanding others’ perspectives, intentions, and emotions, which is essential for social interactions and empathy (Bartoli et al., 2023)
These functions highlight the DMN’s importance in a wide range of cognitive processes, from introspection and memory to creativity and social interaction.
The Default Mode Network plays a critical role in creative thinking and problem-solving.
Neuroanatomy of the DMN
The three main functional areas of the DMN in the brain are:
- Posterior Cingulate Cortex (PCC) & Precuneus
- Medial Prefrontal Cortex (mPFC)
- Angular Gyrus
Posterior Cingulate Cortex (PCC) & Precuneus
The Posterior Cingulate Cortex (PCC) and the precuneus are integral components of the DMN, playing crucial roles in combining bottom-up attention with information from memory and perception. The PCC can be divided into two parts:
- Ventral PCC – This region activates in all tasks involving the DMN, including those related to self-reflection, social cognition (thinking about others), autobiographical memory (remembering the past), prospection (thinking about the future), processing abstract concepts, and spatial navigation. The ventral PCC is essential for integrating various forms of cognitive information to form a coherent understanding of the self and the surrounding environment
- Dorsal PCC – This area is primarily associated with involuntary awareness and arousal. It is engaged in monitoring the environment and internal states without conscious effort, ensuring that the brain can respond to important stimuli even when focused on other tasks
The precuneus works closely with the PCC and is involved in integrating visual, sensorimotor, and attentional information. It plays a significant role in visual imagery, episodic memory retrieval, and aspects of consciousness and self-awareness.
Medial Prefrontal Cortex (mPFC)
The Medial Prefrontal Cortex (mPFC) is another critical area of the DMN, primarily involved in self-referential processing. It is responsible for:
- Self-Processing – This includes decisions about personal information, such as autobiographical memories, future goals, and significant events. The mPFC helps individuals understand and evaluate their own thoughts, feelings, and behaviours
- Social Cognition – It is also involved in decision-making regarding those personally very close, such as family members, by processing social and emotional information
- Ventral mPFC – This subregion is specifically associated with processing positive emotional information and internally valued rewards, contributing to motivation and goal-directed behaviour
Angular Gyrus
The angular gyrus serves as a hub that connects various cognitive functions, including:
- Perception and Attention – It integrates sensory information and directs attention, ensuring that relevant stimuli are noticed and processed
- Spatial Cognition and Action – The angular gyrus helps in understanding spatial relationships and coordinating actions based on spatial awareness
- Episodic Memory – It aids in the recall of episodic memories, linking past experiences with current cognitive processes to inform decision-making and behaviour
Together, these areas of the DMN enable complex cognitive functions such as introspection, empathy, and creative problem-solving, making the DMN essential for both personal reflection and social interactions.
Problem Solving and Peer Support
With this understanding, we can see that problem-solving often requires stepping back from the immediate task to view it from different angles. The DMN facilitates this by allowing the mind to wander, letting it connect separate ideas and generate new solutions. This process is surprisingly important in peer support, where understanding and empathy can be enhanced by considering different perspectives and experiences.
The DMN is most active when the brain is at rest and not focused on the external environment.
In peer support contexts, the ability to empathise and connect with others’ experiences is critical. The DMN helps in these processes by letting supporters think about others’ mental states and emotions. This empathetic thinking is essential for effective peer support, where understanding and addressing concerns require strong interpersonal connections.
Resilience First Aid (RFA) is an accredited mental health certification designed to build resilience and support skills among individuals. The program focuses on proactive mental health strategies and peer support specifically through the ALL Protocol. RFA teaches practical skills and knowledge based on the Predictive 6 Factor Resilience Model, covering aspects like emotional regulation, social connection, and cognitive flexibility. By understanding the DMN, it allows those who become RFA Responders to support others more effectively.
How the DMN Enhances Peer Support Skills
Here are four ways peer supporters can use this understanding to improve their skills:
- Enhanced Empathy and Understanding – The DMN’s role in understanding and processing others’ emotions aligns with RFA’s focus on building strong interpersonal connections. By understanding how the DMN functions, peer supporters can better empathise with those they are helping, leading to more effective support
- Creative Problem-Solving – RFA encourages the development of personal and connected resilience through creative thinking and problem-solving. The DMN facilitates these processes by allowing individuals to make connections between seemingly unrelated ideas, fostering innovative approaches to challenges
- Improved Communication – Effective communication is a cornerstone of RFA, with the training including many practical examples of applying the ALL Protocol as a proactive conversational system. A peer supporter’s ability to activate the DMN helps in understanding and predicting others’ responses, enabling peer supporters to engage in more meaningful and impactful conversations. This can be a simple as taking time to simply not focus, rest, even showering and other activities without a particular focus can help generate new ideas and insights
- Personal Reflection and Growth – RFA emphasises personal resilience, which requires introspection and self-awareness. The DMN supports these processes by allowing individuals to reflect on their experiences and emotional states, leading to personal growth and improved resilience
A key role of an RFA Responder is to connect and coregulate... enabling composure and the space to activate their own DMN and come up with solutions to challenges.
4 Practical Applications in Peer Support
RFA certification equips people with the skills to recognise signs of low resilience, engage in proactive conversations, and build a culture of resilience. By integrating knowledge of the DMN, RFA-trained responders can enhance their peer support capabilities. For instance:
- Downregulation for DMN Activation – A key role of an RFA Responder is to connect and coregulate, leading to downregulation of the fight-or-flight response in another person, enabling composure and the space to activate their own DMN and come up with solutions to challenges. This means a solution might not be something found right away (as DMN reflection takes time), though helping someone achieve a calmer state is a crucial step towards that problem-solving process
- Using Reflective Listening – Encouraging peers to reflect on their thoughts and feelings activates the DMN, promoting deeper understanding and empathy. This starts with providing a space where people feel safe, accepted, and giving them time to be silent and think, or in other words – holding space
- Facilitating Creative Solutions – When problem-solving, allowing time for reflection and daydreaming can help peers come up with innovative solutions. Be mindful that this cannot happen yet if the limbic brain is upregulated and the fight-or-flight mode is taking up focus. Here we need to focus on downregulation of the limbic brain to gradually allow the DMN to activate
- Promoting Self-Care Practices – Encouraging activities that engage the DMN, such as mindfulness and meditation, or simple rest, taking a shower, going for a walk, can enhance personal resilience and emotional regulation
For those in peer support, understanding the Default Mode Network is useful as it gives more of a mechanistic explanation of how problem-solving works. Also in terms of how it helps us understand others and come up with ways to support, we can find reasons why we should also enable our own DMNs.
Next time you need to come up with a solution for a big challenge, take a step back, relax, and let un-focussing activate the brain’s deeper problem-solving abilities!
