Story, Daydreams, and the Default Mode Network.
Psychodynamic psychiatry June 1, 2026 Richard Brockman
Sigmund Freud's invention of psychoanalysis provided a tool that allowed him to observe the default mode network (DMN) long before its modern discovery. The DMN integrates perception into memory through functional connectivity. In posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), there is significant pathology in functional connectivity involving the DMN and the intrinsic alarm system. This article examines the causes and consequences of this pathophysiology as it relates to the sense of time, safety, and story in PTSD.