Values clarification — identifying what matters most to you at the deepest level — is a cornerstone of ACT therapy for default mode network and provides direction when default mode network removes other navigational tools.
Why Values Matter for Default Mode Network
Default Mode Network often disconnects us from our values through avoidance, withdrawal, and reduced capacity. Reconnecting with values provides:
- Direction when default mode network has eliminated other motivation
- Meaning that persists even through difficult default mode network periods
- A basis for action independent of how default mode network makes you feel
Clarifying Your Values with Default Mode Network
Ask yourself: 'If my default mode network were less present, what would I be doing more of? What kind of person would I be?'
Values are not goals (achievable and done) but ongoing directions: being a present parent, creating beauty, contributing to others.
Values-Based Action in Default Mode Network
ACT therapy teaches: act according to values even when default mode network is present. Small values-aligned actions, despite default mode network, are more sustainable than waiting for default mode network to lift first.