While we only have one brain, our brains can switch modes to be better optimised for different purposes and environments. We can use our brains in different ways depending on our perceived needs, current options and in response to our health. We will switch our brain to various modes to be Problem Solving, Creative, Recuperating or Survival.

Quick Contents

Problem Solving Modes

There are two major problem solving modes that we humans have – Problem Answer Pairing and Novel Problem Solving.

Brain Type 1: Problem Answer Pairing

For this kind of solution, your brain searches your history looking for a solution to the problem before you. This is most obvious when solving something like 2 + 3 = ?

Most of you who read that question instantly knew the answer. You did not have to get 2 things and 3 things and then count them up. You have learned the answer to the problem, so no calculation is needed, just spitting out the answer you have learned.

A less obvious example would be when you have a flat tyre. How will you fix this? You will think back to the last time you had a flat tyre and try that solution first, or how someone else did it that you witnessed. Only when you fail to be able to answer the problem with solutions from your history will you move on to Type 2: Novel Problem Solving.

When we review the past, looking for solutions, we mostly start with events that are similar. If that fails, we then look for times that we have felt the same, emotionally, and see if that solutions might help in this situation. Sometimes it does. Sometimes it triggers a memory that now we need to deal with too, and that may be less than helpful.

Brain Type 2: Novel Problem Solving

This is where we creatively try to figure out how to fix the problem in an adapted way from what we have done before, or using our deep understanding of the problem, we try to solve it systematically and or creatively.

Emergency: When We Can’t Solve

When we have tried the solutions we know, and tried to creatively solve the problem, but it has failed, we can either shrug the problem off as unimportant (if we think it is), or we might enter into a state of Crisis, which can lead to Survival Mode. These are outlined below under Survival Mode.

Autonomous Modes

Autonomous Modes includes Brain Modes where you are not as consciously present. This can be due to an accidental disassociation, or being on autopilot for a repetitive task.

Autopilot

Autopilot is actually the most common Brain Mode. Analysing and Thinking are very expensive tasks, which we just don’t have the energy to sustain all of the time. Many things that we do, like feeling, sensing, walking, and so on, are bottom up processes run by our middle or hind brain without ‘conscious’ intervention. Once we repeat a task enough times, we begin to ‘do it by reflex’, where the manual task has become autonomous, and we run it in Autopilot Mode.

During Autopilot, skills that we have practiced can be used with little cost to our energy (spoons), and little drop to performance or speed. We may be present enough to other things to make conscious decisions to change, or we may have zoned out and be Disassociated.

Disassociated

Disassociation is a disconnection between a person’s thoughts, memories, feelings, actions, or sense of identity. Most often, disassociation can be triggered by boredom, insufficient neurotransmitters to run the brain’s neurological processes, or low blood sugar. Sometimes disassociation can act as a coping mechanism against being overwhelmed with sensory stimuli, situational stress, anticipated stress or during a traumatic event.

Other common factors that can cause disassociation are medication, fatigue and or illness. In rare instances, absence seizures (aka petit mal) may be a cause.

There are a range of experiences and variations one can feel while disassociated.

Mild detachment
- Where things do not feel quite so real, or things that usually mean a lot to you don’t seem to matter as much.
Lag
- Where things it feels like your response to things is behind where you want them to be, similar to when you play a computer game and the character takes a bit longer to respond to your commands than other people experience (often due to a slow computer or internet speed).
Blackout / Memory Gaps / Absent
- Where you cannot remember what has been happening, even though people tell you that you didn’t sleep or become unconscious. Your answers during this time are likely to have been strange or very simple compared to normal, as your frontal cortex has disengaged, effectively being asleep.
- This can also be caused by ‘absence seizures’, aka Petit Mal.
  - Where a seizure has left you appearing present and functioning, but this is just your autonomous system keeping things going while your conscious awareness is switched off.
Third Person / Observer Mode / ‘In the Back Seat’
- The you that you think you are seems to be watching what your body is doing, similar to if you were in a third person view. This might be within your mind, but feeling distant, or you may feel like you are outside of your body, often looking over your shoulder. You don’t feel like you are in control, and your body isn’t responding to your wants or commands. It feels like someone else is steering / in control of your body.
- If this is frequent, this may be an indicator of DID (Dissociative Identity Disorder)
Daydreaming
- There are two spectrums to consider:
  - Depth of dream: Your mind is wandering along a thought path that ranges from semi-directed to a full on REM sleep with no volition whilst you appear to be fully awake to the outside observer.
  - Awareness of the world: You may be fully aware of what is happening around you, although some of the details may be a bit fuzzy, all the way to not at all aware of what is happening around you.

Creative Mode

In this state of mind, we feel comfortable, happy and want invest in doing things for a later time.

We have the Dopamine to see connections and creative solutions, and sufficient Noradrenaline to put energy into initiating non-critical and non-urgent tasks.

Our Amygdala, the risk detection centre in our brain, has properly ascertained that we are safe, allowing us to switch from ‘dealing with problems’ to ‘resting, healing, or preparing for the future’. If we have the energy to do so, we can use that ‘preparing for the future’ in an act of creativity, which may be thinking about creative ways to solve existing past problems, speculating about future problems and solving those, and or endeavouring into art. If we combine art and problems solving, we can make all kinds of things.

This is an excellent learning state. Our solutions focus on Work Smarter rather Work Harder.

Hyperfocus

Hyperfocus is a period of intense, long lasting state of mental concentration, or awareness fixation on a specific task, topic, or subject. Hyperfocus involves complete immersion in the task, with common side effects of losing track of time and or ignore their surroundings (which can include personal needs like eating or sleeping). To be able to enter Hyperfocus, we need to have enough Dopamine to empower our frontal cortex for deep understanding and memory retention, and enough Noradrenaline and Adrenaline to maintain the tasks and feel safe. These neurotransmitters are part of the Dopaminergic System. These become depleted after a while, which can force us out of Hyperfocus.

The most common way we enter Hyperfocus is to become strongly interested in a task. If that doesn’t work, we can manually enter hyperfocus by regulating our temperature, pushing our awareness into a task, using urgency (worry about threat, social judgement, and physical needs toilet, hunger and fatigue).

Flow State, Being in the Zone

‘Flow State’ and ‘Being in the Zone’ are terms to describe a special state of Hyperfocus.

Sometimes we can enter into a state of mind where our enjoyment at learning and achieving triggers more neurotransmitter release. That is, we feel rewarded by progress that we are making, releasing endorphins, which help us to feel enjoyment in the task. We then use the endorphins to release additional Dopamine, which can keep our Hyperfocus going. In this state of mind, we find that everything just flows and time can seem meaningless. This can lead to a very positive Hyperfocus with Creativity and achievement being the central happy feel.

Survival Mode

Survival Mode is a brain state that manages various states of threat. This would normally be in the presence of either an ‘expected likely threat’, triggering Critical Mode, or a ‘Clear and Present Threat’, triggering Crisis Mode.

Our Survival Brain is all about about managing a threat by activating the Freeze, Fawn, Flight and Fight choices to manage a physical threat. We have co-opted that to also manage psychic threats – an intellectual, identity or emotional threat. Once the threat has been manage via a direct Freeze, Fawn, Flight or Fight action, or through a better nuanced creative solution, we switch back out of this state of mind.

However, we sometimes get switched into this state of mind by something that isn’t an actual threat. It could be a memory, or a false perception of threat, or more likely a biological problem with a neurology, cardiopulmonary system etc. The problem with these non-circumstance driven causes of Survival Mode is that we are hardwired to expect that the cause is external to us, to handle the actual threat of the lion / tiger / emergency, rather than introspectively realise that we actually need to sort out our internal health.

We cover this in more detail in Weird Mood or Thoughts – Top 6 Causes, where the top checks are:

Meds
Food
Fatigue
Hormones
Sensory Stimuli
Threat

Critical Mode

In this state of mind, we think that there is an urgent and critical thing that needs to be done. This can be triggered by various urgencies (due date, friend coming over, expectations and judgement).

In this state we narrow our creativity, and focus on practical solutions. While creativity is narrowed, it isn’t gone, so we are able to logically and creatively add to solutions, but the emphasis is more on “doing” than “solving”.

This state of mind is quite familiar to ADHDers who hand things in at the last minute. It may be good, but it could have been better. It is important to acknowledge that “good enough” is often good enough, but it doesn’t feel good.

Sometimes people enter Hyper Focus with an urgent feel. This is where “only this task” exists and we can break lots of time limits. It often feels like “one more thing before I stop”.

Our solutions focus on Persistence Wins rather than Work Smarter.

Crisis Mode

In this state of mind, we need something done and we need it now. It can feel very pressured and we have no room to think things through, because this is a Crisis damnit.

Our creativity and learning are minimal. We decrease our solution space to Flight and Fight and there is little to no “think it through”. Dexterity is often down and we will frequently be physically clumsy.

Our solutions focus on Push Harder or Escape rather than Work Smarter.