An introspective piece on the wonders of improv and how our cerebral mandala of neuro-harmonics can unleash the inventive spirit of an improvert. Join me in Part 2 as I dive into the mystical psyche of the improvisational self — a journey with porpoise, voyaging through the playful mind of our inner dolphin.
Music fires up almost half of our cerebral matter according to Patrick Whelan, a Harvard Medical School lecturer. It’s no wonder the beauty of instrumental melody has been used to increase neurogenesis and heal damaged neurology.
For instance, music has been prescribed for decades as a therapeutic aid for patients with dementia and depression, while clinicians have reduced the frequency of epileptic seizures through the calming effect of Mozart’s Sonata for Two Pianos in D Major.
As neurologist and psychiatrist David Silbersweig explains, music activates parts of the brain, from the temporal lobe (e.g., tone and pitch) to the cerebellum (rhythm, timing, and physical movement), the amygdala and hippocampus (emotions and memories), and various sections of the reward system.
So, where does creative sensitivity originate? What neuronal activity empowers us to acquaint our inner dolphin and riff on experimental tangents? As author Clay Drinko ponders in his book Play Your Way Sane: ‘What is it about improv that quiets our inner critic, [allowing] creative parts of the brain to flourish?‘
The immediacy of improv unfolding in real time explains, to some extent, the psychosocial stimulus that captures attention in a way that cannot be negotiated — relinquishing one’s reflective self-consciousness and leading us to drift into a state of flow. Moreover, thanks to recent exploratory research, the discovery that one part of the brain awakens while another nods off helps explain how humans instinctively fixate during bouts of creativity.
Our brain on improv
In research conducted by Charles Limb and Allen Braun, the medial prefrontal cortex (an area of the brain associated with sense of self, language, creativity, and autobiographical narrative) shows heightened activity during improvisation. In contrast, the lateral prefrontal region (associated with conscious control-seeking and executive function) tends to shut down.
This dorsolateral dormancy, seemingly pervasive across various styles of improvisation, appears to enable self-expression — allowing artists to perform creative acts without judgement.
Using fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) to measure brain activity of jazz musicians and freestyle rappers, scientists discovered that cortical activation differs remarkably when improvising compared to when playing memorised scales.
The cerebral mandala
On an equally mind-bending note, Oxford University’s Selen Atasoy relates harmonic patterns in the brain to those of a mandala (i.e. geometric configuration of symbols). In her talk, ‘From Harmonics to Enlightenment‘, Dr Atasoy demonstrates the ubiquity of patterns observed across nature, mathematics and the brain. From snowflakes and flowers to fruits and animals, we see universal designs of symmetry all around us. These shapes, according to Atasoy et al., resemble harmonic wave patterns of frequencies in cortical activity, and represent a fundamental principle explaining the orchestration of our brain’s functional organisation as a connectome.
Delve into the engineering triumph of an elusive 8-centimetre artist as he gathers fine sand to create a radial bed of beauty, twenty times his size.
Analogous to the mosaic sand circles of a white-spotted puffer fish, the harmonic integration of our mind, according to Dr Atasoy, comprises complex neurological networks steered by the cerebral cortex, ‘the human connectome’. It is this concept of ‘connectome harmonics’ that scientists advocate as a frequency-specific language showing spatio-temporal patterns of neural activity during loss and recovery of consciousness.
Visualising the connectome can deepen our understanding of the brain, where signatures of consciousness are observed via frequencies that either lose or gain energy depending on specific stimuli.
For instance, a psychedelic-induced state of consciousness tends to show a significantly higher frequency signature compared to a state of induced anesthesia. In parallel, a meditative state similarly elicits a significantly higher frequency signature — reinforcing cathartic notions of calm, clarity and concentration as creative stimulants.
Essentially, this delicate ‘excitatory–inhibitory’ interaction that occurs in the connectome is composed of synaptic inputs that correspond to a neuronal event (i.e. sensory stimulation). These inputs (comprising dopamine or GABA neurotransmitters) shape how intensely we improvise with our environments.
Grasping this intricate dynamic can play a profound role in awakening our inner dolphin. In the same way that Carl Jung explored the depths of his own psyche using mandala patterns — eventually advocating the act of drawing as a therapeutic form of artistic expression — improverts, too, can find unique ways to stimulate cortical creativity through nature-inspired harmony.
Thinking of this neuro-harmonic interplay as a cerebral mandala can empower our quest for intuitive nuance — allowing one to trigger a harmonious ensemble of cortical energy that correlates with an improvisational state of consciousness.
The cerebral mandala as a vessel for self-exploration
‘The mandala is a symbol of psychic wholeness… Wholeness implies completeness, embracing all aspects of the self, including those that may be contradictory or troubling.’
— The Collected Works of C.G. Jung
‘The ‘circle’ is one of the great primordial images of mankind, but it is only a vessel, containing the essence of what is expressed. In the mandala, the ‘Self’ is experienced as a great whole.’
— Alchemical Studies, C.G. Jung
Neurosensitivity & improv
We’ve touched on cortical stimulation and connectome harmonics, but could ‘sensitivity’ be the underlying attentional trait that fuses the synaptic fireworks display, conducting our creative concertos? And what about reaching an intense mental state of ‘hyperfocus’, synonymous with artistic creativity? Why is it that at times you can find yourself concentrating with laser focus, while on other occasions, you encounter frustrating spells of procrastination?
Crucially, a comprehensive understanding of improv-infused cognition requires an awareness of both cortical activity and neurosensitivity.
Attentional traits appear to evoke unique sensory experiences for each individual and, arguably, encompass a neurodiverse mystery of contrast and contradiction. While some people find it easy to ‘tune out’ or mind-wander, riffing off on fictitious tangents as an outlet of creative expression, others struggle during acts of ambiguity, preferring structure and repetition.
Attention, the basic function regulating human behaviour, has become a highly sought after skill in an age where accessibility and distraction constantly interrupt our ability to focus. While cortical activation remains a vital neuro-harmonic stimulus to hone improvisational mastery, there could well be more to the neuronal enigma that enchants our wondrous minds.
Might a state of hyperfocus signal an intricate cocktail of neuronal activity permeating the sensation-seeking mind? And could art spark the autist within?
Reaching a heightened level of concentration seems to be more of a constellational phenomenon than just the result of neocortical light switching. Delving deeper with a biopsychosocial lens, hyperfocus could be that one elusive psychostimulant that naturally induces autistic attention.
Google the term ‘hyperfocus,’ and the first word association you encounter is ‘disorder’. Affiliated with ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), this intense form of mental concentration is construed as a neurotransmitter that results in abnormally low levels of dopamine culminating in executive dysfunction (or, in a broader context, lacking control over when to focus). Misunderstood for over a century of evolving psychoanalysis, co-occuring traits of impulsivity and hyperactivity have been conveniently labelled as polarising dysfunctions requiring treatment in a neurotypical ’empire of normality’.
The controversy in psychological literature arises from the prevalence of impulsivity and sensory sensitivity traits. In neurodevelopmental conditions such as ADHD and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), these attributes regularly appear as defining features and are often at odds with executive function (i.e. neurological processes necessary for cognitive control).
So, do we really know enough about neurosensitivity traits to unanimously categorise them as dysfunctional conditions? For the aspiring improvert, and in creative contexts, wouldn’t it make sense to embrace such wondrous qualities?
Recognising the prominence of sensitivity traits in virtuoso minds such as Amadeus Mozart, Michelangelo, Emily Dickinson, and Tim Burton, the excitatory signature that permeates our cerebral connectome may indeed spark the autist within. Rather than suppress impulsivity and hyperactivity traits, we can learn to unleash these cognitive compounds in productive stretches of vibrant improv.
Neurosensitivity, it turns out, could be the musical pitch and vibrato that binds the neuro-harmonic brain — inducing expression and impulsivity during bouts of improvisation. These traits are not, strictly speaking, disorders. Rather, they should be seen as organic psychostimulants awaiting subconscious excitation — master and commander of our creative concertos.
Curious about unleashing an infinite supply of neocortical energy?
Part 3 of this cerebral series sheds light on triggering the wondrous mind.
