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Self-generated thought is one of the most ubiquitous and familiar human experiences, a ‘stream of consciousness’ uniquely relevant to the individual and their experience. Internally-directed cognition (IDC) represents the internallyoriented stream of conscious thought and associated cognitive processes that occupy inner mental life during wake and sleep.

Given the limitations of a global workspace for working memory and attentional capacity, the degree to which we prioritize the immediate internal or external environment depends on current goals, motivation, level of alertness, the complexity of the ongoing task demands and the context in which it is being performed. At any given moment in time, the stream of human thought is rich and self-relevant, reflecting deliberately or automatically constrained content. It most often reflects an individual’s greatest personal concerns, interpersonal feelings, future goals and …