Introducing the Didomi Behavioral Model and the Inner Control Panel
We’re flooded with models of the mind.
Big Five traits. CBT triangles. “System 1 / System 2.”
They all add something useful—and yet, when you’re tired, overwhelmed, and scrolling at midnight, most of them don’t help you decide what to do next.
That’s why I built the Didomi Behavioral Model (DBM).
The DBM isn’t trying to replace existing psychology or neuroscience. It provides a simple way to organize what we already know about the brain into five practical systems you can actually work with, like a levels control panel, not a textbook.
Didomi Behavioral Model (DBM) is a broader, systemic framework, while the Inner Control Panel (ICP) is a communication and psychoeducational system based on the DBM.
Why add another model?
Because most people don’t need more information.
They need handles.
- “I know sleep is important, but why do I keep sabotaging myself?”
- “I know social media is hijacking my attention, but how do I get it back?”
- “I know relationships matter, but I withdraw when I’m stressed.”
Traditional models are powerful, but they’re often:
- too abstract (accurate, but hard to use in daily life)
- too fragmented (one model for motivation, another for habits, another for relationships)
- too moralizing (“be more disciplined,” “have more willpower”)
The DBM was designed with three constraints:
- It must fit in your head.
You should be able to sketch it on a napkin and explain it to a teenager. - It must be compassionate.
When something goes wrong, the question becomes “Which system is overloaded?” not “What’s wrong with me?” - It must be actionable.
A model is only useful if it changes where you put your time, your attention, and your next tiny experiment.
The Didomi Behavioral Model in one breath
The Didomi Behavioral Model identifies five interconnected systems that shape how we think, act, and interact. Each system has deep evolutionary roots and plays a critical role in our wellbeing, motivation, and ability to thrive in modern life.
Those five systems are:
- Energy & Metabolism System (EMS) – how your body and brain manage fuel, arousal, and basic readiness.
- Recovery System – how you rest, reset, and come back from stress or overload.
- Status System – how you track safety, rank, dignity, and “where I stand” in groups.
- Attention System – how you scan, filter, and focus on what matters right now.
- Connection System – how you seek, maintain, and repair relationships and belonging.
You can think of them as an inner crew quietly working in the background, trying to keep you alive, accepted, and effective.
Your job is not to micro-manage them, but to act as the captain—the one who understands what each system is trying to do and gives them better conditions to succeed.
What makes DBM different?
1. It starts from evolution, not from “ideal behavior”
DBM assumes each system evolved for a reason:
to keep a fragile primate alive in a dangerous, social world.
Most of what we call “self-sabotage” is actually ancient wiring in a modern environment:
- Overeating, doom-scrolling, or procrastination?
Often EMS + Recovery trying to protect you from overload with cheap, fast relief. - Feeling inferior on social media?
Status System doing its job in an environment it was never designed for. - Constant distraction?
Attention System stuck in “threat scan” mode in a world full of alarms, pings, and bad news.
Instead of blaming the person, DBM asks:
“Which system is trying to help in a clumsy way?”
That small shift changes the tone from shame to curiosity.
2. It’s built as an interface, not just a theory
Most psychological models weren’t designed for tools.
DBM is.
From day one, the goal was:
“How do we turn this into a usable control panel for real people?”
That’s where the Inner Control Panel comes in.
- DBM is the engine room: the five systems and how they interact.
- The Inner Control Panel is the dashboard: the knobs, gauges, and indicators that make those systems visible and adjustable.
When you build apps, courses, checklists, or coaching tools on top of DBM, you’re not just handing people advice.
You’re helping them see which part of their inner system is involved and what levers they can try.
3. It’s designed for everyday language
DBM doesn’t require you to remember brain regions or neurotransmitters.
Instead, each system supports simple metaphors that map to lived experience:
- EMS → “battery level” or “fuel gauge”
- Recovery → “brake pedal” and “pit stop”
- Status → “social altitude” or “standing”
- Attention → “spotlight” or “laser scan”
- Connection → “radar for people” or “signal strength”
Those metaphors are not decoration. They are tools.
You’ll see them in the article series with titles like:
- “It’s Not Laziness” – reframing low energy and overload
- “The Brake Pedal Is Stuck” – when your Recovery System won’t let you accelerate
- “The Millisecond Scan” – how your Attention System is constantly sweeping the room
- “The Dirty Windshield” – when past experiences cloud your current view
- “The Myth of the Solo Pilot” – why your Connection and Status systems hate isolation
Each piece zooms into one part of the Inner Control Panel and shows what’s going on under the hood.
How DBM powers the Inner Control Panel
The Inner Control Panel is the practical side of DBM:
a way to see your inner systems and interact with them.
Here’s how the mapping works:
- Energy & Metabolism → Energy Meter
- How charged am I?
- Am I trying to do “deep work” on an empty battery?
- Recovery → Brake & Reset Controls
- Am I riding the brake all day?
- Do I have real recovery, or just numbing?
- Status → Status Gauge
- Where do I feel small, ignored, or exposed?
- What situations reliably trigger shame or superiority?
- Attention → Focus & Scan Controls
- Is my spotlight hijacked by threats and pings?
- Can I widen or narrow the beam on purpose?
- Connection → Connection Radar
- Who are my safe people?
- Where am I sending “I’m fine” signals while feeling alone?
The beauty of DBM is that you don’t need to “fix everything at once.”
You can pick one dial, one indicator, one small experiment.
For example:
Instead of “I’m just bad with people,” you might say:
“My Connection System is stuck in threat mode. What’s one safer, low-stakes interaction I can rehearse and try?”
Instead of “I need more discipline,” you might say:
“My EMS is low and my Recovery System is panicking. What’s a 10-minute reset that doesn’t drain my future self?”
The Inner Control Panel becomes a mental interface you can carry around.
DBM is the wiring that makes those controls meaningful.
How this helps in real life
When you work with DBM and the Inner Control Panel, you get:
- A shared language – for individuals, teams, therapists, coaches, and educators to talk about struggles without blame.
- A map for interventions – instead of random tips, you can target the system that’s actually under strain.
- A way to design tools – apps, programs, and practices that respect how the brain really works, not how we wish it did.
- More compassion for yourself and others – “of course I’m stuck; my Status and Connection systems are overloaded” lands very differently than “I’m weak.”
Where we go from here
This article is the overview, not the manual.
In the rest of this series, I’ll walk through:
- why “laziness” is often a misdiagnosis,
- what it means when your inner brake pedal is stuck,
- how your brain runs a millisecond social scan in every room,
- why your mental windshield gets dirty—and how to clean it,
- and why the “solo pilot” is a myth that quietly burns us out.
Together, the Didomi Behavioral Model and the Inner Control Panel are meant to do one simple thing:
Make your inner world visible, understandable, and tweakable—
so progress and wellbeing become affordable and repeatable, not mysterious or reserved for the lucky few.
