Erasing Fears & Traumas Based on the Modern Neuroscience of Fear

In this episode, I discuss fear and trauma, including the neural circuits involved in the "threat reflex" and how specific experiences and memories come to activate that system. I also discuss how our body is involved in trauma and fear. First, I describe the logic of fear mechanisms and how "top-down" processing-- meaning connections from the parts of the brain that assign meaning to our feelings, are involved in fear and erasing fears and traumas. Then I discuss what successful fear and trauma treatment must include and consider various treatments for whether they meet that standard, such as EMDR, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Ketamine, other drug-assisted therapies, and more. I also review new data on how 5 minutes per day of deliberate, self-imposed stress can erase fear and depression. And I review the role that social connection plays in erasing or maintaining fears by activating specific molecular pathways in the brain and body. Finally, I review supplementation with over-the-counter compounds for their effects on anxiety and fear and when to take them, if at all. 

Read the full show notes for this episode at hubermanlab.com.

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Timestamps

00:00:00 Introducing Fear, Trauma & Trauma  

00:02:31 Sponsors: AG1, LMNT & Waking Up

00:06:49 What is Fear?  

00:11:45 Autonomic Arousal: “Alertness” vs. “Calmness”  

00:13:44 Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis (HPA axis)  

00:17:36 “The Threat Reflex”: Neural Circuits for Fear  

00:28:24 Controlling Fear: Top-Down Processing  

00:32:27 Narratives: “Protective or Dangerous”  

00:35:58 Attaching Fear to Events: Classical Conditioning & Memory  

00:41:45 How Fear Learning Occurs: Long Term Potentiation, NMDA  

00:46:10 Extinguishing (Reducing) Fears  

00:50:25 Cognitive (Narrative) Therapies for Fear  

00:57:56 Repetition of Narrative, Overwriting Bad Experiences with Good  

01:05:28 EMDR: Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing  

01:14:00 Social Connection & Isolation Are Chemically Powerful  

01:18:23 Trans-Generational Trauma  

01:25:00 PTSD Treatments: Ketamine, MDMA, Oxytocin  

01:39:25 How Do You Know If You Are Traumatized?  

01:46:16 Deliberate Brief Stress Can Erase Fears & Trauma  

01:49:50 Erasing Fears & Traumas in 5 Minutes Per Day  

01:59:42 Nutrition, Sleep, & Other General Support Erasing Fear & Trauma  

02:02:30 Supplements for Anxiety, Fear: Saffron, Inositol, Kava  

02:10:00 Synthesis  

02:11:46 Zero-Cost Support, Sponsors, Supplements, Instagram, Twitter  

Disclaimer & Disclosures