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Erasing Fears & Traumas Based on the Modern Neuroscience of Fear | Huberman Lab Podcast #49

Andrew Huberman・104 minutes read

The Huberman Lab Podcast discusses the neuroscience of fear and trauma, providing biological insights and practical tools to confront them. Various therapies, lifestyle factors, and supplements are explored to manage fear and trauma, emphasizing the importance of understanding brain circuits and safe re-exposure to extinguish traumatic events.

Insights

  • Andrew Huberman, a neurobiology and ophthalmology professor at Stanford School of Medicine, hosts the Huberman Lab Podcast, which explores neuroscience, fear, trauma, and post-traumatic stress disorders.
  • The podcast provides insights into the neural circuits controlling fear responses, methods to extinguish fears, and the impact of stress exposure on depressive and fear-related symptoms.
  • The autonomic nervous system, comprising sympathetic and parasympathetic branches, influences alertness and calmness, while the HPA axis triggers hormone release, impacting fear responses and gene expression.
  • Fear responses, involving physiological and cognitive elements, are distinct from stress and anxiety, with the amygdala playing a pivotal role in activating the body's fight, flight, or freeze reactions.
  • Therapies like prolonged exposure therapy, cognitive processing, and cognitive behavioral therapy, along with supplements like Saffron, Inositol, and Kava, offer avenues for addressing fear, trauma, and PTSD by targeting neural circuits and creating new positive associations with traumatic events.

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Recent questions

  • How can daily stress exposure alleviate depressive symptoms?

    The Summary highlights a study revealing that just five minutes of daily stress exposure can alleviate depressive and fear-related symptoms. This exposure to stress triggers physiological responses that can help individuals manage and overcome depressive symptoms. By deliberately inducing stress through short, deliberate sessions, individuals activate the top-down prefrontal components of the brain, which play a crucial role in regulating emotional responses. This deliberate stress induction can aid in stress, fear, and trauma relief by activating specific brain regions involved in emotional regulation. It is essential to note that longer stress sessions can exacerbate trauma and fear, emphasizing the importance of short, intentional stress exposure for therapeutic benefits.

  • What are some effective supplements for reducing anxiety?

    The Summary mentions several supplements that have shown significant effects in reducing anxiety. Saffron and Inositol supplements have demonstrated notable anxiety reduction effects in studies, with dosages ranging from 12-18 grams. Specifically, Saffron at 30mg and Inositol at 18 grams for a month have shown anxiety reduction effects comparable to prescription antidepressants. Additionally, Kava, which increases GABA levels, has potent anxiety reduction effects, resembling a lighter version of MDMA without its mental or physical effects. Using these supplements logically, outside of intense therapy sessions, may aid in returning the body to baseline and supporting trauma and PTSD management. GABA, an inhibitory neurotransmitter, is used by neurons in the prefrontal cortex to inhibit the threat reflex, while Kava increases both GABA and Dopamine levels, affecting the threat reflex and Dopamine system. Human studies on Kava have shown its effectiveness in reducing anxiety, stress, PTSD, and fear, with dosages ranging from 50 to 300 milligrams of active kava lactones, leading to anxiolytic effects and improvement in depressive symptoms.

  • How can fear extinction be achieved?

    Fear extinction, a process highlighted in the Summary, involves repeatedly recounting fearful experiences to reduce the threat reflex. This process aims to diminish the physiological response to fear, which is the initial step in overcoming traumatic experiences. Following fear extinction, it is crucial to create new positive associations with the previously traumatic event through narrative and cognitive processes. The prefrontal cortex plays a key role in rewiring fear circuitry by creating new narratives and positive associations. Narrative therapy is emphasized as a potent tool for rewiring the nervous system and forming new relationships with past traumatic events. The correct sequence for overcoming fear involves fear extinction, followed by relearning a new narrative with positive associations linked to the traumatic event. Alternative therapies like EMDR, involving lateral eye movements, have shown promise in reducing fear responses by inhibiting the threat reflex circuitry and reducing anxiety.

  • What role does social connection play in reducing fear and trauma?

    Social connection plays a crucial role in reducing fear and trauma by decreasing levels of Tachykinin, a molecule associated with anxiety and aggression. The Summary highlights how individuals working through fear and trauma can benefit significantly from social connections, as they help reduce the amplifying effects of social isolation on traumatic experiences. By fostering social connections, individuals can create a supportive environment that aids in managing and overcoming fear and trauma. This social support can help individuals feel understood, accepted, and less alone in their struggles, ultimately contributing to improved mental health outcomes. Additionally, social connection can provide a sense of belonging and safety, which are essential for individuals navigating fear and trauma.

  • How can individuals recalibrate their stress response?

    The Summary suggests that individuals can recalibrate their stress response through various methods, including breathing protocols like cyclic sighs. By engaging in practices that involve deep inhales and exhales, individuals can recalibrate their stress response by either calming or increasing autonomic arousal. Cyclic hyperventilation, which entails deep breathing with a full exhale and breath-hold every 25-30 breaths for 25-60 seconds, can lead to heightened autonomic arousal. While this practice may induce symptoms like sweating, wide-eyed reactions, and agitation due to released adrenaline, it can help individuals recalibrate their stress response. Continuous cyclic hyperventilation for five minutes daily can increase autonomic arousal, but caution is advised for those prone to panic or anxiety attacks. By deliberately inducing stress through brief daily sessions, individuals may aid in stress, fear, and trauma relief by activating top-down prefrontal components.

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Summary

00:00

"Neuroscience Podcast: Fear, Trauma, and Practical Tools"

  • Andrew Huberman hosts the Huberman Lab Podcast, focusing on science and practical tools for daily life.
  • Huberman is a neurobiology and ophthalmology professor at Stanford School of Medicine.
  • The podcast delves into the Neuroscience of fear, trauma, and post-traumatic stress disorders.
  • Neuroscience has recently illuminated neural circuits controlling fear responses and methods to extinguish fears.
  • A study revealed that five minutes of daily stress exposure can alleviate depressive and fear-related symptoms.
  • The podcast aims to provide biological insights into fear and trauma, along with practical tools to confront them.
  • Fear responses involve physiological and cognitive components, distinct from stress and anxiety.
  • Trauma embeds fear in the nervous system, leading to maladaptive responses like post-traumatic stress.
  • Autonomic arousal, controlled by the autonomic nervous system, influences alertness through sympathetic and parasympathetic branches.
  • Understanding fear and trauma involves dissecting how fears form, dissolve, and can be replaced by new positive experiences.

12:57

Neural circuits and biology of fear

  • The autonomic nervous system consists of the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems, which regulate alertness and calmness respectively.
  • The HPA axis, comprising the hypothalamus, pituitary, and adrenals, plays a crucial role in triggering hormone release, including cortisol and adrenaline.
  • Adrenaline and cortisol are key stress hormones released by the adrenals, impacting wakefulness and stress responses.
  • The HPA axis can activate the body for action in the short and long term, influencing fear responses and gene expression.
  • The amygdala, part of the threat reflex, is pivotal in fear responses and activating the body's fight, flight, or freeze reactions.
  • The amygdala integrates various sensory and memory information, with outputs to the hypothalamus, adrenals, and brain areas like the PAG and locus coeruleus.
  • The PAG triggers freezing responses and releases endogenous opioids for numbing, while the locus coeruleus induces arousal through adrenaline and norepinephrine release.
  • Fear responses are generalized and can be triggered by various stimuli, with the amygdala serving as a critical component of the threat reflex.
  • The amygdaloid complex, with around 12 distinct areas, processes sensory and memory inputs and influences fear responses.
  • Understanding the neural circuits and biology of fear can aid in addressing and overcoming fear responses through leveraging the brain's plasticity and adaptive mechanisms.

25:57

"Fear triggers reflexes, dopamine system activation"

  • Fearful experiences trigger the threat reflex, activating a series of responses including freezing, adrenal activation, and alertness.
  • The amygdala projects to the Dopamine system, specifically the nucleus accumbens, associated with reward and addiction.
  • Dopamine is responsible for feelings of craving, pursuit, and reward, and can be activated by the threat center.
  • The threat reflex can be triggered by past memories or immediate experiences, leading to responses related to threat or reward.
  • The prefrontal cortex is involved in top-down processing, allowing for the suppression or control of reflexes.
  • Top-down processing can override reflexes, such as stepping on a tack or reacting to cold water, by providing a new narrative.
  • Fear involves the release of Adrenaline into the system, leading to responses like quickening heart rate and breathing.
  • Memories can be protective or dangerous, influencing our behavior and responses to fear.
  • Pavlovian conditioning explains how fear responses can be learned through one trial experiences, leading to intense fear reactions.
  • Fear responses are wired in quickly through negative experiences, creating an asymmetry in how we respond to different stimuli.

40:01

Overcoming Fear Through Behavioral Therapy and Neuroplasticity

  • People commonly experience fears related to closeness and attachment, which can be short-term, long-term, or medium-term.
  • The fear system is wired to include acute memories or events that lead to a general sense of negativity towards relationships or specific locations.
  • A temporal component is key in how the fear system batches events over time to create specific fears or general negative perceptions.
  • An isolated incident, like a friend's car being broken into in San Francisco, can forever color one's view of a city, leading to broad decisions about places.
  • Neuroplasticity is the nervous system's ability to change in response to experiences, involving mechanisms like long-term potentiation that strengthen connections between neurons.
  • The N-M-D-A receptor plays a crucial role in activating neurons strongly during intense events, leading to changes in synaptic strengths and the creation of new associations in the nervous system.
  • Long-term potentiation can also lead to long-term depression, weakening connections between neurons and allowing for the unlearning of fears and traumas.
  • Therapies like prolonged exposure therapy, cognitive processing, and cognitive behavioral therapy use language to weaken connections associated with fear and trauma and replace them with positive experiences.
  • Current treatments for anxiety, fear, and PTSD like SSRIs, benzodiazepines, and antipsychotic drugs indirectly reduce symptoms but do not directly target the neurobiology of fear.
  • Behavioral therapies that involve recounting traumatic events in detail have been shown to progressively diminish anxiety responses and physiological reactions, leading to the reduction of fear and trauma over time.

54:41

Overcoming Trauma Through Fear Extinction Therapy

  • Retelling traumatic events can help diminish their impact, turning them into less distressing stories.
  • This process, known as fear extinction, involves repeatedly recounting fearful experiences to reduce the threat reflex.
  • Studies show that pairing a neutral stimulus with a negative one can condition fear responses, but repeated exposure without the negative stimulus can lead to extinction.
  • Fear extinction can be achieved through therapy sessions, group settings, or detailed journaling, emphasizing the importance of trust between the individual and the therapist or group.
  • Diminishing the physiological response to fear is the initial step in overcoming traumatic experiences.
  • Following fear extinction, it is crucial to create new positive associations with the previously traumatic event through narrative and cognitive processes.
  • The prefrontal cortex plays a key role in rewiring fear circuitry through the creation of new narratives and positive associations.
  • Narrative therapy is highlighted as a potent tool for rewiring the nervous system and forming new relationships with past traumatic events.
  • The correct sequence for overcoming fear involves fear extinction, followed by relearning a new narrative with positive associations linked to the traumatic event.
  • Alternative therapies like EMDR, involving lateral eye movements, have shown promise in reducing fear responses by inhibiting the threat reflex circuitry and reducing anxiety.

01:09:16

"EMDR for Trauma: Effective but Limited"

  • EMDR is effective for single-event traumas or fearful experiences, not for complex or long-term traumas like bad marriages or childhood experiences.
  • EMDR focuses on reducing the physiological response to old traumatic experiences, not on relearning new narratives or attaching rewards.
  • EMDR involves moving eyes side to side while reciting traumatic events to reduce threat reflex activation.
  • Social connection plays a crucial role in reducing fear and trauma by decreasing levels of Tachykinin, a molecule associated with anxiety and aggression.
  • Trauma and fear can be inherited transgenerationally, leading to a predisposition for trauma or extreme fear in offspring.
  • Genetic predispositions to trauma are linked to the glucocorticoid system and the HPA axis, making individuals more reactive to fearful events.
  • The transgenerational passage of trauma does not involve the transmission of specific traumatic events but rather a heightened responsivity to fear-inducing stimuli.
  • Treatments for trauma are not different for individuals with a genetic predisposition to fear, as there are no current gene therapies targeting these specific variants.
  • The threat detection and fear learning system is a sensory system that is generic in its response, allowing for flexibility but lacking specificity.
  • Social connection is crucial for individuals working through fear and trauma, as it can help reduce the amplifying effects of social isolation on traumatic experiences.

01:24:40

Emerging Therapies for Trauma: Ketamine and MDMA

  • Children with a predisposition can be traumatized by various things, with some being more susceptible than others.
  • Behavioral treatments for fear and trauma will be discussed, including new protocols.
  • Drug treatments for PTSD are emerging, with a focus on Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy and MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy.
  • Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy is legal in the US when prescribed by a board-certified physician.
  • MDMA therapy is in clinical trials in the US but is illegal for possession or sale.
  • Ketamine and MDMA are explored for various psychiatric disorders, including chronic depression and eating disorders.
  • Ketamine induces dissociation, altering cortical activity and creating a unique subjective experience.
  • MDMA leads to increased dopamine and serotonin levels, promoting feelings of connection and bonding.
  • MDMA therapy allows for rapid relearning and association with traumatic experiences, aiding in trauma treatment.
  • MDMA and Ketamine therapies show promise for trauma treatment, with ongoing legal clinical trials.

01:39:34

Understanding Fear: Impact, Processing, and Recalibration

  • Chronic fear and debilitating fear are distinguished by their impact on daily functioning, such as sleep, eating, and work performance.
  • Interoception and exteroception are key concepts in understanding fear, with interoception focusing on internal bodily sensations and exteroception on external events.
  • Individuals vary in their interoceptive awareness, with some able to sense internal bodily functions more accurately than others.
  • Fear and trauma are linked to processing external experiences as threats, activating the fear circuitry in the brain.
  • The insular cortex plays a crucial role in evaluating internal bodily sensations in response to external stimuli.
  • Inhibiting the insular cortex can lead to exaggerated physiological responses to external stimuli, increasing fear and anxiety.
  • Short bouts of intense stress can reverse the effects of chronic stress, impacting hormone levels and neurotransmitters.
  • Breathing protocols, like cyclic sighs, can help individuals recalibrate their stress response by either calming or increasing autonomic arousal.
  • The insular cortex helps individuals match internal responses to external events, influencing the intensity of physiological reactions.
  • Recalibrating the relationship between external events and internal responses can reduce fear and trauma, potentially improving mental health outcomes.

01:53:31

"Stress Relief Techniques and Anxiety Supplements"

  • Cyclic hyperventilation involves deep inhales and exhales, with a full exhale and breath-hold every 25-30 breaths for 25-60 seconds.
  • This practice leads to heightened autonomic arousal, with symptoms like sweating, wide-eyed reactions, and agitation due to released adrenaline.
  • Continuous cyclic hyperventilation for five minutes daily can increase autonomic arousal, but caution is advised for those prone to panic or anxiety attacks.
  • Deliberately inducing stress through brief daily sessions may aid in stress, fear, and trauma relief by activating top-down prefrontal components.
  • Longer stress sessions exacerbate trauma and fear, emphasizing the importance of short, deliberate stress induction.
  • Lifestyle factors like quality nutrition, ample sleep, and social connections indirectly support trauma relief and fear management.
  • Saffron and Inositol supplements have shown significant anxiety reduction effects in studies, with dosages ranging from 12-18 grams.
  • Saffron at 30mg and Inositol at 18 grams for a month have demonstrated notable anxiety reduction effects comparable to prescription antidepressants.
  • Kava, increasing GABA levels, has shown potent anxiety reduction effects in studies, resembling a lighter version of MDMA without its mental or physical effects.
  • Using supplements logically, outside intense therapy sessions, may aid in returning the body to baseline and supporting trauma and PTSD management.

02:07:19

"Kava and GABA for Anxiety and PTSD"

  • GABA is an inhibitory neurotransmitter used by neurons in the prefrontal cortex to inhibit the threat reflex, while Kava increases both GABA and Dopamine levels, affecting the threat reflex and Dopamine system.
  • Human studies on Kava show its effectiveness in reducing anxiety, stress, PTSD, and fear, with dosages ranging from 50 to 300 milligrams of active kava lactones, leading to anxiolytic effects and improvement in depressive symptoms.
  • Various approaches exist for dealing with fear, trauma, and PTSD, including deliberate stress exposure through respiration to increase Adrenaline, which may enhance treatment effectiveness.
  • Understanding the brain circuits underlying fear and PTSD is crucial for choosing appropriate treatments, including re-exposure in a supportive environment to extinguish traumatic events safely.
  • Quality supplements, like those from Thorne, can be beneficial if trustworthy and accurately labeled, with Thorne offering a 20% discount on supplements through their website, ensuring high-quality products.
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