Erasing Fears & Traumas Based on the Modern Neuroscience of Fear | Huberman Lab Podcast #49
Andrew Huberman・2 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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