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.
For the full show notes, visit hubermanlab.com.
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<h2>Timestamps</h2>
(00:00:00) Introducing Fear, Trauma & Trauma
(00:02:31) Sponsors: AG1, LMNT
(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
Title Card Photo Credit: Mike Blabac
Disclaimer
This is an unofficial transcript meant for reference. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
Welcome to the Huberman Lab Podcast, where we discuss science and science-based tools for everyday life. I'm Andrew Hubel.
And I'm a professor of neurobiology and ophthalmology at Stanford School of Medicine.
To talk about the neuroscience of fear. We are also going to talk about trauma and post-traumatic stress disorders.
The neuroscience of fear has a long history in biology and in the field of psychology.
I think it's fair to say that in the last 10 years, the field of neuroscience has shed light on not just the neural circuits, meaning the areas of the brain that control the fear response and the ways that it does it, but some important ways to extinguish fears using behavioral therapies, drug therapies,
And machine interfaces. Today, we are going to talk about all of those and you're going to come away with both an understanding.
Of the biology of fear and trauma, as well as many practical tools to confront fear and trauma.
In fact, we are going to discuss one very recently published study in which five.
Minutes a day of deliberate exposure to stress was shown to alleviate long-standing depressive and fear-related symptoms.
To the details of that study and the protocol that emerges from that study a little later in the podcast,
is a really important, somewhat counterintuitive example of how stress itself can be used to combat fear.
To give you a sense of where we are going, I'll just lay out the framework for today's podcast.
I'm going to teach you about the biology of fear and trauma, literally the cells and circuits and.
Actions in the body and chemicals in the body that give rise to the so-called fear response.
Why sometimes, but not always, fear can turn into trauma. I will also describe the biology of how fear is unlearned, or what we call extinguished, and there too.
To you're going to get some serious surprises. You're going to learn, for instance, that we can't just.
We actually have to replace fears with a new positive event. And again, there are tools with which to do that, and I will teach you those tools today. Before we begin, I'd like to emphasize that this podcast is separate from my teaching and research roles.
At Stanford. It is however, part of my desire and effort to bring zero cost to consumer information about science and science related tools to the general public. In keeping with that theme, I'd like to thank the sponsors of today's podcast.
Is Athletic Greens. Athletic Greens is an all-in-one vitamin mineral probiotic drink. I've been taking Athletic Greens since 2000.
So I'm delighted that they're sponsoring the podcast. The reason I started taking Athletic Greens
of collard greens once or twice a day is that it helps me cover all of my basic nutritional needs. It makes up for any deficiencies that.
I might have. In addition, it has probiotics, which are vital for microbiome health. I've done a couple of episodes now on the so-called gut microbiome.
To regulate mood and essentially.
Every biological system relevant to health throughout your brain and body. With that, let it greens, I get the vitamins I need, the minerals I need, and the probiotics to support my microbiome.
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And K2 is also important because it regulates things like cardiovascular function, calcium in the body, and so on.
Go to athleticgreens.com/huberman to claim the special offer of the five free travel packs and the year supply of vitamin D3 K2. Today's episode is also brought to us by Element.
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And those are sodium, magnesium, and potassium, but it has no sugar. I've talked many times before on this podcast about the key role of hydration and electrolytes for nerve cell function, neuron function, as well as the function of all the cells
In organ systems of the body. If we have sodium, magnesium, and potassium present in the proper ratios, all of those cells function properly and all our bodily systems can be optimized. If the electrolytes are not present and if hydration is low.
We simply can't think as well as we would otherwise. Our mood is off, hormone systems go off, our ability to get into physical action, to engage in endurance and strength and all sorts of other things is.
So with Element, you can make sure that you're staying on top of your hydration and that you're getting the proper ratios of electrolytes. If you'd like to try Element, you can.
Go to drink element that's lmnt.com/huberman, and you'll get a free element sample pack with your purchase.
Again, if you want to try Element, you can go to elementlmnt.com/huberman. Today's episode is also brought to us by Waking Up. Waking Up is a meditation app.
That includes hundreds of meditation programs, mindfulness trainings, yoga nidra sessions, and NSDR, non-sleep deep rest protocol.
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