OK, you might not want to say it out loud publicly but wouldn't it be nice if we could erase our fears from our memories? Or should we? One research study suggests we can alter the impact that fears have on our while they are still "vulnerable" to editing. This could help us become less dependent on pharmacological treatments!
Share your thoughts by tweeting us @
thirstyfishinfo or leaving a comment.
Recalling a frightening moment or event can be unsettling as your body revisits the sense of danger and panic you first experienced, and the frequent recurrence of these recollections can even lay a foundation for anxiety disorders. Yet, according to new research from the department of psychology at New York University, there may actually be a way to rewrite these "fear memories" to extract the sting of panic and discomfort. Previous research into long-term memory has found that, with "extinction training"—which involves re-living a frightening experience in a safe environment—psychologists are able to help people suppress fear memories. Yet, even with this technique, stressful situations can still cause that memory, and the emotions associated with it, to come surging back. What researchers found in this latest study, however, was that in the period just after a memory is recollected, and before it is "reconsolidated" back into our mind's memory bank, it may be vulnerable to editing.
|