Pill against fear

Some of us had events in our life, the memory of which make us shiver every time we recall what had happened. In the most severe cases such memories are able to haunt a person and require psychological treatment, which can take months and even years.

But recenly a new was developed by Merel Kindt, a professor of clinical psychology at the University of Amsterdam. It allows to “neutralize” fear memories with a single pill.

The foundation for the discovery was the well established fact that in the hours immediately after the horrific experience, some protein is produced that subtly altering the cellular structure of the brain. This process is called “consolidation,” and scientists believed it happens only once, so that the old (consolidated) memories cannot be changed, at least not easily.

But Merel got an incling that the re-consolidation happens every time the old memory is recalled, and that is the opportune time to affect it.

That is how one benign pill, which doctors have prescribed for decades to treat heart disease, administered in the right moment (when the memory is recalled and “re-experienced”) is able to eliminate the fear response – by blocking protein synthesis and thus preventing the memory re-consolidation. The memory is still there, but it does not hurt anymore.

Here how the first successful session with a patient Klaver (she was robbed in her home) is described in NewRepublic.com:

Kindt ushered the patient Klaver into a small, plain room with a table and two chairs. Normally, a patient who had suffered a traumatic experience might expect a therapist to proceed slowly and gently, offering comfort and support. Instead, Kindt dived straight in, pushing Klaver to relive the experience and focus on the source of her fear. “There is no escape,” Kindt told her, as Klaver wept into her hands. “Nobody can help you.” After 15 minutes, Klaver seemed shattered by her memories, and Kindt abruptly stopped the interrogation. She gave Klaver a round, white pill, which she swallowed with a sip of water. “I was totally broken,” Klaver said.

Klaver went to bed early that night and slept for twelve hours. When she woke the next morning, she found that her memory was transformed. She was able for the first time to think about the experience without anxiety or panic. “It felt like there was not that much weight on my shoulders,” she said.

Amazing, isn’t it?!

– Don’t be afraid! The spider is smaller than you!

– I know, but so is a grenade.