Currently, the treatment of patients with panic disorder or posttraumatic stress disorder is based on long-term cognitive-behavioral therapy and regular medication to help alleviate the symptoms. The new method developed by scientists in the Netherlands requires very short, single intervention that leads to the immediate loss of fear.
Researchers at the University of Amsterdam found that the phobia can be cured within a few minutes. Just think about what arouses the greatest fear and once used propranolol, a drug that causes temporary memory loss. This method proved to be effective in combating arachnofobii.
The experiment was attended by 45 people terribly afraid of spiders. The study consisted of activation of fear – first the participants were shown a tarantula. Then they were treated with a single dose of propranolol or placebo.
The results were surprising. They found that the participants who received propranolol, followed by modification of existing memories. People experiencing panic fear of spiders and avoiding them like the plague ceased to feel fear, and this effect was maintained for another year.
“The first time we showed that patients with agoraphobia drug inducing amnesia in conjunction with reactivation memories turns into avoidance behavior on the behavior of proximity. This new treatment is more like surgery than therapy “- says Dr Merel Kindt, co-author of the study.
The method of modification of existing memories used previously for the treatment of phobias induced in laboratory conditions. Now, for the first time demonstrated its effectiveness in a real life situation.
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