could this be good news for people like us

[Robbs]

not really any great detail but if scientists can pinpoint the part of our brains that create/cause fear then maybe they can do something to help people with panic dissorder :yesyes:

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/21/20100624/tsc-scientists-find-key-to-beating-fear-4b158bc.html




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[KK77]

Scientists have known where the major fear-response centres are located in the brain for a long time but the problem is that because our brains are all "wired" differently depending on our conditioning/experiences etc I think it would be very difficult to have a one-size-for-all treatment/therapy that worked for everyone.

But it's encouraging that non-drug treatments and options are being explored. I think that's definitely a positive thing.

[Bill]

Just a thought but would it be wise for scientists to turn off our responses to fear? It would mean if we saw a lion we'd not have any adrenalin helping us to run or mean that we wouldn't feel danger so stand there ready to be eaten!

It just seems to me it'd be like preventing sneezing so we'd never recover from the mildest of colds.

I feel that if scientists were to prevent people suffering from anxiety, they'd have to identify the gene that causes us to worry so much that creates our panics. It would also mean identifying the gene that makes us sensitive. However, that would also mean we would lose our empathy, compassion and caring for others because we'd no longer feel what others feel.

I guess then they could remove all the genes that create problems for everyone so that we're all clones with identical personalities with exactly the same traits.

So as I said in the beginning, should they really try to change something that occurs naturally that we can learn how to cure for ourselves? I'm happy being me! Sorry for being cynical.:blush:

However, if it helps them to develop better meds and therapies then I'm all in favour for it!:yesyes:.....but I still feel it's perfectly possible to overcome our fears as things are once we learn the causes to our fears and how to cope with them.:hugs:

[KK77]

Just a thought but would it be wise for scientists to turn off our responses to fear? It would mean if we saw a lion we'd not have any adrenalin helping us to run or mean that we wouldn't feel danger so stand there ready to be eaten!

It just seems to me it'd be like preventing sneezing so we'd never recover from the mildest of colds.

I feel that if scientists were to prevent people suffering from anxiety, they'd have to identify the gene that causes us to worry so much that creates our panics. It would also mean identifying the gene that makes us sensitive. However, that would also mean we would lose our empathy, compassion and caring for others because we'd no longer feel what others feel.

I guess then they could remove all the genes that create problems for everyone so that we're all clones with identical personalities with exactly the same traits.

So as I said in the beginning, should they really try to change something that occurs naturally that we can learn how to cure for ourselves? I'm happy being me! Sorry for being cynical.:blush:

However, if it helps them to develop better meds and therapies then I'm all in favour for it!:yesyes:.....but I still feel it's perfectly possible to overcome our fears as things are once we learn the causes to our fears and how to cope with them.:hugs:

I wholeheartedly agree with you Bill. Soon they'll be wanting to implant chips inside us, promising to end all sorts of ills. Then we become robots: emotionless and lifeless, just existing. Apparently, microchips have become so minute now that they can be injected through a hypodermic needle and even implanted on the backs of bees to monitor their activity. Science is definitely good thing ... with the right intentions of course.

[Typer]

I agree Bill, would not want any natural response switched off.

The thing is that science has really moved forward in the last 20 years. What we thought before this was that patterns of thinking were set in stone/static. It was thought that anything that happened up until the age of 5 or rather its effects were undo-able. But research helped us see that we can develop new neural pathways, overriding old patterns of thinking. This is why CBT has become so popular in recent years.

My thinking is that science will not be looking to switch off fear, rather, I hope, it will improve methods where we can adjust the fear to work only if we see a lion or if we need it. Right now, EMRD is becoming very popular, especially for PTS and seems to have good reviews for depression. If EMRD is coupled with good therapy, it may help us to not be fearful inappropriately. (I hope)

If anyone is interested in really exploring this more fully, there is an excellent book called:

The Brain that Changes Itself, by, Norman Doidge


In fact here is his website


http://www.normandoidge.com/normandoidge/MAIN.html


awards:

http://www.normandoidge.com/normandoidge/AWARDS.html