Erasing Fears & Traumas Using Modern Neuroscience | Huberman Lab Essentials
Andrew Huberman
6 nov 2025
Mindsip insights from this episode:
Take high-dose inositol to reduce anxiety symptoms
Taking 18 grams of inositol daily for a month has been shown to decrease anxiety symptoms with a potency on par with many prescription antidepressants.
Utilize detailed retelling to reduce trauma response
A detailed recounting of traumatic events is essential in therapy, as the physiological anxiety response progressively diminishes with each retelling.
Leverage motivation to overwrite fearful memories
The brain's threat center, the amygdala, has a direct pathway to the dopamine system, which is why you can leverage motivation and reward to overwrite fearful memories.
Replace fear with positive experiences to overcome it
To overcome fear, you can't simply eliminate it; you must actively replace the fearful memory with a new, positive event or narrative.
Negotiate fear's meaning to shape your response
While the physical feeling of fear is a generic, non-negotiable reflex, your prefrontal cortex allows you to negotiate what that feeling means and how you will respond.
Experience unique brain state with MDMA's dual dopamine and serotonin boost
MDMA is unique because it causes large, simultaneous increases in both dopamine (motivation) and serotonin (contentment), a chemical state not normally experienced.
Utilize saffron to significantly reduce anxiety
Multiple human studies show that a 30mg dose of orally ingested saffron is a reliable dose for significantly reducing anxiety.
Utilize ketamine-assisted therapy to address trauma and depression
Ketamine-assisted psychotherapy appears to be especially beneficial for individuals whose trauma or fear is coupled with depressive symptoms.
Utilize short stress bouts to enhance resilience
Deliberately inducing short, five-minute bouts of stress daily through protocols like cyclic hyperventilation can help you recalibrate your stress response system.
Time anti-anxiety supplements strategically before therapy sessions
You should avoid taking anxiety-reducing supplements like saffron or inositol before a therapy session where the goal is to amplify and process a traumatic memory.
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