Memory Therapy

For over a hundred years the field of psychology has asked the question how do we help people manage their fears and traumatic memories. Recently a drug has been undergoing testing that has had success in this area.  The drug is called Proponalolol.  Proponalolol,  is normally used to treat high blood pressure.  The drug fits into a class of pharmaceuticals titled beta blockers, which simply means it interferes with hormones in the brain.

This recent study spearheaded by the biological psychiatry journal produced success in suppressing the fears of people who were afraid of spiders.

The experiment exposed people to their fears (spiders) and then gave them the Proponalolol. This method allowed for the fear of the memory to be brought the front of the mind.  After the memory was recalled the Proponalolol was ingested which blocked the return of the unpleasant memory.  After only a few therapy sessions the people who were provided the Proponalolol were able to interact with and even handle the Tarantulas that they were using in therapy.

So far the long term success of the testing seems to be holding.

If you are interested in a more thorough explanation of this study you can go to either one of these links for more research.

http://www.nytimes.com/

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/

However, it looks to me like this drug has the potential to repair a lot of psychological issue's associated with negative memory recollection.

Thanks for reading :)