Effective treatment for fear and trauma requires relearning new narratives and wiring in positive associations with previously feared activities.

“Narrative should not be undervalued as a tool for relieving fear and trauma. In fact, narrative is one of the best and most potent ways that we can rewire our fear circuitry.”

“And that correct sequence is first extinction, then relearning a new narrative with positive associations and attaching those positive associations to the formerly traumatic or fearful event.”

“So there's a three-part process. One diminished the old experience through repetitive narrative. And almost inevitably the initial repetition of that is going to be very high amplitude and quite troubling. But over time it will reduce, right? You're turning that terrible really upsetting story into a terrible boring story. That's the extinction process. Then there's a relearning of a new narrative that includes some sort of sense of reward. And that sense of reward has to be tacked back on to the traumatic event or what was previously a traumatic event.”

“But a really good cognitive behavioral therapist or somebody that understands the Neuroscience of fear and trauma would understand that that's not sufficient.”

“That's what it's really important is that this child, this hypothetical child relearn a new narrative that they don't just manage to bike to soccer practice or manage to spend time with friends, but that they actually start wiring in new positive associations with biking to practice, with playing soccer, with social events.”

“We're talking about attaching a new positive memory to the circuitry so that the previous fear response is far less likely to occur and that it remains extinguished.”

“But even after that's occurred, there's an essential need to relearn a new narrative.”