60 Minutes had a report on an amazing drug that relieves the pain in painful memories. It's called propranolol (pro-pra-no-lol).
The theory is that your memory is like jello. It takes time to set. What makes a memory memorable is adrenaline a chemical released by your body during fight or flight situations.
Propranolol protects your brain from the effect of adrenaline so that the painful memories are not encouraged to set. It also seems to undo the effects the adrenaline has had on your memory in the past.
So let's imagine that you are a fearful person. In an interview, you will be so busy protecting yourself from some imaginary danger that you will not be able to perform at your best. So you leave downhearted and even more afraid than you were before.
But what if your fear is caused by painful emotions associated with the memory of some specific events in the past. And what if you could take a drug that allows you to forget those emotions. You would finally be free of your inordinate fear.
Now, imagine that you are afraid of making cold calls because the person at the other end of the phone might not like you. Your discomfort is irrational as you can't really get hurt but it is nevertheless severe. And let's say that it's based on some bad experiences in the past. Take a little Propranolol and poof, the chains of bad memory disappear and so does the irrational fear that held you back.
You should watch the 60 Minute report. It's incredible.
