In this new clip from my podcast with therapist Ryan Soave, we discuss a fascinating virtual-reality experiment he helped with in Andrew Huberman’s lab.
Participants were placed in simulated fear-inducing scenarios involving heights, spiders, claustrophobia, dogs, and even great white sharks. They consciously knew they were safe — but their bodies still mounted a fear response as though the threat were real.
That raises a much bigger question about fear, trauma, and anxiety: how much does the body distinguish between an actual threat and one that is merely perceived? Ryan explains how our nervous systems can enter fight-or-flight based on the reality our minds construct, and why this may help us understand how chronic fear and unresolved trauma can become embodied.
Watch the full clip here.
Full episode link.