Is it possible to permanently change your memories? A group of
scientists thinks so. And their new techniques for altering
memories are raising possibilities of one day treating people
who suffer from phobias, post-traumatic stress disorder and
other anxiety-related conditions. Some researchers are working
with combat veterans, car-accident survivors and rape victims to
replace their memories with less fear-filled ones using a
familiar hypertension drug. Other scientists are studying
whether behavioral therapy can one day be used to modify
memories of people who react with fear to common anxiety-
producing events. A person bitten by a dog as a child, for
instance, might be able to overcome a canine phobia if the old
memory can be replaced with a less scary one. The goal of the
research isn't to erase memory outright, as depicted in popular
movies over the years. That would raise ethical issues and
questions of what would happen to associated memories,
scientists say. Instead, "reducing or eliminating the fear