Learning to overcome your fears is a key stepping stone to becoming resilient. But it’s easier said than done. Fear memories—from agonizing missteps to traumatic experiences—have a way of haunting us. On this special Halloween episode, Mount Sinai neuroscientist Anthony Lacagnina, PhD, takes us inside the brain to understand why. Dr. Lacagnina’s work helps explain why fear memories are so tenacious and raises the possibility of treating them with surgical precision. Dr. Lacagnina is a postdoctoral fellow in the Clem Lab at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and co-host of the podcast Brain Matters. Enjoying Road to Resilience? Please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts. Help us bring you more great stories by completing a quick listener survey. Music by Blue Dot Sessions.

Check out more episodes of Road to Resilience —as well as guest pictures, transcripts, and more— on the Mount Sinai website.Road to Resilience brings you stories and insights to help you thrive in a challenging world. From fighting burnout and trauma to building resilient families, we explore what’s possible when science meets the human spirit.