Tis the season for scary movies, which can actually be therapeutic, posits psychiatrist Arash Javanbakht, who asserts that fear is one of the most important biological functions.
In a recent podcast, Dr Javanbakht explains how stimulating the Fight or Flight response created by our central nervous system can help keep us mentally healthy, with examples ranging from the mindful experience of horror films to the augmented reality spiders that help patients make friends with a real-life tarantula. Dr Javanbakht entered the field of anxiety and trauma due to his belief that these conditions are eminently treatable; his book Afraid focuses on the interplay between biology and psychology that can be harnessed for positive mental effects.