[nathanb]

A fair comment.

I think it's important to note that a fear or anxiety reaction may not, as you say, keep us safe. When I'm calm and rational, I make better decisions than when I'm gripped by fear.

As an avid hiker and explorer, occasionally my fear of heights interferes with my enjoyment of my hobby. I try to push past it as much as possible, but when my heart is racing and my legs are shaking, a situation which would otherwise be safe can become dangerous.

Also, unlike you, I do have two friends who suffer from PTSD (it's common enough that one may be surprised to find that a friend one has known for years wrestles with PTSD in some aspect of life but doesn't advertise that fact). One of those friends has gotten off an elevator early because being in an enclosed situation with a stranger gave her a panic attack. Another called me on the phone nearly in tears because she had to stay late at work and walking across the deserted, dark carpark to her car was almost more than she could handle.

I think it would be great if a drug could help people like these two friends of mine go through life without feeling controlled by anxiety in situations like these. I also think it would be great if people like me whose day-to-day lives are unmarred by fear can do more things -- safely; the drug does not impair reason -- through this therapy. The tradeoffs are important to know (and as you say, the article does a great job exploring them), but to me this sounds really promising.