Many of you may struggle with trypanophobia or needle phobia, right? Some people manage their fear of injections with ease. But some people avoid taking medication just because they afraid of needles and prevent themselves from getting medical treatment. Fear of needles can be seen in children because they feel the sensation on their skin when something sharp pricked.
If you are backing off from taking medical treatment because of fear of needles, which means you are leaving your health at risk. Sometimes, needle phobia or fear of needles is called a trypanophobia.
Causes of Trypanophobia or Fear of Needles
The reasons can be any for fear of the needle, there is no specific reason behind this.
- Due to bad memories, like memories of having pain when get injected
- Feel sensation on the skin that causes anxiety and fear of a needle
- Fainting when pricked by a needle
Symptoms of Fear of Needles
Mostly, when people see a needle or think of injection they start finding new ways to avoid injection. The following are common symptoms associated with those people who have trypanophobia or fear of needles:
- High heart rate
- High/low blood pressure
- Fainting
- Panic attacks
- Getting emotional and physical violent
- Running away from the clinic
- Avoid taking medications
How to Overcome Fear of Needles?
If you want to overcome your needle phobia, then you must follow the below tips and techniques:
Change Your Mindset
Maybe it seems easy, but in practice, it will be difficult to reframe your mindset. But, to eliminate the existence of needle phobia, you must follow this technique. With the help of this technique, you can change the way you think of injections. Once you successfully changed your thinking and mindset, you’ll less likely to needle-phobic.
Make Yourself Comfortable
Try to calm yourself and relax because a calm mind can help you better to cope with injections. Try to stop misconceptions about injection because, in the end, everyone knows it is just a needle.
Think positive because you are having injections only to cure yourself of disease, right?
Try to Cope with Your Fear
It is in your hands to handle your fear of needles smartly. If you are not ready to tackle your fear, then how can you expect external help? The more you get familiar with needles, the more you can be fearless.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
CBT helps to explore your needle phobia in therapy sessions. And, you’ll learn some techniques to combat with fear of a needle. Therapists will help you to get rid of needle phobia. They will discuss some ways to think about your fears and what impact they have on you. As a result, you’ll find yourself more confident and fear-free.
- Medications
Medication plays a role when the patient is not responsive to psychotherapy. Sedative and antianxiety medication can help you to relax your brain and body. If a medication helps to alleviate your stress level, then you can use it during vaccination.
Exposure Therapy
Exposure therapy is quite similar to CBT that focuses on reframing a patient’s mental and physical response to injections. Therapists help patients to expose them to injections and related thoughts. In this therapy, your therapists will start showing you some pictures of needles. After that, they will ask you to hold a needle, and then imagine that you are getting injected.
How Does Hypnosis Work for Needle Phobic People?
One of the impressive methods to overcome the fear of phobia is through hypnosis. With hypnosis for fear of needles, you can divert your mind and disconnect yourself from needle phobia. Hypnosis can help you out to eliminate needle phobia, and you will realize that you are calmer than before. It can help you to have control over yourself while having blood tests.
Hypnosis is also known as hypnotherapy term. So, the hypnotherapy technique is best for children aged two to five and even for adults as well. While treating kids, doctors hypnotize them and talk with them gently to prick them through the needle.
Through hypnosis, specialists work with the patient’s unconscious mind or their memory, belief system, and imagination. As a result, the patient can successfully survive from needle phobia.
Be Positive While Getting Injected
Positivity is the key to your every fear, so while having any fear try to stay positive. Boost your confidence, and prove to yourself that you can do it. And, take a step ahead to get injected to cure yourself, if you are suffering from the disease.
The first most important thing is to identify the causes and symptoms of being needle-phobic. Once you are aware of the causes of trypanophobia, then try all of the above tips to overcome it. After following the above tips, most probably, you can reduce your fear of needles.
