Can Hypnosis Help with Needle Phobia?
Seeing a needle is not the most pleasant thing for all of us. After all, as humans, we avoid pain and seek pleasure. But considering the pain-reward principle, an occasional interaction with needles in a doctor’s office can make sense.
However, there are some of us who are extremely terrified of needles. To the point that they may avoid healthy injections or not allow their blood to be drawn at all costs. This is called needle phobia, a phenomenon that is estimated to affect 1 in 4 adults in the US.
Even though needle phobia may sound harmless, you may be postponing significant help from your doctor because of this fear. Taking control of it with a simple tool like hypnotherapy can be very effective!
The psychology behind needle phobia
Needle phobia is not a sign of weakness or irrationality, but rather a valid and deeply ingrained fear response. It can be rooted in past traumatic experiences, anxiety disorders, or simply a heightened sensitivity to pain.
This fear can range from mild discomfort to a paralyzing dread, often leading individuals to forgo important medical procedures or vaccinations.
Symptoms of needle phobia
Symptoms of needle phobia will differ from person to person. Some of the common symptoms may include;
- Increased anxiety before, during, and after injections
- Avoiding medical checkups
- Avoiding sickness
- Postponing significant surgeries
- Extreme discomfort during an injection
Causes of needle phobia
Needle phobia, also known as trypanophobia, is a fear with diverse underlying triggers. Often, it finds its origins in stressful encounters with needles, particularly during childhood years. It may start with one event and the more you avoid needles, the stronger the fear becomes.
Additionally, genetic predispositions and heightened pain sensitivity can contribute to the development of this phobia. For example, what you learned about pain from your family or how pain was perceived in your culture can also contribute to needle phobia.
Certain anxiety disorders, such as specific phobias or generalized anxiety disorder, can also intensify this fear. An understanding of the underlying causes of needle phobia is significant in preparing effective interventions.
Hypnotherapy can help with needle phobia relief by reconditioning the subconscious mind to associate positive feelings to needles instead.
Hypnotherapy for needle phobia
Hypnotherapy is a therapeutic technique that taps into the subconscious mind, allowing access to and reframing deeply ingrained beliefs and fears. It’s a safe and natural way to address and overcome psychological barriers, including needle phobia.
Changing the negative subconscious association
We have subconscious associations about every single thing in life. We sort them in our minds to optimize our mind power. For example, for some people, dogs may have a positive meaning while they can bring negative emotions to others.
The same goes for the needles. If you have a negative association with needles subconsciously, your mind will do everything to avoid needles. The hypnotic state allows us to change this negative perspective and helps the client create new positive associations about needles subconsciously.
Rescripting a negative event with hypnosis
For many people, negative associations about needles were planted because of a negative or traumatic event. We can’t go back in time and change what happened, but we can change how we perceive what happened and hypnosis allows just that!
During hypnosis, we can revisit the same event but this time have a detached view of the scenes. This helps us dissociate the negative emotions and see the whole event from a different angle. That way, while feeling calm and relaxed under trance, subconsciously you can feel neutral without being triggered.
Future pacing with hypnosis
Time is just a perception and especially under hypnosis, the time notion completely disappears. Future pacing is another powerful tool that can help with needle phobia.
Anticipation of the needle creates anxiety in and of itself. With hypnotic future pacing, we can plant the seeds of positive experiences with needles, therefore we create a positive expectation. They say we get what we expect. If you expect to be calm when getting an injection, your body will follow!
Releasing anxiety subconsciously
Many people who deal with needle phobia feel intense anxiety when thinking about needles, seeing needles, or anticipating an injection. As you can see, anxiety is a huge contributor to the issue and it’s crucial to be able to control the anxious response in order to overcome needle phobia.
Hypnosis itself is a very calm and relaxed state. During this state, it’s possible to detach from anxious responses and train the mind to be calm whenever desired. We can also work on releasing any other stressors subconsciously.
Retraining the mind for a better response
All in all, hypnosis is a subconscious technique to recondition and retrain the mind to receive a different response. By retraining the mind, in a way, you are gaining control over your old belief systems and associations. Almost like peeling layers of an onion…
Hypnosis gives you the power to choose how you’d like to approach a situation rather than feeling stuck under crippling anxiety.
What is the success rate of hypnosis for needle phobia?
As always, success rates of hypnosis will depend on the person, their suggestibility, and comfort level with the hypnotherapist. However, a number of study reviews point to the fact that hypnosis can provide significant positive results.
In one case that was published in the National Library of Medicine, a 5-year-old boy had a severe needle phobia and had to receive anesthesia. Upon trying and observing unsuccessful results with oral medication and ketamine, they decided to use hypnotherapy. Conversational hypnosis was performed for 10 minutes and the boy was able to use the imagery. He reported experiencing painless venipuncture.
Another example is a 15-year-old girl who developed a fear of needles due to negative experiences with needles at school. With the help of hypnotherapy and cognitive behavioral therapy, she was able to release the fear.
That is to say, even though there will be some exceptions, overall, hypnosis is an excellent therapeutic tool that provides effective results for needle phobia.
Final words
Needle phobia may sound simple but when you count in the postponing of your health, it can quickly become dangerous. Also, keep in mind that any untreated phobia can easily get out of control during times of stress – hint: many people are under a lot of stress when facing an important disease! -.
So if needle phobia is affecting you, don’t waste any time. Something as simple and effective as hypnosis can be an easy way out!