A mass vaccination programme against Covid-19 is now being rolled out in the UK. Although the government is working to ease the fears of those who are worried about the safety of the vaccine, some people have an even bigger fear – the fear of needles and/or injections.
Needle phobias are quite common and can affect as many as one in 10 people. Fears can arise from memories of bad experiences with needles or injections earlier in life. It’s not always known where the fear started but sometimes it can be a memory from the past. Maybe as a child a person developed a fear of needles because they had a lot of blood tests or other procedures. These fearful memories can present later in life as a phobia. Fear of injections is a particular problem in these Covid times.
So what can you do if you have a needle phobia?
Methods of coping with a needle phobia can vary from person to person, there is no ‘one size fits all’ treatment. In our therapy practice we use a variety of different treatments to help our clients. These include Clinical Hypnotherapy, Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) and Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT). These methods can be accessed via a one to one session with one of our therapists, and have been found to be very successful in removing the fear of needles.
Techniques such as deep breathing, meditation and practising progressive muscle relaxation will also help.
Special breathing technique
One thing which will help straight away if you are worrying about having to have a procedure involving needles or injections (such as Covid vaccination) is the following breathing technique – simple steps that will allow you to reduce your anxiety levels in seconds when practiced:
- Find somewhere comfortable to sit, and sit upright.
- Place one hand on your chest and one hand on your tummy.
- Take a deep breath in, taking about three seconds – the hand on your tummy should rise and the hand on your chest should stay still
- Hold the breath for three seconds
- Breathe out, making the breath last about six seconds.
- Do this ten times and practice it on a regular basis and this will calm your anxiety, allowing enough oxygen to get to the brain so you can think clearer.
We can help!
Our therapy practice offers a number of practical and successful techniques and treatments to help release the fear of needles and injections. We also treat phobias you have experienced around needles, injections, fear of blood etc. It’s surprising how many people have these, but we have many years’ experience in treating them.
Call us today for more information or to discuss your individual issue.
Clem & Margaret Turner Therapy Practice
07958 689377 – 07960 788093
Retford, Nottinghamshire
