So where does this fear come from and why is it so intense that it causes sweating, shaking, and in some cases vomiting or even fainting?
Some evolutionary psychologists believe that it is an innate fear that is rooted in ancient times: the needle representing a puncture wound, which often meant infection and death! Other more clinically based psychologists recognise that it is invariably the result of some traumatic medically related childhood experience.
Either way, your fear of needles is like any phobia – a disproportionate fear that has been stored in your subconscious. But unlike any other phobia, if it has you neglecting your health and the benefits of 21st century medicine, you are putting yourself at risk. So why not get some help and overcome this fear now.
By way of background, a phobia is an excessive and irrational fear where one experiences a deep sense of anxiety, panic or dread when encountering the source of the fear.
Unlike more general anxiety disorders, a phobia is usually connected to something specific, like an object, an animal, an activity or even a location.
When a person experiences a very traumatic event, the sympathetic nervous system takes the body into survival mode, otherwise known as the fight or flight response.
By releasing adrenalin, increasing heart and breathing rates, increasing blood supply to the muscles, enhancing reflexes, and dilating the pupils, all of which happens unconsciously, the mind and the body prepare to either run away from or to engage the perceived source of the danger.
At the same time, a highly emotional memory of the event can become permanently lodged in the amygdala, which is part of our Limbic System – the brains emotional hub.
The brain holds on to this memory as it believes that this is important to survival ongoing, hence whenever you encounter a situation or object that is anything like the original trauma, the mind and body responds as if in a survival situation and goes into fight and flight mode.
This is the basis of any phobia: a fear response attached to something resembling that that was present during the original trauma.
For some people, desensitisation therapy can be a very effective way to overcome their phobia. This involves being gradually and repeatedly exposed to the source of their fear.
For many however, this approach is simply too intense and this is why a combination of Advanced Clinical Hypnotherapy, Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) together with some Cognitive Behavioural Therapy can be the perfect solution.
By addressing the underlying cause of your phobia we can help ensure that you finally free and liberated of that old outdated and unwanted fear.
So if you would like some help overcoming your phobia, call The Therapy Lounge now on 020 7485 5745 or complete the Quick Enquiry Form below.
You really can be free of all that fear so why not contact us – we really can help!
