This post was developed via a partnership with BetterHelp.
A needle-related phobia can be terrifying for the person going through it. Whether there’s a fear of pain, something going wrong, or the needles themselves, needle phobia can cause you to be unwilling to get important tests or may cause panic attacks at the doctor.
A phobia is an anxiety disorder, which means it affects the nervous system. Exposure to phobia triggers can cause panic attacks and common symptoms of anxiety. Although there is not always a reason for the object of the phobia, many phobias are caused by trauma or difficult past experiences.
Let’s take a look at five research-based ways to cure needle phobias.
Exposure and Response Therapy
Exposure therapy is one of the best therapies for phobias because it targets the fear itself and teaches your body to respond with less fear over time to anxiety triggers. It works by exposing you to your fears directly. You will start small and build up to bigger and bigger fears.
In the case of a needle phobia, you may start by looking at a needle or reading articles about needles. You will then move up to touching the needle or holding it in your hand. Over time, as you become more and more able to complete the smaller tasks, you will increase your fear tolerance.
The therapy may involve going to a medical clinic and getting a saline treatment through an IV in your arm for a certain amount of time. Although this may sound terrifying, it works by showing your nervous system that your worst fears do not come true when you expose yourself to them.
For example, once you have reached the final steps of the needle exposure and are able to get a saline treatment, you’ll likely have much less fear of holding, touching, or pretending to inject a needle than you did when you started the practice.
If you want to learn more about how phobias work and how they’re connected to anxiety, check out BetterHelp’s advice column today.
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
In the case of phobias that aren’t severe, talk therapy (cognitive-behavioral therapy, or CBT) can help. In this therapy, you’ll speak to your therapist about the phobia, how it developed, and how it causes distress in your life. Your therapist will likely recommend several coping mechanisms or practices to try at home.
Some CBT therapists also know some exposure therapy practices and may recommend this to treat your phobia. If your needle phobia is not severely impacting your life, talking through your experiences may help you find healing.
EMDR Therapy
For phobias caused by trauma, EMDR is a popular healing option. If you’ve had bad experiences with needles, hospitals, or doctors, EMDR allows you to process these experiences and talk through them with a trauma specialist. In EMDR, you will also stimulate both sides of your brain to better remember and understand the trauma.
To do this, your therapist may have you hold two hand buzzers, throw a ball back and forth between your two hands, or watch a series of moving lights while you talk. This therapy is extremely effective for those who have PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder).
Trauma-Based Talk Therapy
Although EMDR is a type of trauma-based therapy, there are also other types of trauma therapy to try if your phobia is trauma-related. You can try CBT with a trauma focus, or you can try spiritually based trauma therapy. If you feel that regular CBT is not validating enough and focuses too much on your behaviors, you may benefit from having a trauma therapist who does not focus on behavioralist practices.
Hypnosis
Some people with needle phobias will try hypnosis. Hypnosis works by training your subconscious mind to put less pressure or fear on the phobia itself. Although it doesn’t work for everyone, some people have seen results for their phobias with hypnotic practices.
Conclusion
If you’re looking for a way to cure your needle phobia, consider one of the options above. Although not every option is ideal for every person, there are many therapeutic techniques to target phobias. You can even find many therapists who practice these online if you’re not looking for in-person therapy.
