How To Overcome Hemophobia With Pictures

A friend or relative can help if you just get dizzy, lightheaded, or faint for 1 to 2 minutes. However, if you’re prone to longer fainting spells or have ever required medical attention for fainting, work on exposure therapy with a mental health professional. In general, exposure therapy requires a willingness to try being uncomfortable in the hopes of overcoming your fear. By working through your discomfort repeatedly, your fear may lessen over time. [2] X Trustworthy Source Simply Psychology Popular site for evidence-based psychology information Go to source

Triggers might include seeing your own or someone else’s blood, having your blood drawn or, in more intense cases, even thinking about blood. A good way to start is to read or think about blood. Then, look at images and videos and, eventually, get your blood drawn at your doctor’s office. You don’t need to work through the entire list in 1 day. Take all the time you need to get through a step without experiencing symptoms of your phobia. If a step isn’t challenging enough, move on to the next trigger.

For example, read an encyclopedia entry on blood withdrawal at https://medlineplus. gov/ency/article/003423. htm. Think or say to yourself, “I’m just reading words about blood. These words can’t hurt me, and I can control my reaction to them. ” Gradually increase the length of time that you read, and try to read for 10 to 15 minutes without feeling anxious, dizzy, or lightheaded. If you have trouble reading about blood, start by thinking about or visualizing blood instead.

When you’re just starting out, look at an image for 10 to 15 seconds. Gradually increase the duration until you can look at images for at least 5 to 10 minutes. Ask a friend or relative to put together a file folder or to print out images that look gradually more like blood. You could also search for exposure therapy videos for hemophobia on YouTube. If you’re working with a mental health professional, virtual reality can be a great way of using visuals to practice exposure therapy, too. [6] X Research source

Stop watching videos if you experience symptoms and can’t control your reaction. Take a break, then return to looking at pictures of dark orange and red dots, and work your way back up the fear hierarchy. Find videos for hemophobia exposure therapy online or ask a friend or relative to find recordings of blood being drawn. Medical schools post videos on streaming services to demonstrate proper techniques.

Remember to practice relaxation techniques while you watch. Some therapists use surgical videos in exposure therapy. However, plenty of people who aren’t hemophobic have trouble watching an operation. If you can’t handle open heart surgery, try watching minor procedures, such as a wound being dressed.

Breathe and encourage yourself with positive self-talk when you go to the appointment. Ask a friend or relative to go with you for moral support. Remind yourself that you’ve worked hard to confront your fear, you have the power to control your reaction, and getting the healthcare you need is your priority.

Look at the blood, breathe slowly and deeply, and remind yourself everything is fine. You (or the person who has a paper cut) are safe, and you have the power to keep your reaction in check. If you have trouble looking at blood in person, practice getting through your fear hierarchy again. If you faint or feel lightheaded and dizzy, try adding applied tension therapy to your exposure therapy routine.

Tensing your muscles increases your heart rate and blood pressure. This sends more blood to your brain, which can help prevent fainting.

During or immediately after tensing, your systolic blood pressure, or the top number, should increase by around 8 mmHg (the unit of measure for blood pressure). Take your blood pressure again 3 minutes after tensing. Your systolic reading should be around 4 mmHg higher than your first measurement. Your diastolic blood pressure, or the bottom number, should remain constant. Do 3 to 5 more tensing cycles if your blood pressure doesn’t increase.

For example, the first step in your fear hierarchy might be to read about blood or blood withdrawal in a medical encyclopedia. Read for around 10 seconds at first, then slowly work your way up to at least 15 minutes. Additional triggers could include looking at red dots, actual pictures of blood, recordings of blood being drawn, and video of a bleeding cut.

If you have trouble with a step, start over and slowly work your way back up the fear hierarchy. Tensing your muscles works in 2 ways. It raises your blood pressure, counteracts the dip in blood pressure that causes fainting. It also helps build confidence. If you start to feel symptoms, you know you have a specific technique that can help keep them in check. If you don’t have success after adding applied tension techniques to exposure therapy, it might be time talk to a mental health professional.

Hemophobia can directly impact your health, so it’s important to get help if you have trouble overcoming it on your own. In addition to the risk of injury associated with fainting, many people avoid important medical procedures because of their fear of blood.

Your therapist might also recommend psychoanalysis or psychodynamic therapy, with are forms of talk therapy designed to identify the unconscious cause of a phobia. [15] X Research source

Find a licensed therapist trained in hypnotherapy using the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis search tool at http://www. asch. net/Public/MemberReferralSearch. aspx. Hypnotherapy can help you feel more confident in coping with your phobia. [17] X Trustworthy Source Cleveland Clinic Educational website from one of the world’s leading hospitals Go to source

These medications shouldn’t be used as long-term phobia treatments. They can be addictive and, while they can help relieve your symptoms, they don’t address the phobia itself.