Blood phobia: everything you need to know about hematophobia

The blood phobia, also known as hematophobia, is one of the phobias that generate more interest, possibly for a fairly simple reason: there are many people who who do not like to see blood, and therefore may come to wonder if they experience hematophobia or not.

However, the fact that there are not too many fans of blood and wounds does not mean that blood phobia is widespread, far from it. The very definition of what is understood by phobia indicates that they only occur in cases in which the levels of stress and discomfort associated with a type of stimulus damage the quality of life of the person and prevent him from carrying out daily activities naturally. That is why hematophobia has far more serious implications than simply trying not to hurt yourself.

After all, blood phobia is a psychological disorder that is sometimes a reason for psychological intervention. These types of phobias can become a problem, but in most cases the symptoms can be mitigated to a point where they hardly interfere with daily life. But to know through what mechanisms can

"cure" blood phobia first you have to understand what it is and what psychological processes it is based on.

What is blood phobia?

Hematophobia consists of a fear of blood (and situations that are perceived as directly or indirectly related to it) that is disabling to lead a normal life. Thus, the phobia of blood can appear when seeing this substance, but also when seeing or imagining a vaccination prick or a wound in which a scab has formed, among many other situations. In short, the symptoms of blood phobia have as much to do with the most basic perceptions and "raw" related to blood as well as somewhat more abstract ideas related to her.

But in addition to being associated with fear of one's own or other people's blood, hematophobia is based on another aspect of panic: the fear of the symptoms that these crises generate. That is why blood phobia is based in part on the phenomenon of fear of fear, a characteristic it shares with phenomena such as agoraphobia.

Therefore, the fear behind the blood phobia has nothing to do with the physical pain itself, but with the idea of ​​blood flowing and spilling out. Is about a terror more irrational than practical, since what we flee from is not from situations that endanger our life or someone else's, but from the signs of these potentially dangerous situations.

Symptoms of hematophobia

What makes blood phobia unique is that the seizures that it produces end up leading to blackouts quite often, something that does not happen in other types of phobias. Although fainting is related to panic attacks, the truth is that this is not a typical symptom of most phobias, which are manifested from a rise in sudden tension, the appearance of extraordinarily high levels of stress and the feeling of needing to leave the place and walk away from the stimulus that has triggered the episode.

The blood phobia, however, the phobic episode has two phases, rather than just one. After heart rate and alertness, there is a sudden drop in blood pressure that sometimes causes fainting by causing not enough oxygen to reach the brain. In this way, the second phase of hematophobia nullifies the effects of the first and even causes the blood pressure to plummet.

Thus, the symptoms of blood phobia reflect the diphasic functioning of this phenomenon. Typical symptoms of hematophobia include dizziness and fainting, panic attacks, nausea and the feeling of deep disgust.

What are the causes of blood phobia?

The reasons for the blood phobia are not known exactly, although according to what has been proven whether or not they are descended from a family in which someone experiences hematophobia is a very powerful factor in estimating the chances of having phobic episodes of this type; blood phobia is partly explained by genetics.

It is also considered that hematophobia can develop as a result of past experiences, that is, from learning and memories. It is not strange to consider that hematophobia can arise as a consequence of experiences, taking into account that this substance usually appears on painful or unpleasant occasions. Thus, from the behavioral perspective Blood phobia can be caused by associating this stimulus with pain caused by an accident, health treatments, etc.

Can blood phobia be helpful?

Also it has been proposed that blood phobia could be based on a survival mechanism that on certain occasions can be useful. After all, the sudden drop in blood pressure means that if this substance breaks out from its own wounds, less amount is lost. However, this hypothesis based on the adaptive potential of the voltage drop remains rather a speculation that is difficult to verify.

However, it must be made clear that the main defining characteristic of blood phobia is that it is not useful at all, quite the opposite. Although evolution may have favored the diffusion of certain genes related to hematophobia, the living conditions of the modern human being are very different from those of hundreds of years ago thousands of years. Today blood tests and vaccines are very important, and the fact that every day we interact with many people and expose ourselves to all kinds of activities (including found to see real or fictitious images in which blood appears) turns the phobia of blood into a problem that, depending on its intensity, can become very disabling.

Fighting blood phobia

Can blood phobia be "cured"? There are multiple treatments and strategies to deal with hematophobia, but none are based on reading texts; Stopping blood phobia requires a live approach to the subject and the performance of certain exercises under the supervision and personalized treatment of an expert.

Among the most useful tools when it comes to making hematophobia disappear are those that are usually used in the course of cognitive behavioral therapies, which are based on the behavioral approach and emphasize desensitization so that we get used to the blood.

One of the most used techniques in this and many other phobias is gradual exposure to the phobic stimulus., in this case the blood. Throughout several sessions, the person with a diagnosed phobia gradually expose himself to situations that produce anxiety, going from the mildest to those that involve a more direct and close contact with the blood.

Another useful tool is the learning of instructions that must be followed mentally in a sequential way and that have to do with the implementation of relaxation techniques and the routines of approach to what it produces afraid.

It is worth looking for a solution

Experiencing dizziness when taking blood draws is relatively common, but it does not have to be synonymous with hematophobia. Blood phobia can be more or less serious and can present more or less severe and annoying, but it always entails problems related to day-to-day life and not so much with specific experiences.

Experiencing blood phobia means going through problems related to avoiding medical treatments and vaccines, denying help to injured people, avoiding performing tasks in which there is a minimal possibility of injuring themselves (cooking, hiking, etc.) or, in the case of women, not being able to consider the possibility of giving birth. That is why it is worth going to certified specialists and receiving their personalized attention and a diagnosis that allows planning treatments.