How to overcome the fear of needles: 8 key ideas

Lots of people are afraid of needles. We can even talk about many cases of phobia to them. The phobia of needles is called belonephobia; In this article we will talk about it, since it constitutes a rather particular phobia for a reason that we will not reveal yet.

In addition, we will describe several key ideas on how to overcome the fear of needles. As you will see, the first one focuses on psychological therapy (to overcome the phobia), and the following ones, on overcoming the moment in which we must be in contact with the needle (which can also be good for us to gradually overcome this fear).

• Related article: "Types of Phobias: Exploring Fear Disorders"

The fear of needles: a particular phobia

Specific phobias are anxiety disorders, characterized by an irrational fear, disproportionate and intense before a specific stimulus or situation.

There are different types of specific phobias; The DSM-5 (Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) specifies up to 5 groups (subtypes) of specific phobias: to animals, environmental, blood/injection/damage (where we would place the fear of water), various situations and other types of phobias.

Biphasic (vasovagal) response

The phobia of needles is a particular phobia, since the physiological response that appears in it differs from the response that appears in other types of specific phobias.

So, in the case of needle phobia, a biphasic response occurs in the individual, characterized by two phases: in the first there is an increase in different physiological parameters (heart rate, blood pressure and respiratory rate), and in the second, a sharp drop in all these parameters.

As a result of this decrease, dizziness may appear, and later fainting. It is worth mentioning that the biphasic response of this phobia was first described by Graham, Kabler and Lunsford (1961).

• You may be interested in: "Types of Anxiety Disorders and their characteristics

How to overcome the fear of needles

How to overcome the fear of needles? If you really have a phobia of needles and want to overcome it, we recommend that you go to a specialized professional, and that you perform psychological therapy.

In the first point (first key idea) we will talk about it. However, if you just want to get out of situations in which you have to be in contact with a needle, the following 7 ideas that we propose can be very useful.

1. Perform psychological therapy

If you want to know how to overcome your fear of needles, the first thing you should consider is seeking professional help. Psychological therapy is a useful and effective tool that can help you overcome the phobia of needles.

There are two psychological treatments that are usually applied in the case of specific phobias: on the one hand, therapy for exposure, and on the other, cognitive behavioral therapy (these are the treatments with the greatest evidence and, therefore, the most effective).

However, in the case of phobia of needles (which is part of the group of "phobias of blood/injection/damage”), the treatment is different, and generally the so-called tension is applied with or no app.

This technique consists of increase the patient's heart rate and systolic pressure, before being exposed to the phobic stimulus (in order to prevent fainting typical in this type of phobia).

• You may be interested in: "The 8 benefits of going to psychological therapy"

2. try to relax your body

Going into the ideas focused, not so much on how to overcome the fear of needles, but rather on how to act in these key moments that generate so much anxiety, we will begin by relaxing our body.

At the time of injection, or when the needle is about to come into contact with your body (for example when getting a tattoo), it is better that you try to relax your body. It is a very psychological issue, and the fact that you are tense can cause the sensations of fear and anguish associated with needles to intensify.

3. Apply breathing techniques

Practice slow and deep breathing (for example diaphragmatic breathing), it can also help you relax. Let's remember that there are different breathing exercises, focused mainly on treating different anxiety disorders, one of them being phobias (in this case, the fear of needles).

You can apply them in the moment before receiving the injection or being in contact with the needle (and also during that moment).

4. Imagine other scenarios

In psychotherapy, especially in different anxiety disorders (such as phobic disorders), imagination techniques are widely used.

An example of this are pleasant or positive images, which consist precisely of that, imagining relaxing scenes that we like and that momentarily take us away from the present moment. This will help us to distract ourselves, that is, to decenter our attention from the fear of the needle, to redirect it to another stimulus, in this case, positive for us.

5. Talk to the staff in question

Another key idea on how to overcome the fear of needles is to talk to the staff that is treating us (for example, the tattoo artist, the doctor, the nurse... We can explain our fear of needles from the beginning, to at least relieve the tension initial.

In addition, they will be able to provide us with useful advice to face this dreaded moment (especially health personnel), since they also surely see cases of this type every day. On the other hand, we can also take the opportunity to explain something about our life to them, in order to distract ourselves and not be so aware of the needle.

This may not help us overcome the phobia of needles, but it will help us to face the situation at that moment and get out of it "with flying colors".

6. Focus attention on other stimuli

A little related to the previous ideas, this other idea arises: direct attention to other stimuli other than the needle. This we can apply it just before entering the room where we will be punctured and also during the moment of the puncture.

Before entering we can, for example: listen to music, talk to someone, read a book, draw, write... and just at the moment of the injection (or tattoo), we can choose to apply any of the above guidelines (practice deep breathing, imagine pleasant scenes or images, talk to the staff who are attending/treating us, etc.).

7. Take care of your inner speech (thoughts)

This means that you direct yourself calming messages and thoughts, that you have already put into practice before.

For example, in the case of injections, you can think about the professionalism of doctors and nurses, in the trust that you can place in them because they do this daily and they know how to do it so that it doesn't hurt, etc

8. Lift your legs

Another guideline on how to overcome the fear of needles, which in this case is more focused on overcoming the situation in question (an injection, rather than the phobia itself), consists of raising your legs.

This action It is useful to alleviate certain psychophysiological symptoms associated with phobia of needles., since it has been seen that in this type of phobia a vasovagal response appears in the individual (this response causes fainting in approximately 80% of cases)

Thus, by raising our legs we allow blood to reach our brain, which reduces the risk of fainting.

Bibliographic references:

American Psychiatric Association –APA- (2014). DSM-5. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Madrid: Pan American. Horse (2002). Manual for the cognitive-behavioral treatment of psychological disorders. Vol. 1 and 2. Madrid. 21st century (Chapters 1-8, 16-18). Pinel, L., and Redondo, M.M. (2014). Approach to hematophobia and its different lines of research, Clínica y Salud, 25: 75-84.