Needle Phobia
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My sole reason for joining this forum some months ago was in the hope that someone else would raise this subject, but since nobody has - here we go.
For as long as I can remember I have been needlephobic. Not just a little bit, I am absolutely terrified to the nth degree. I have had numerous fillings and a root filling at the dentist but have never had anaesthetic. If I ever needed an extraction I'd just rip it out myself. Being a sporty type I had a double hernia op and insisted on gas because I am afraid. Although I submitted to a blood test 30 years ago (a cartilage op), I know now that if the choice was blood test or die, I'm dead.
It is not easy to admit this because I am a professional person and I view it as a weakness. I have tried hypnosis with a trained GP but it failed. I paid for an expensive 12 months of private treatment with a very well-respected psychotherapist - at the conclusion of which I tested my resolve with a simple tetanus jab at my local GP's surgery and... well, I was still terrified.
I realise that this is a recognised medical (mental) condition that affects approx 10% of the population but... can it be overcome ? I am told that I am easily hypnotised - do I need a Paul McKenna type to simply 'tell' me that I am no longer afraid ?
RDid the hypnotherapist teach you self hypnosis to get into a really deep state before the needle was put in? (charles vald)
Hey Rosencrantz,
You are not alone! I could have written that post word for word 5 years ago. Total pooh-in-the-pants terrified.......Then I had ONE session, yep, believe it, ONE session of NLP and the phobia has gone.
I am not saying I *enjoy* needles now; I still can't look and I don't look forward to it, but I can tolerate it and I'm not terrified. I had to address this problem because I was pregnant and well, we have to have a few needles stuck in us. I really didn't want to pass my fears on in vitro to my child and felt the rise in adrenaline to my unborn babe could be really detrimental
Please try NLP - my partner trained in it and hypnotherapy so that I could have a non-medical birth and it totally worked.
best of luck
wingsoflove (wingsoflove)[quote:661684b08b="charles vald"]Did the hypnotherapist teach you self hypnosis to get into a really deep state before the needle was put in?[/quote:661684b08b]
I was given a 'relaxation' cassette tape on which he talks to me, it works really well and I get into a deep state, the tape lasts about 20 minutes.
The problem with dentists, doctors and hospitals is that they are busy places with a never-ending conveyor belt of patients. If I was to say, "Hang on a minute, can you just wait whilst I play my tape..." I'm sure their patience would soon wear thin.
Bearing in mind the extreme stress of the situation, I'm not exactly sure it would work anyway. A heavy mallet around the back of the head..? Maybe ! (rosencrantz)
[quote:fe7cc9af9a="wingsoflove"]
You are not alone! I could have written that post word for word 5 years ago. Total pooh-in-the-pants terrified.......Then I had ONE session, yep, believe it, ONE session of NLP and the phobia has gone.
Please try NLP - my partner trained in it and hypnotherapy so that I could have a non-medical birth and it totally worked.
[/quote:fe7cc9af9a]
You've convinced me !! I've tried everything else.
Where do I start, who do I see ?
Thanks,
R (rosencrantz)Well it looks like you might have found some great help and a solution:)
The therapist should have taught you self hypnosis so that you could have got into the relaxed state in a seconds on your own. (charles vald)
I am an NLP pratcitioner and believe me if you want rid of this phobia and it is not serving any purpose for you or those around you then you WILL get rid of it in one session with a qualified Practitioner.
Phobia cures are one of the easiest techniques for a practitioner with a subject who is congruent.
You can achieve whatever you want to achieve - for example a person with a spider phobia may actually achieve being able to play with spiders and have them all over their body or, more likely, be at the stage that they can either cal calmly for help in removal of a spider from a room or even be able to now move the spider themselves from the room carefully.
The level your phobia is removed depends on exactly what you want.
You CAN and WILL get what you want from an NLP Practitioner.
I did my training after sending my daughter to see one for an extreme phobia of spiders that ruled our house. She came back after 3/4 hr as a totally more confident person ( 8 yrs old at the time ) in many more areas as well as with spiders and my husband and I were so impressed we did our training!
Here is a list of some NLP Practtioners
http://www.camtherapy.co.uk/Directory%20of%20Practitioners%20offering%20NLP.htm (Purple)[quote:a326aec6f2="charles vald"]Well it looks like you might have found some great help and a solution:)
The therapist should have taught you self hypnosis so that you could have got into the relaxed state in a seconds on your own.[/quote:a326aec6f2]
To be fair to him, the purpose of our sessions wasn't particularly for me to learn self hypnosis (although it might have been useful), it was psychotherapy with a view to 'curing' the phobia. When I was hypnotised, the feeling of relaxation was so fanastic I never wanted to come out of it. (rosencrantz)[quote:fa9d608875="Purple"]I am an NLP pratcitioner and believe me if you want rid of this phobia and it is not serving any purpose for you or those around you then you WILL get rid of it in one session with a qualified Practitioner.
Here is a list of some NLP Practtioners
http://www.camtherapy.co.uk/Directory%20of%20Practitioners%20offering%20NLP.htm[/quote:fa9d608875]
Hey Purple and Wingsoflove...
Thank you [b:fa9d608875]so[/b:fa9d608875] much for your help and support, I feel so positive about this I can't wait to try it..! To finally crack this thing after years of anxiety would be totally amazing.
Thanks again,
R (rosencrantz)Here is a more extensive list - hopefully there will someone located near to you or within a reasonable travelling distance.
http://www.nlpinfo.com/links/prac/ukprac.html
NLP can sound quite expensive but a phobia can be cured in only one session so it is worth the money.
All the best! :) (Purple)Can't wait to hear your success story :wink:
wingsoflove (wingsoflove)rosencrantz..
My neice had a phobia of needles and after one regular hypnosis session, she was over it. (She is 18). And this occurred soon after my basic training. I say 'regular' hypnosis, because at that time I did not know NLP. Adding NLP would even make the desensitization stronger.
Whether you use 'regular" hypnosis or NLP, the basis is desensitization using dissociation and working towards association which I'm sure you used in cognitive therapy. It's just that any type of hypnosis reaches the subconscious where the fear resides. Many hypnotherapists use regression to the time the fear was created and resolve it that way. At any rate, hypnosis with NLP is the route to go. And as you read this, your realization that there is an effective treatment starts the process of elimination of any fears that aren't useful to your well-being.
And just as an addendum, I didn't teach her to do self-hypnosis although I would certainly do that now. (mindweavers)[quote:58c113ec3c="mindweavers"] And as you read this, your realization that there is an effective treatment starts the process of elimination of any fears that aren't useful to your well-being.
[/quote:58c113ec3c]
That's true !
This thread and the influence of it's contributors have left me feeling positive and full of hope and expectation. It's the [i:58c113ec3c]strangest [/i:58c113ec3c]sensation... after many [b:58c113ec3c]years[/b:58c113ec3c] of anguish I already feel like I've lost a small percentage of the fear. (rosencrantz)WeyHey! That is great!
Onwards and upwards! :D (Purple)
