Fear of the COVID vaccine

Our lives have changed so much in the past year due to COVID-19. The fear many people have experienced has been amplified by the media constantly filling our screens with horror stories. Many people are scared of contracting the virus but just as many are more worried about how our future will be as it appears, we may never go back to the normal as we knew it.

We have had to sacrifice so much recently.  We are no longer allowed to see our families and friends to enjoy socialising with them or even just to give them a hug. Many small businesses have been destroyed and unemployment has risen sharply. Our children are missing out on a proper education or even being able to form or keep friendships.  

Many pharmaceutical companies have worked tirelessly to produce a vaccine-like treatment to curtail the spread of the virus with a view to lifting restrictions around the world. Many people are keen to take up the offer of this drug in the hope it will allow them to get some normality back in their lives.

However, there are a number of people out there who have a needle phobia. So, despite their eagerness to receive this treatment, they are far too afraid to do so. Just like the majority of phobias, this phobia is simple to remedy as it has been a learned phobia. i.e. the phobic was not born with this fear.

Phobias usually develop when we are young and have been exposed to whatever we are fearful of. 

An example could be a fear of water. Perhaps as a child, the person slipped in the bath or in the sea and went under, swallowing some water. Arising coughing and spluttering and gasping for breath could be enough to make them fearful of a repeat performance.  

Trypanophobia is the official name for a fear of needles. This phobia could develop from a stay in a hospital where a bad experience with a needle happened. Particularly as a child when they were perhaps held down while they were already in pain to receive an injection. Forevermore, they associate seeing a needle with the memory of that painful experience. Indeed, many children are given no warning they are about to receive a vaccine and the sudden pain can make them fear it could happen again at any time. Even as adults, they find it difficult to rationalise this procedure as being for their own good.

Sadly, there are some people who are so petrified of receiving treatment that may involve needles, that they have refused lifesaving treatment and died.

Treatment for needle phobia

Phobias and their associated fears can be successfully treated with hypnotherapy. This is done by firstly, guiding the subject into a relaxed, calm trance-like state, then accessing the subconscious mind. The majority of people understand that their phobia is irrational but are unable to dissipate the fear that goes hand-in-hand with it. Hypnosis is an extremely successful and non-evasive method to enable the person to overcome their phobia and eradicate all associated fear.

Hypnotherapy is a very effective way to treat phobias and one of the most popular treatments available. Bypassing the conscious mind to access the subconscious enables you to address your fears internally and put it into perspective. It will enable you to understand that the needle procedure in itself is not the issue but the associated fears that go hand-in-hand with it.  

Thankfully, as this is a psychological issue, hypnosis can easily deal with this. Moreover, the physiological symptoms experienced alongside the fear such as sweating, palpitations and shaking are also successfully addressed and overcome.

Phobias of all kinds are one of the most common reasons why the expertise of a hypnotherapist is sought. Additionally, the hypnosis sessions will leave you with more confidence in general and increased self-esteem. Whatever your phobia is - contact us today - it could literally save your life!