Increase in people seeking support for needle phobias during Covid-19 vaccination roll out

As the UK rolls out the highly anticipated vaccination for COVID-19, many people are relieved to receive their first jab. However, thousands of others are facing fear, anxiety and worry due to their phobia of needles known as Trypanophobia, which affects at least one in 10 people (Source: NHS data).

Hypnotherapy Directorycan reveal that the vaccination programme is triggering for people living with trypanophobia. Hypnotherapy Directory, which connects people with professional hypnotherapists, has seen a phenomenal 1,600% increase in users reading information and looking for advice on vaccination phobias over the past four months.*

Alongside this, sister site Counselling Directory has reported a 63% increase in those looking for information about phobias in general. 

“Fears and phobias are a coping mechanism, they’re often something that is projected from an experience or someone else's experience” Explains Natasha Crowe, a psychotherapist, hypnotherapist and member of the Hypnotherapy Directory. 

“We go into fight or flight mode, we go into stress, the body starts to react, we start to look for the threat around us. And that threat could be a needle”,  Natasha adds.

This fear or phobia is greatly heightened at the moment, with the large-scale national vaccination programme rollout, and constant coverage of the vaccination story across all media. This means that talk of injections and needles is constant and unavoidable.

Help for this phobia is available and easily accessible.

However, the good news Natasha explains, is that it’s possible to overcome and manage needle phobia: “To overcome something it starts with yourself...what’s important to understand is we can have a fear of something and we can push through that fear and have a successful outcome.” 

You can watch the full video of Natasha’s advice for those with needle phobias on Happiful’s youtube channel. 

A therapist's guide for overcoming your fears

Remember you are in control

An option for those with phobias is Hypnotherapy which is about “learning techniques so you can apply them yourselves.”

Repeat positive affirmations

Natasha suggests someone looking to conquer their fear should think about “Why am I doing this? What is this about for me?”, framing it so that you tell yourself “I’m keeping myself safe”. You can use positive affirmations in this way, repeating something like  “I’m calm, I’m comfortable, I’m safe” she explains.

Relaxation is key

“Before you leave home, make sure you’re in the most relaxed state you can possibly be - allowing yourself to make sure you’re connected to your breathing, listen to a piece of meditation, some music or do some self-hypnosis. Make sure that you’ve eaten something, drunk something - wellbeing factors are really important.” 

Resources are available

There’s a wide range of self-help resources available online for those feeling anxious or scared about the vaccination.

For those needing support with anxiety, Natasha guides us through a self-hypnosis session.

If you’re seeking professional help, thousands of hypnotherapists are available on Hypnotherapy Directory for online sessions during the pandemic. 

*Data shows the number of users reading the vaccination, needle and phobias page over the past four months compared to the same period last year.

'Help with fear and phobia of needles' with Hypnotherapist Natasha Crowe is available on Happiful's I am. I have podcast.

Hypnotherapy Directory and Counselling Directory are part of the Happiful family with sister sites; Life Coach Directory, Therapy Directory and Nutritionist Resource and Happiful Magazine. The Happiful family exists to help people connect with the help they need, listing more than 23k professional counsellors, psychotherapists, hypnotherapists, life coaches, nutritionists and holistic therapists across all directories. 

This article was originally published in Spring 2021 during the Covid 19 vaccination roll out.

Please contact our PR Manager on alice.greedus@hypnotherapy-directory.org.uk for data, expert comments or insights into vaccination phobias for media pieces.