“I’m afraid to donate blood”—psychotherapists hear this phrase even from accomplished, outwardly confident people. If a person feels unwell even at the thought of such manipulation, then he suffers from a specific neurotic fear - hemophobia (from the Greek root hemo, meaning “bloody, bloody”). This fear is formed in childhood - between 7 and 15 years old. Overcoming fear without the help of specialists is not easy.
Why is there a fear of donating blood?
This fear is caused by traumatic events in childhood associated with blood. For example, a baby breaks his nose, panics greatly, and receives psychological trauma. The traumatic memory of an unpleasant incident eventually turns into a phobia.
Fear of analysis:
- It affects not just any person, but impressionable people who tend to exaggerate possible troubles. In the minds of sensitive babies, a slight pain from a harmless medical procedure turns into true torture;
- appears in children with overly protective parents who are trying to protect their own child from the “cruel world.”
A similar phobia also occurs in people with a low pain threshold. In such individuals, even a minor scratch causes severe pain.
Hemophobia is “hereditary” and “contagious.” If the mother suffers from it, then soon you can hear the phrase “I’m afraid to donate blood from my finger” from the baby.
Description of the phobia
This reaction to tests is caused by hemophobia, or fear at the sight of blood. People with this disease are seized with fear just at the thought of having to visit hospitals, not to mention the fact that they will have to donate blood from a finger, and even more so from a vein.
Hemophobes often turn to traditional medicine or ignore their diseases, thereby incurring a greater likelihood of irreparable consequences.
The situation becomes especially complicated if a child is afraid of blood, which is also not a rare occurrence. This type of phobia does not have deep roots, which means you have a chance to overcome it on your own. Fear of taking tests can also be caused by other factors, such as fear of the hospital, doctors, or sharp objects. It is necessary to first eliminate the primary phobia, and then its consequences.
Symptoms of hemophobia
An individual with such fear is plagued by a whole “bouquet” of unpleasant physiological and mental symptoms. When a person suffering from a phobia undergoes the “torture” (surrender procedure), he:
- the breath stops, the heart starts to gallop;
- lips are shaking, with hands and veins it’s the same story;
- the legs become weak, and a person suffering from a phobia can easily faint.
Things are also bad mentally. Hemophobe:
- begins to worry terribly, and is seized by wild panic;
- madly wants to run away, hide, “wake up.” To someone suffering from a phobia, what is happening seems like a bad dream.
In children, the symptoms are slightly different. In babies:
- severe hysteria begins. The baby is screaming, crying;
- there is an attempt to hide. The baby clings to his mother and runs away. He asks for protection “from a bad woman with a scary needle.”
Physical manifestations of fear (headaches, indigestion) are also possible in children, but in a less prolonged severe form than in adults.
When is specialist help needed?
Psychiatric help is required only if the fear of blood drives a person to a state of seclusion. If he begins to be afraid to leave the house, he strives to make his home as safe as possible. In this case, mental abnormalities may begin to be traced in him, schizophrenia and manic psychosis may begin to develop. Hemophobia can lead to such consequences.
Sometimes an effective way to help a hemophobe can be to ask him to tell him how and why he is scared. If a person begins to complain and convey his difficulties to a psychotherapist or a close friend, then this is a very good sign, which means the person is on the road to recovery. But it is important at this moment to treat him as sensitively as possible, listen carefully, and support him in every possible way.
How not to be afraid to donate blood from a vein or finger - effective techniques for overcoming fear
Psychotherapeutic techniques help you to approach analysis calmly.
Technique “Imagine: there is no fear”
Blood can be made “not scary” by doing the following simple but effective mental therapy. Let's imagine that we are going for analysis. Everything goes as smoothly as possible. A friendly nurse gets the job done quickly. And the “terrible unbearable” pain is weaker than a mosquito bite.
“Measured portions” of blood donation videos also help. The videos will gradually instill “immunity” to “bloody” spectacles, and hemophobia will begin to disappear.
Technique "Utility"
Is as follows:
- We instill the idea of the usefulness of surrender. We visualize the laboratory, imagine how doctors study the analysis and examine it under a microscope.
- We bring to the subconscious: the procedure is a great benefit, the test helps prevent and detect diseases.
To make auto-training more effective, we need the help of a specialist. During the sessions of the experienced hypnologist Nikita Valeryevich Baturin, it will be possible to gradually dispel the phobia and remove fear from consciousness forever.
Relaxing breathing technique
Techniques related to breathing control are effective for the treatment of hemobophyia. A simple deep exhalation exercise will help bring panic under control. The main thing in the exercise is that the exhalation is longer than the inhalation.
When a person exhales, the body relaxes, when inhales, it tenses. Therefore, if you “stretch” your exhalation, the hemophobe will relax and become calmer.
Tension technique
This specific technique works well in combating fainting, the most unpleasant symptom of hemophobia, accompanied by a sharp drop in blood pressure.
The technique is as follows: we strongly strain the muscles of the chest, arms, and legs so that the face becomes flushed and the blood pressure quickly rises. We use hardware. At the same time, we watch a video where blood is taken from a finger and vein.
Behavioral cognitive therapy
In addition to the techniques described above, behavioral-cognitive therapy helps well against hemophobia. Together with a behavioral psychotherapist, a person changes his attitude towards analysis and begins to understand that there is nothing wrong with the procedure. The specialist gradually helps the person suffering from a phobia to “replace” panicky thoughts associated with analysis with more “realistic” ones.
Psychoanalysis
Psychoanalysis is also effective. Together with the psychoanalyst, the client searches for the cause of the appearance of fear, clears the mind of the attitude to be afraid, realizes it, and overcomes it. Many useful exercises are posted on YouTube.
Remember! Medications (antidepressants, tranquilizers) are rarely prescribed for hemophobia. Pathology is considered a problem that can be effectively dealt with through psychotherapy alone.
Causes
The causes of hemophobia are always psychological in nature. If a person is afraid of pain, the reason for the fear is an exaggeration of the pain syndrome that the patient once experienced. It is common for a victim of a phobia to make a tragedy out of the procedure and exaggerate the discomfort during blood donation. Reasons why the patient is afraid of the procedure:
- fear of blood;
- negative experience;
- incorrect attitudes and associations;
- associated phobias.
A person is afraid to see his own or someone else’s blood - these are different phobias. Fear of the sight of your blood is a defensive reaction. Fear of the sight of someone else's blood is expressed in disgust towards people or fear of becoming infected. You need to understand the causes of fear by studying possible and additional causes of irrational fear.
The phobia is intensified by obsessive states: if the patient is afraid of needles, unsterile objects, or the smells of medical institutions, the future procedure causes panic fear. Over time, the phobia develops, and the patient avoids the test procedure to the detriment of his own health.
The reasons for the phobia may lie in the negative experience of donating blood.
How not to be afraid to give up - useful tips
To be bold:
- Before going to the procedure, drink plenty of water. It will be easier for the nurse to “extract” blood from a vein or finger. Things will go much faster;
- we explain to the nurse about the problem so that she can carry out the procedure quickly and carefully;
- When we sit on the chair during the fence, we relax as much as possible. We think about something soothing and pleasant. We mentally repeat a mantra, for example this: “Relaxed, good, relaxed, good.” We take deep breaths and exhale slowly.
It is unwise to develop complexes because of a phobia. Fear will go away faster if you honestly admit to the medical staff: “I’m afraid to donate blood from a vein (or finger).”
Treatment of fear
In the modern world, it is almost impossible to avoid donating blood. The fear associated with this procedure not only brings discomfort, but also becomes a real problem. Such fear rarely occurs in complex forms; it can be overcome without additional intervention from psychologists or medications. In this case, it is worth dividing the methods of struggle according to age criteria.
For adults
If an adult is afraid of donating blood, there are a number of measures that will help him solve this problem.
- Divert your attention. The easiest way: do not look, close your eyes during the procedure.
- Don’t be afraid to warn health care workers about your fear. You will not worry about the staff's reaction to your phobia, and more comfortable conditions will be created for you to reduce stress.
- Don't give yourself time to panic. There is no need to come to the hospital in advance, giving yourself time to get ready.
- Learn to relax. Try closing your eyes, take a deep breath and exhale slowly. Imagine yourself on the seashore, feel complete relaxation. Remember this feeling and try to repeat this exercise when taking the test.
- Control your breathing. Focus on normalizing your rhythm, this will distract you from what is happening.
For children
If a child is afraid to donate blood from a vein or finger, experts also highlight a number of ways to help him with this problem.
Children begin to panic when they see the negative reaction of their peers.
- Try to switch your attention, read your favorite book, watch a cartoon.
- Come up with a reward. Promise your child that after the procedure he will receive his favorite sweet or a long-awaited toy. If this trick doesn’t work the first time, over time he will stop associating going to the hospital with negative emotions.
- Set an example. Children often try to be like their parents. Take the test yourself and demonstrate an example of adequate behavior.
- Eliminate surprise. Play out the entire course of events at home.
- Tell us why the blood draw is needed.
- Talk to your child. You can try to distract him with your favorite fairy tale.
- Do not deceive, the effect of surprise will contribute to the aggravation of fear.
- Do not show your child your feelings, this will only make the situation worse.
How not to be afraid to go get your baby tested?
To reduce your baby’s fear before the procedure:
- Let's try to tell the truth. We avoid stories that blood from a finger or vein is “like a mosquito bite.” Sometimes the analysis is done carelessly, the baby may jerk his hand, causing him pain. If the parents before the procedure convinced the baby that the manipulation was painless, then the baby will become terribly afraid to go and take the test again. And he will begin to trust the words of loved ones less;
- in very gentle terms we explain to our child how everything will happen, so that the baby knows what to expect and is less afraid;
- We say that after surrendering, the baby will receive something as a reward for his courage;
- We explain to the child why the analysis is needed. We tell you that this protects you from unpleasant illnesses, because of which you have to lie in bed for a long time and drink bitter pills;
- as a last resort, we can also donate blood, because parents are the main role models for children.
And we make sure to be close to the baby during the analysis. We try to distract, talk about something pleasant. We retell the plot of the cartoon and describe the gift for courage.
The fear of donating blood is irrational and pathological. To overcome a phobia, you need to learn to control your thoughts. Experienced psychologists and various simple therapeutic techniques will help you do this. Then the problem of how to stop being afraid to donate blood from a vein or finger will go away forever.
Be grateful
If fear prevents you from living, you need to find an effective way to overcome it. For example, the opposite of darkness is light; if you find yourself in a dark room, you immediately know what to do: press the switch. It’s the same with fear, in order to overcome it, you need to oppose it with another, stronger quality.
What kind of quality will this be? Many may assume that courage. But in reality, even a brave person is afraid; fear simply does not allow him to stop. Therefore, a more effective quality, the opposite of fear, will be gratitude. Whenever an unwanted fear arises, remember five things you are grateful for. For example, thank the parents who raised you, because it is gratitude to another person that debunks fear.
If you regularly remember that you are grateful to many people around you for what you have in life and what you have achieved, then there will simply be no room left for fear in your life.
Remember, if fear is stopping you from living a happy and fulfilling life, you need to do something about it. The sooner you start turning to specialists and finding out the causes of the phobia, the faster you will cope with it.
