The blood phobia is one of the most common phobias, in this article we will see what is and what is its treatment.
What is hemophobia and what is its meaning?
Blood phobia or hemophobia consists of an irrational or excessive fear of blood. Although certain feelings of disgust or rejection when seeing blood are normal, when we talk about hemophobia we refer to strong anxiety reactions.
Is Hempphobia the same as Needle Phobia?
No. A phobia of needles or sharps is a different phobia. The reason people with blood phobia panic about needles is precisely because they contain blood. If the needle is empty, the person will most likely not experience major anxiety symptoms.
Is hemophobia the same as hemophilia?
Not! It has nothing to do with it. Hemophobia is a psychological disorder and hemophilia is an organic disease.
Hemophilia is a hereditary disease that is related to a blood clotting problem.
Symptoms of blood phobia
The characteristic symptoms of hemophobia are anxiety and panic in the presence of needles, blood, or the like.
In the most severe cases, the person can feel them even when imagining it or even faint.
Is it normal to be Apprehensive about blood?
Yes of course. Experiencing a certain level of apprehension about blood is completely normal since we naturally associate this with pain, death, etc. However, blood phobia is characterized by strong panic reactions, as I said earlier.
Phobias are considered a psychological disorder because the person recognizes and knows that what scares them is not dangerous, however, they cannot avoid not feeling it.
Treatment of blood phobia
For this reason, the treatment of blood phobia cannot be through reason, since the problem does not reside there. It must be through behavior.
The cognitive-behavioral therapy proposes an intervention model called d systematic esensibilización, ie gradually exposed to (blood) the frightening stimulus.
In this way, being progressive, there is a habituation effect. In addition, it is usually necessary to train other skills such as tolerance to bad being or techniques to control anxiety, such as breathing or muscle relaxation.
How to Overcome Hemophobia
The treatment hemaphobia should always be carried by an Adelaide Hypnosis. Sometimes when the fear is very great, it must first be worked in imagination before being exposed to the real stimulus. Another way is to use images reminiscent of blood, like the ones you can find above.
The objective is to gradually achieve this desensitization until finally not feeling any anxiety when seeing blood or referrals.
