Blood sampling is one of the mandatory procedures during an annual medical examination, but not all people tolerate it well. According to official statistics, about 3-4% of the planet's population shudders at the sight of blood or the realization that in the near future this liquid connective tissue will end up outside, and not inside, the body. What is the cause of this condition and is it possible to fight it?
In this article:
What is hemophobia and why is the fear of blood inherent in every person? How does the fear of blood manifest itself? Symptoms and signs of hemophobia. What is the fear of blood associated with? Which celebrities are susceptible to the fear of blood? Why do you need to get rid of the fear of blood? Techniques for treating hemophobia How to learn not to be afraid of blood
What is hemophobia and why is the fear of blood inherent in every person?
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From the ancient Greek language, the term “hemophobia” is translated as “fear of blood.” This condition is a mental disorder and is one of the 30 most common types of fears in the world. According to statistics, it affects from 200 to 400 million people of all ages.
At the same time, it is customary to distinguish between a phobia (accompanied by panic or severe discomfort) and a person’s basic instincts.
You may not be a hemophobe, but be wary or feel internal discomfort at the sight of blood.
These are normal protective mechanisms that have their origins in the distant past and are transmitted at the genetic level. It's simple: you need to make sure that you don't experience blood loss and stay healthy.
But in the case of a phobia, these body reactions are squared. As a result, multiple excessive reactions of the body occur, by which this mental disorder can be identified.
First aid tips for a hemophobe and his loved ones
A person who knows about his illness tries to avoid the object of his phobia. But the sight of blood, even on a TV screen, can cause fainting. One of the patient’s options is to look away as quickly as possible, trying not to give free rein to his feelings. Also, instead of becoming numb, you should move on the contrary, shake your arms, lightly stomp your feet so that the blood moves through the body.
If a hemophobe is frightened by the necessary procedures at the doctor, for example, to collect plasma, he should treat this with understanding. First, make inquiries, turn fear into research about why tests are collected, how they are carried out, what they are trying to find. Perhaps participation in such an exciting process will relegate hemophobia to the background.
Doctors will help fight hemophobia
When there is a person in the family who is afraid of the sight of blood, over time those around them stock up on ammonia. This is one of the most effective ways to awaken a patient from fainting. Among other things, when one person notices that another is having an attack of fear, you need to provide him with a chair, sit him down and move the patient’s limbs in order to disperse the blood throughout the body. The helper should remain calm, showing the hemophobe that you are confident and in control of the situation.
How does the fear of blood manifest itself?
Agree, seeing a pool of blood in person, you will definitely feel discomfort caused by the reluctance to see the creature (human or animal) from which it flowed. Another reason why you will bypass such a find lies in the likelihood of a crime. You probably don't want to be the next victim. And that's okay.
What is hemophobia?
Hemophobes are afraid of blood not only in large quantities. They are frightened, among other things, by the very realization that the injury will be followed by a physical manifestation of this tissue. Cutting your finger, getting an injection, getting your blood tested is a real stress for people suffering from hemophobia.
Main causes of hemophobia
Volitional personality traits - what is it in psychology, their formation
Having dealt with the question: what is hemophobia, what are its symptoms, we should note the reasons for its occurrence. Often, severe childhood injuries, open fractures, and bleeding cuts are imprinted subconsciously. Perhaps, as a child, a hemophobe saw a thriller or horror film on TV, where explicit scenes of violence and an unimaginable amount of flowing blood were shown. It is quite natural that a person will henceforth be afraid of blood loss, since this can lead to his death.
Note! Fear of blood can be combined with fear of needles, medical procedures: plasma collection, injections, hospital visits in general. Blood loss is also associated with the fear of death.
There are also cruel jokes from family members or strangers about how “the doctors will take all the blood with a syringe,” or similar statements. It is noteworthy that an adult individual can understand exactly when and why he began to be afraid of blood, but the fear is so ingrained in the subconscious that it is not possible to overcome it on his own.
Symptoms and signs of hemophobia
There are a number of signs characteristic of the behavior of hemophobes. So, the following manifestations of this mental disorder are common:
- sudden attacks of tachycardia;
- lowering blood pressure;
- pulsation in the temporal zone;
- dizziness;
- pale skin;
- tremor of the limbs;
- dilated pupils;
- increased nervousness;
- breathing problems;
- fainting states.
A sharp decrease in blood pressure in this case is a protective mechanism. It slows down blood circulation and, accordingly, reduces the risk of blood loss. The same factor leads to fainting, since insufficient blood enters the brain, briefly “switching off” it.
What is the fear of blood associated with?
Fear of injections and any medical procedures that may be accompanied by blood sampling, injections, or surgery is one of the few components of hemophobia. The basis of this fear is the possible pain that can accompany any of the listed manipulations.
Factors that provoke hemophobia include:
- history of phobia;
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- traumatic experience (seeing or experiencing an accident can provoke a fear of blood at any age, but this problem is especially relevant among children and impressionable people);
- negative impact on the psyche (watching “bloody” films, scenes of violence, crime chronicles).
In severe cases of hemophobia, you are afraid of death, which you consider to be a logical consequence of blood loss. The point is that this fear is too exaggerated and increased in scale: mentally you understand that you will not die if you submit this liquid connective tissue for analysis, but in fact you reject the arguments of reason and lose control over somatics.
How to cope with hemophobia
You need to learn to look your fear in the eye.
Let's look at how to overcome the fear of blood, what you need to do for this.
- In a mild case, ordinary communication with a psychologist is enough, who helps to understand the true causes of fear and guides you to fight it. Particularly effective in this case is communication with loved ones who do not experience such fears.
- Practicing meditation and other spiritual practices. Allows you to rethink your spiritual values, relax, and relate more easily to everything that frightens you.
- If there is a moderate degree of hemophobia, then the hypnosuggestive method can be used. At an appointment with a psychotherapist, the patient receives unconscious instructions regarding the fight against his phobia.
- Psychoanalysis helps to understand the cause of fear, to make sure that fear is not as terrible as it seems and that it can be dealt with.
- Cognitive behavioral therapy. The essence of the process is repeated contact with blood, which allows you to reduce the feeling of fear with each subsequent session. Over time, there is a fading of experiences associated with the sight of this biological fluid.
- Group psychotherapy is especially applicable during the recovery period.
- You can cope with panic attacks by performing special exercises, the main purpose of which is to adapt and develop the ability to control yourself in the presence of a frightening situation:
- you need to try to tense the muscles of your body with maximum strength, when they are in good shape, try to move - the point is that during an attack there is usually a decrease in pressure, and the ability to start moving in a stupor will improve the blood circulation process, which will prevent fainting;
- when you feel the approach of panic, physical activity and vigorous exercise will come to the rescue;
- learning to control your breathing. To do this, you need to take a deep breath, hold your breath for a few seconds, after which you need to exhale vigorously. This sequence should be completed up to 10 times, then up to 20.
Drug therapy may be prescribed, since the long course of the pathology leads to asthenic disorders. In such situations, complex treatment cannot be avoided. This may include taking the following medications:
- neuroleptics - help compensate for feelings of anxiety and fear; in the initial stage they can be used as monotherapy;
- sleeping pills - prescribed when there are deviations in the sleep process, used as an aid in therapy;
- tranquilizers – in the presence of panic attacks in a pronounced form, when antipsychotics do not properly affect the patient’s body;
- Antidepressants are prescribed to prevent the development of depression.
Treatment should be carried out under the supervision of a doctor and strictly in accordance with his recommendations. Self-medication by taking medications uncontrolled and without taking into account the required dosage is unacceptable.
Now you know how to get rid of the fear of blood. A considerable number of people are horrified at the sight of this biological fluid. Remember that you can overcome any phobia. If you cannot cope with the problem on your own, do not be shy; you need to ask for help from a qualified specialist.
Which celebrities have a fear of blood?
Sometimes hemophobia develops in adults and mentally balanced people against the background of certain health problems in the environment. For example, Nicholas II was afraid of the sight of blood because of a hereditary disease of his son Alexei. The boy had hemophilia - a blood clotting disorder that could have caused his sudden death from hemorrhage in the brain and other organs.
A modern celebrity, the star of the TV series “Streets of Broken Lights,” Anastasia Melnikova, also “earned” hemophobia due to her environment, but for a different reason. The father of the future actress, an oncologist surgeon, somehow decided to introduce his daughter to the work dynasty and brought her to the operating room. While the experiment was a success with Melnikova’s brother, it wasn’t for her. The girl lost consciousness at the sight of the syringe and blood.
Why you need to get rid of the fear of blood
No, no one will force you to watch horror films and scenes of cruelty if you love cartoons and comedies with a happy ending. But objectively, inadequate fear and the accompanying symptoms reduce the quality of your life.
You can’t go to the doctor “without incident”, you often feel bad (because your fantasy “inflates” a whole puddle of blood from any ketchup stain), and so on.
Sometimes you categorically refuse to make contact with people who want to provide you with simple medical assistance. For example, a bleeding scratch on your knee in your thoughts becomes overgrown with the prospect of amputation, so you distance yourself from those around you who intend to treat the wound with peroxide.
In cases where the fear of blood is not associated with defense mechanisms, it must be gotten rid of at least in order to be able to live fully and enjoy life.
Treatment techniques for hemophobia
Successful treatment of any phobia is possible if it is accepted. That is, initially you should not look for arguments in favor of your fear, but agree with its irrationality.
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You can then resort to forms of treatment such as:
- consultation - contact a psychiatrist who will help identify the root cause of the phobia and develop a treatment regimen;
- hypnosis - a good specialist will help you on a subconscious level to reconsider your attitude towards a situation that leads to paralyzing fear, and based on a new attitude towards the problem, you will be able to get rid of it;
- Cognitive-behavioral correction – involves blocking fear at the hormonal level, which promotes psychological and physical control. In practice, this implies systematic contact with the subject of fear in order to form and consolidate positive reactions to it.
Sedatives prescribed by a specialist will be an optional, but auxiliary factor in recovery.
Fear of tests as a mental disorder
Patients who complain that they are afraid to take HIV tests or are afraid of the results of an HIV test suffer from a specific type of phobia - speedophobia. The fear of contracting HIV or developing AIDS is a normal reaction of any person, due to the instinct of self-preservation. But phobic fear is too exaggerated and irrational; it complicates a person’s life and leads to the development of depression and other mental disorders.
Experts distinguish two types of speedophobia:
- The person is firmly convinced that he has AIDS, and constantly undergoes medical examinations and tests. He does not believe the negative test results, believing that the doctors simply made a mistake or that he has a special type of disease that the tests cannot detect.
- The person assumes that he has contracted an infection, but he categorically refuses to see a doctor and undergo an examination.
In the first case, it will be very difficult to solve the problem without the help of specialists. But the second type of speedophobia can be overcome on your own, with the support of relatives.
How to learn not to be afraid of blood
Since blood, with rare exceptions, is an integral part of living beings, it is normal to perceive its appearance, if not a mandatory, then a desirable skill. If you have hemophobia, you can accustom yourself to adequate mental reactions to the sight of this tissue:
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- control your breathing (alternating deep breaths and exhalations will help stabilize your heartbeat);
- squat or jump up the moment you feel yourself starting to lose consciousness. This way you will speed up blood circulation and, accordingly, blood supply to the brain.
To prevent blood phobia, you can try to eliminate factors that cause panic associations with the subject of fear (don’t look at cruelty, don’t listen to crime news).
Fear of not living up to another's expectations (expectation of sexual failure syndrome)
A young married couple came to the reception. They complained about misunderstandings, conflicts, and dissatisfaction with sex.
It turned out that each partner is focused on the ideal image of the other, which lives in his head. He more often mentally communicates with a virtual copy of his partner than with him himself, and answers questions for him as he imagines. The woman wanted more stimulation of the clitoris and did not like the taste of sperm during oral sex, but she was afraid to say so, so as not to offend the man. The man sought to ensure “dynamics”, not really feeling what he wanted.
Don’t be afraid to be “uncomfortable” for others, that’s the only way you will become yourself.
