Fear of needles?

[Wilka]

I'm currently studying as a hypnotherapist, and A friend of mine has asked if I'd be able to help out with his fear of needles. But after having a look around for some info, pages such as this (http://www.futurescience.com/needles.html) seem to suggest there's very little chance of this type of thing working: "Overcoming needle phobia does present special difficulties, and it does not usually respond well to traditional techniques for overcoming phobias" (unless of course, hypnotherapy isn't in the the "traditional techniques" category). So I was wondering if anyone has had much success with this kind of thing? And if they have any advice for the best way to go about it?

- Wilka

[Merlin]

I've had success.
4 options comes to mind:
1) NLP fast phobia cure
2) TLT variation of the NLP fast phobia cure
3) Hypnosis for general fears
4) hypnosis 'regression to cause
5) hypnosis suggestion that needles are fun, aren't they?

[Don]

Hi, Wilka.

I see pages like this all the time--not from objective, experienced experts, but from people who are suffering from a problem and are using everything they can find to hold on to that problem!

Let me point out that "phobia" is a technical term used by licensed psychologists, psychiatrrists, etc., to indicate a problem that interrupts in some way a person's life. Your friend says he has a "fear of needles." Well, most kids I know also have a fear of needles and it's only a problem when then go to a doctor, and then only for a moment or so--hardly a phobia. If they had trouble overcoming this problem more than half the world would be going crazy from needle phobia, and that just isn't taking place.

So if someone has a fear of needles, hypnotherapy can solve it quickly. If they have a diagnosed phobia, they need to be treated by a licensed psychologist or psychiatrist and should only be treated by a hypnotherapist with a referral from that licensed professional.

[Jack]

Just to add that I agree with everything Merlin and Don have said but would point out that if you are in the UK, no referral is needed from either a psychiatrist or a medical doctor to have treatment for a phobia from an hypnotherapist.

Jack

[Terry (existing)]

OK folks, it's New Years Eve, and time for a fun and true story to make your day go well.........
Many many years ago, I was on a parent's committee with our local school at which three of my children were attending at the time, when I was contacted and asked if I would be willing to give some training to those who worked for a local charity with emigrants. I agreed, and to add to it, I also offered to give that same course, to any teachers who were interested, particullarly those who attended our meetings and whom I knew.
I ended with half a dozen in the class, and all were teachers, as the othersl were unable to come at the last minute. I proceeded to teach a course basically in self hypnosis, with additional information that was of personal interest to individuals attending....
One of them has a deadly fear of the dentist, and had a tooth that needed removing or filling, but was procrastinating because of his fear. I worked with him for this, and a few months later, I had reason to visit the school to discuss something with the principle. One of the children passed me as I entered, and of course, since my kids were at the school, most of them knew who I was, so when he went into class he happened to mention the I was in the school. the teacher left his class, rushed to the office, grabbed my hand, and thanked me for what I had done for him, his comment being, "I will never be afraid of the needle or the dentist again". Now isn't that a nice way to contribute to New Years Eve? Oh yes, the method I taught was basic hypnotherapy, something everyone who works with others should know.......

[Neurotic1]

Hi

As has been discussed above, there are many different approaches which can be utilised by those who have a fear of needles. It depends, amongst other things, what the nature of the fear is, the cause (if any is known), and in what circumstances the needle is to be encountered (e.g; local anaesthetic for dental treatment). Some people are afraid of the pain of injection, others afraid of the needle but not the pain, others still are afraid of both. The fear for such people is generally disproportionate to the pain likely caused by the needle used in good hands. Indeed, most (dental and subcutaneous) injections can be administered almost entirely pain free - although most people will accept that there is likely to be some discomfort for certain injections. Hypnotic anaesthesia has good potential for removing pain experience.

If have a good deal of experience with managing patients who have a fear of needles for dental anaesthesia / intravenous access. Many of these people are quite ok with having injections in the hand or arm but just can't take the prospect of a needle in the mouth. One of the most common ways to treat such patients is by topical anaesthetic to the skin of the hand and injection with intravenous sedation prior to local anaesthetic administration in the mouth. I am not keen on this approach, however, because it does not resolve the phobia and can lead to dependance on sedation for treatment. Other patients cannot even bear to think of needles let alone have an injection in the back of the hand. I have used inhaled nitrous oxide and hypnotic suggestions for such patients with good success prior to intravenous sedation.

As yet, I have not treated many patients with hypnosis alone to resolve their phobias (i asked about use of NLP for similar issues in a thread in the NLP forum). However, I am absolutely confident that this can be done for most people with hypnosis in a relatively short space of time. I would love to provide such a service but am limited by the NHS allocation of my time and resources. Certainly in the UK, an experienced hypnotherapist could be consulted without referral and should be able to help. I do not know of a good reason why this should be different in the States if it is.There are several medical and dental hypnotherapy organisations who could advise anyone wishing to learn more about the multitude of techniques available and reputable sources of further training.

[Unregistered]

I have heard that homeopathic remedy Silicea has this kind of symptom, which could be worth of trying.

[Terry (existing)]

In Calgary one of the member of HSA was a dentist who specialized in hypnosis for pain control, and also specialized in childrens dentistry... I don't know how common this is in cities, but I would expect that you could find at least one in any large city in Canada, since Calgary is hardly a large city, with less than a million in population.......