Clinical hypnotherapy may be safe and effective treatment for fear of needles in light of newly announced mandatory vaccination campaign. Elena Volodchenko is a clinical hypnotherapist practicing in Fremantle, Western Australia and specialising in fast phobia cure and anxiety disorders including trypanophobia (irrational, extreme fear or aversion to blood or needles) and offers her comment on the current news.
Fear of needles affects up to 25% of population, according to research. Although it may be brushed off as irrational, it is however very real for the person who is afraid and may prohibit them from getting the vaccine or, in an event of getting a vaccine, will likely to cause an extreme overwhelm, anxiety, panic attacks or fainting.
However, it can be treated with clinical hypnosis in a simple multi-session approach (outlined in the bullet points below).
Elena Volodchenko, Clinical Hypno-Psychotherapist practicing in her Trance Works Perth Hypnosis Clinic has been successfully treating people with phobias even before Covid.
"People with fears tend to overreact on all levels – they catastrophize, they feel strong emotions and they have physical bodily responses like increased heart rate, sweating, shortness of breath," - Elena says. "If there is no history of trauma, it is the catastrophising thoughts, coupled with the hypervigilance that will induce the body sensations. It is in a way a vicious cycle because a person in panic will have impaired cognitive capability, and once triggered, will go into full body response. The person may be totally calm and rational and the next minute they faint in the sight of the needle".
"If you have ever been on a plane in a seat next to a passenger afraid of flying you would know how real the fear is – they literally go white, they shake, they even stop breathing for a while. Fear of needles is similar and it is very real."
Mrs Volodchenko reports, "I see people who are so phobic they can't even think about needles without tears or see needles mentioned on TV. And it is rewarding for me to see they change in just a few sessions and are able to act on their important decisions."
According to Elena Volodchenko, "Hypnosis is a natural phenomenon that produces calm state of consciousness and narrowed focus of attention that in clinical hypnotherapy is used to facilitate desired change. When using hypnosis, one person (the client) is guided by another (the hypnotherapist) to respond to suggestions for changes in subjective experience, alterations in perception, sensation, emotion, thought or behaviour. People can also learn self-hypnosis, which is the act of administering hypnotic procedures on one's own."
During a hypnotherapy session, a range of fast interventions are used, including:
- breathing relaxation and anchoring relaxation response to be used later in life
- metaphoric language, storytelling
- guided visualisation
- nervous system regulation, heart rate coherence
- emotional desensitisation
- timeline therapy (working on the past and future resolving trauma and anticipation anxiety)
- enhanced cognitive behavioural therapy (understanding specific thinking patterns that lead to undesired behaviour and restructuring thoughts and meanings).
"The person in trance is able to produce a positive outcome and rehearse in their imagination attaining this outcome (meaning they see and feel themselves calm about the whole process of getting the needle)."
As Elena confirms in her practice, "The beauty of our emotional mind is than it does not know the difference between a fantasy and reality. What you imagine becomes your reality. Imagining your success in the event of getting the needle, so the brain registers this as if that happened in the reality, is much more helpful that extensive negative anticipation."
"In the session we offer a safe and supportive environment to face your fear and overcome it, develop new copying strategies and rehearse your actions, just as an actor or an athlete does before the performance".
"Hypnosis is safe, effective and can be a game changer for those people who are afraid of their upcoming jab."
Elena Volodchenko is an accredited clinical hypnotherapist accepting bookings in November and December 2021 and at the present offers free discovery sessions through her website www.hypnosis-perth.com.au for all new clients who consider hypnotherapy to treat their fear of needles.
Elena Volodchenko is a clinical hypnotherapist in Perth trained in evidence-based Integrative Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (enhanced CBT), an approach that combines benefits of Cognitive Behavioral model of therapy with trancework (hypnosis) to engage subconscious mind in problem solving. She is also Master Practitioner of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), and Timeline Therapist.
Elena is a fully accredited Clinical Hypno-Psychotherapist, registered Clinical Member with Australian Hypnotherapist Association, health care provider number available to provide rebates within participating health funds and according to the client's level of coverage.
