Overcoming Medical Phobias: How to Conquer Fear of Blood, Needles, Doctors, and Dentists

Overcoming Medical Phobias: How to Conquer Fear of Blood, Needles, Doctors, and Dentists
by Mark Watling MD, Martin Antony PhD

Overcoming Medical Phobias: How to Conquer Fear of Blood, Needles, Doctors, and Dentists
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Book Summary Information

Author: Mark Watling MD, Martin Antony PhD
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2006-03-03
ISBN: 1572243872
Number of pages: 176
Publisher: New Harbinger Publications

Book Reviews of Overcoming Medical Phobias: How to Conquer Fear of Blood, Needles, Doctors, and Dentists

Book Review: From a "graduate of the program"... If you have and want to overcome a medical phobia, buy this book.
Summary: 5 Stars

To put the review in context, a bit of background might be helpful: I'm a 35 year old man who's been deathly afraid of having my blood drawn for as long as I can remember. My phobia had become so bad that for some years now, I'd been skipping the blood work portion of my yearly medical checkups (which is probably the most important part). Every time I needed to go to get my blood drawn, I'd come up with an excuse and not go. I also used to feel intense discomfort and anxiety whenever I saw a needle in someone's arm on TV or in a movie (whether it was real or a special effect); if I could (i.e. If I was at home), I'd curl up into the fetal position (and if I couldn't, I'd cover or close my eyes and want to curl up into the fetal position).

Wanting to overcome my fear, I bought this book. At first I wasn't thrilled with the idea of exposure therapy (and thought "so you mean the way to get over my fear is to look at and otherwise expose myself to the thing/situation I'm afraid of?"). However, since the book states that despite the fact that you'll initially feel uncomfortable, little by little, the discomfort will go away, I decided to push myself and give it a try.

I've been subjecting myself to as intense an exposure regimen as I could take for about a month and a half now (going from short, 5 minute exposures to diagrams and photographs on images.google.com 2 - 4 days per week to longer exposures to photographs and YouTube videos for 15 minutes 4 - 6 days per week)... And today, I graduated. My goal was to be able to go to the lab, sit down in "the chair" without any fuss, stick my arm out and get my blood drawn (without fainting or having to have my blood drawn lying down for fear of fainting). And that's exactly what I did.

Having my blood drawn is still not my favorite thing and I didn't look at the needle in my arm today but if I had to do it again next week, I could.

In short, if you have a medical phobia that you want to overcome, this approach works (and if you have a history of fainting, the skills you learn in the chapter about preventing fainting will do just that).

Summary of Overcoming Medical Phobias: How to Conquer Fear of Blood, Needles, Doctors, and Dentists

Overcome Your Fear of Doctors, Blood, Needles, and More-You Can Do It!

Does even the thought of a visit to the doctor's office start your heart racing? You're not alone. Some 30 million of us have a significant fear of doctors, dentists, medical procedures, blood, needles, and so forth. These fears might already have inconvenienced you, but if you're avoiding necessary medical attention, you could be putting yourself in great physical danger.

But you don't have to live with these fears anymore. This book can help you overcome your medical phobia, maybe in less time that you ever thought possible. Start by learning about your fears, where they might come from, what factors influence them, and how you can best prepare to overcome them. Then you'll gradually and safely confront your specific fears. The book also includes information about avoiding relapse so you can maintain your progress, as well as steps for helping someone you care about who suffers from a medical phobia.

  • Learn about your fears, how they may have begun, and the methods used to treat them
  • Prepare for treatment, either on your own or with the help of a professional
  • Explore exposure-based strategies for overcoming your fears
  • Learn strategies to prevent fainting
  • Plan relapse-prevention strategies to maintain your progress
  • Engage your family and friends as sources of support

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