1. Hypnotherapy for Needle Phobia
Amy Frost

3. https://au.pinterest.com/pin/512214157593050442/
Grahams story
for as long as he can remember needles have caused him anxiety, the thought, the sight even planning an appointment
he has had enough and wants to change, saying that he would like to go to these appointments “like a normal person”
his anxiety is reducing his independence, at the time he presented to me, his wife was making all of his appointments for blood tests that he required on a regular basis because of a genetic predisposition he had learned about a few years prior. While this was limiting his anxiety by not having the lead up, he now wanted to be more independent.

4. So where does Hypnotherapy fit in ?
as we all know hypnotherapy is a great tool often used to alleviate fears
it’s a wonderful relaxing experience
can be very successful on its own or used in conjunction with various other treatments

5. About Graham 42, in good health, with no known illness
wife and 2 young children
works in management, electrician by trade
enjoys yoga and self meditation
presents as a quiet and introverted man
ready to change, with a good understanding of hypnotherapy and also my background

6. Preparation
began with a phone call, getting a feel for his needs and also expectations
the beginning of his session was spent gathering information about his background and his fear, to be able to use his own words during therapy
together we put together a list of his fears about needles, a hierarchy of fears to be used during therapy

7. Therapy
progressive muscle relaxation, with a focus on breathing, then 10 steps down to a safe and calm place of his own
scene imagery, I adapted a script I found in Lynda Hudsons book “More scripts and strategies” computer, TV screen ect ….
5 stages of fear hierarchy using his words ….. 1) wondering if he had an appointment soon 2) driving to his appointment 3) waiting in the waiting room to be called in 4) going in to the Drs room 5) placement of the tourniquet
ideomotor signalling used to guide the pace …..
successful completion of all 5 stages
post hypnotic suggestions, including feelings of pride and confidence
re-alerting, counting back up from 10 to 1 reinforcing change and ensuring he was back in the here and now with all normal feelings …..
discussion, Graham was very surprised and pleased with what we achieved, his biggest surprise being that his arm did not bend with the sight of the tourniquet ….

8. Therapy cont. I saw Graham again one week later for a second session
we had agreed to go through self hypnosis, which we did while he was in hypnosis after using the same induction as the first time, I had him come out from the neck up and practice using self hypnosis, then also practiced with him after re-alerting him
in discussion after his hypnotherapy he talked about not feeling anxious thinking about needles, which had previously caused a lot of anxiety, and his idea of making the blood tests a game/competition to get his cholesterol results lower than the last test

9. Learning a few surprises along the way
it may have been more beneficial for him to have taught him self hypnosis at the first session, and have him practice until the next session, with a recording of the session maybe
Grahams hierarchy of fears started out pretty stock standard to me
but I was surprised to learn that for him it is the placement of the tourniquet and not the needle itself that is his number one fear
as we know, its not important for the success of therapy to know the cause of the fear
but my own curiosity would love to have learnt the cause ?
any ideas ??? possible theories ???

11. Conclusion Graham was an absolute pleasure to work with
I feel very lucky to have found such a suitable guinea pig !
His experience with self meditation was an advantage for me
In hindsight, I should have booked a follow up session after his next needle experience to work with any residual concerns and for me to find out how successful his therapy had been for him
I haven't heard from Graham to date, perhaps I could have asked if it would be ok for me to call him at a set date after his hypnotherapy to follow up