Hemophobia: description, causes and treatment

Human blood carries a great meaning, without it human life is impossible. The main component of the body is hidden from prying eyes and can only be seen in extreme cases - when any troubles occur. Most likely, therefore, among people there are those who are afraid of the sight of blood before a panic.

People experiencing fear of the sight of bloodare called hemophobia. Two words: hemophobia and hematophobia translated from Greek as “fear of blood” (αἷμα - “blood” and φόβος - “fear”). This pathology belongs to obsessive conditions.

Historians say that Nicholas II experienced hemophobia due to the fact that his heir Alexei suffered from hemophilia (bleeding disorder). The boy experienced severe bleeding, and this terrified all family members for many reasons.

It is for the same reasons that people in most cases experience a fear of blood. Fear causes its appearance, since all people understand that the main component of the human body just does not appear on the body. It is the result of an injury, cut, or very severe injury. And the realization that this situation threatens to lose health and even life definitely leads, if not to panic, then to very great fear.

Therefore, people are often afraid when they take blood from a vein. Not because it hurts, but because it is unpleasant. Own blood can cause panic fear only because it is own.That's why people are afraid to take tests and donate.

People have always been afraid of the sight of blood. This fear comes from the depths of centuries. Even then, a man learned a lesson well: if blood began to flow, it means that a critical moment has come that can provoke death.

Hemophobia arises from nowhere, but why it arises is another matter. There are several causes of irrational fear.

• Due to the fact that the parent or both parents suffered from phobic disorders. This predisposition appears as a result of a genetic factor, and the likelihood of transmission of an obsessive state is 25%.

This statement has been proven by scientists in numerous studies. And they also proved that phobia in most cases manifests itself in the following periods of human life: puberty, midlife crisis, late adulthood, and in women also during menopause. Children can be passed on from parents a certain response to stress, worldview, level of sensitivity, anxiety, a sense of fear. If in the house adults are afraid of the sight of blood, then the baby will begin to adopt this condition and grow into a hemophobe.

• Social factors can be a cause. Those individuals who quickly perceive any stresses, experience strong emotions (mostly negative) are especially susceptible to obsessive states. If a suspicious person is seriously injured, he will remember for a long time the negative moment and the bleeding associated with it.

• Biochemical predisposition is only a hypothesis. However, she says that phobia results from the excessive production of hormones or serotonin, or melanin, or adrenaline. At the sight of blood, an adrenaline rush can occur, and this will lead to the development of an obsessive state for many reasons.

And to this group of predispositions can be attributed various dependencies: alcoholic, narcotic, smoking. Substances that enter the body due to bad habits inhibit the production of the necessary hormones. And this contributes to the development of mental disorders.

• Excessive activity also contributes to the appearance of phobia, which causes overwork of the body. And if at this moment a person sees severe bleeding, then his reaction can be unpredictable.

• Too much information can trigger the development of fear. For example, when a person has studied a large number of materials related to the fact that most serious and incurable diseases are transmitted through the blood. First of all, it is AIDS infection. After the impressionable individual learns that this disease can be infected through a blood transfusion or through a used syringe, he will become afraid of someone else's blood.

• Women are especially susceptible to hemophobia. Due to the fact that women often have bleeding associated with gynecological problems, they begin to experience irrational fear. And if medical care was provided poorly, then this disorder takes on a persistent character.

• People who have a car accident can also experience phobic disorders. It all depends on how much blood a person lost after the tragedy. And if his life hung in the balance due to severe blood loss, then psychological disorders can turn into a full-fledged disease.

• Having seen enough horror movies with a bloody plotAn impressionable person may develop a phobic disorder.

• One condition is fixed in consciousness: complete loss of blood is death. Through an open wound, an infection can enter the blood vessels and cause pain, temperature and death. Therefore, urgent measures must be taken to eliminate the infection.And if you didn’t have the necessary antiseptics on hand, and the infection penetrated the wound, then the person is threatened with amputation of the limb, or prolonged treatment with antibiotics. After such an incident, the victim himself and his loved ones will always be afraid of injury and blood.

• Fear of blood may be caused by a person in the sect.

• Rituals of black magic can also cause a feeling of fear of blood.

In all cases, hemophobia occurs when a person has a certain predisposition due to his temperament. Therefore, not all people are prone to hemophobia. Some may simply experience a hostile attitude that passes quickly. And in others, the condition begins to acquire an obsessive nature, for this reason it is necessary to carry out treatment.

An individual suffering from hemophobia, even with the thought that he might suddenly bleed, will begin to panic. And such thoughts “wind up” the excited consciousness. The psychological background is getting worse. Pictures are getting worse and worse.

And if at this moment nosebleeds occur in a person from overstrain of the nervous system, then he can reach a very negative state. At such moments, hemophobia starts processes that affect the release of a large amount of adrenaline. And the body does not cope with this release. And as a result of a panic attack, the following symptoms occur:

• spasmodic pressure (either increasing or greatly decreasing);
• the occurrence of severe arrhythmia;
• intermittent breathing;
• dizzy and sore head;
• dry mouth appears;
• nausea occurs and even vomiting occurs;
• there is severe sweating;
• consciousness becomes confused;
• vision deteriorates (may double in the eyes);
• speech becomes incoherent, and great anxiety causes concern;
• inadequate attitude to what is happening should also alert.

Any phobia is always associated with a certain factor. Like all normal fears, hemophobia has its own significance, as it relates to a sense of self-preservation. And without this feeling, human existence is impossible.

There are two types of fears: normal (a reaction that belongs to the category of natural) and pathological (irrational fear). The last type of fear (pathological) is a complex interweaving of various feelings. And therefore it is quite problematic. So, you must first find out what caused the phobic disorder, that is, find out the reason for its development.

Internal conflicts arise due to the fact that in childhood an individual experienced situations that contributed to the development of a negative attitude towards himself and to life in general. Perhaps these were childhood problems that appeared due to the fault of adults. For example, parents could involve their son in housework, which consisted in slaughtering animals for meat.

Or, perhaps, the mother and father could not give the child a certain protection from the outside world, or, on the contrary, they too took care of him. Having identified the cause of this behavior, obsessive states must be eliminated in time. You can turn to a psychologist for help, or you can simply use the general advice of specialists.

• Do not allow unnecessary emotions and let fear into the mind. First of all, get rid of modesty. Excessive experiences will only increase your fear. For example, if you have a blood sample taken from a vein, then you should not focus on how ashamed you would be if you faint. On the contrary, it is necessary to focus on this manipulation.

At this point, by and large, nothing terrible is happening. So, you just need to make sure that the nurse is a professional in her field and does not hurt you.

• Have patience. Getting rid of phobias is often not a quick task. In order to become completely healthy, you will have to work hard and process your negative emotions. Treat failures lightly. Always hope for a positive outcome.

If you feel sick at the sight of blood, then do not despair. Work on yourself, look fear in the eye.

• Imagine yourself as a man who is not afraid of anything. Enter this image, and when you get scared, think more about your image than what you are afraid of.

• Do not focus on troubles (e.g. nosebleeds). Do not project what is most likely not going to happen to you. Why once again excite your mind? Live here and now, then you will feel the taste of life and less will think about the bad.

• Remember: human life consists of good and bad moments. And if you have a nuisance (you or your loved one got injured), then do not focus on it. The bleeding will stop, they will help you, give a tetanus shot and so on. The consequences will not complicate your life, will not negatively affect your health.

• If you have been afraid of blood since childhood, then begin to shame yourself. You cannot think and act like a child when you have reached a very respectable age. These thoughts will set you in the right way.

• If you feel fear that is directed towards the future, then try to think only about pressing problems. Consciousness paints a picture: you have an accident, and you have blood flowing from a wound on your head. She fills her eyes and so on. Enough, stop this picture - it is up to you. Just say “stop” and imagine a white square.

So you "clear" your consciousness. Now try to redirect your rich imagination to positive. Remember how beautiful the sea is in summer, and you will definitely go on vacation. And further on the rise: swimming in salt water, the sun, sand, etc.

Hemophobia is a rather difficult condition, so it is very difficult to get rid of it. Only a strong personality will be able to overcome his fear without turning to specialists for help. When the state of phobia causes great concern, since it can not be corrected, you need to contact a therapist.

He will prescribe treatments such as cognitive-behavioral therapy. Using desensitization, the therapist projects the development of events so that the patient gradually gets used to the type of blood. First, an artificial substance is taken for this, and then it is replaced by a trip to the treatment room, where the blood tubes are located. Hemophobe begins to realize that the type of blood can not be any danger. And then comes the next correction stage, which depends on the degree of development of the phobia.

If the phobia has acquired deeper roots, then at the same time as other methods, the doctor usually prescribes drugs: benzopropylene, beta-blockers (they reduce excessive stimulation of emotions). Naturally, the intake of such pharmaceuticals should occur under the supervision of a specialist.

Along with other methods, it is necessary to undergo a course of physiotherapy, which includes massage, wave radiation treatment. Thus, anxiety is reduced, and the general tone of the body rises.Do not give up water procedures that contribute to the general relaxation of muscles.

Relaxation and sports are considered conscious substitutions of negative emotions for positive ones. And if you decide to act independently and, most importantly, consciously, then move according to a certain scheme.

• Find someone who will always support you. It could be someone close. Let him be near when you have to donate blood for analysis.
• Do not believe in a bad outcome, but only in a better future. You are worthy of him, and it will come true.
• Listen to your well-being and consciousness. If you feel good now, why should it be different tomorrow? There is no reason for this.
• Do not think about the root cause of your irrational fear. Well, an accident happened to you, with whom it does not happen. It was and has passed.

If you suddenly have panic attacks, then use emergency help.

• Angry at fear. It takes away part of your life from you and for this it is subject to complete destruction.
• Suddenly approaching fear can be removed from consciousness by quickly switching your attention to an interesting subject or your dream. What do you most want? Answer this question for yourself and imagine your purpose in colors.
• In panic attacks, self-hypnosis helps. Say to yourself, standing in front of the mirror: "I am no longer afraid of blood."