Question

[ihateanxiety]

I am working with a behavioral therapist for my fear of needles, although i do have alot of tattoo's i have not had blood drawn in 11 years! i went up to get it done once after about a month of extreme anxiety waking all night long anyways i went i had it in my head that i would tell them to draw it out of my hand, so finally comes my turn i tell the nurse and she laughs and tells me it's her choice where she wants to draw it out of, wow what a blow after a month i got a slap in the face:( anyways of to my question my BT told me that after a person is subjected to their fear over and over that they become more desensitized to it, why have i not become desensitized to my panic attacks?

[applesauce]

Also, it's a matter of how often you expose yourself to the fear, or so I've learned.

I used to be terrified of travelling, even a short distance like 12 miles by train I would balk at doing, because I hated being confined in with people surrounding me all the time.

When I went to university, though, I commuted, and it was a 2 hour trip each way - one bus and 2 trains there, one bus and two trains back again. Doing this on a daily basis week after week made me realise that trains weren't frightening. They were normal and everyday and I could cope with them. I've been all over the UK by train now, even as far as Scotland (which is about 5 hours). That confidence has also allowed me to get on an aeroplane and fly by myself, although that is still a little nerve wracking, because of being truly confined (on a train you can get off at a stop if you don't like it).

In summary, the more you do something you fear, the more desensitised you become to it, BUT the frequency with which you do it has an impact on it too. There's nothing wrong with being afraid of it before you begin, so long as you don't turn away and run from it. I'm still apprehensive of planes in part because at most I can only afford to fly abroad once in a twelve month period, and so don't travel by plane often enough to find it "normal".

I don't suppose you can have or need to have blood drawn at frequent intervals, BUT if you are serious about kicking the phobia, it might be time to look into something like giving blood on a regular basis. That way, if you have a pattern by which you know giving blood is 'safe', you'll find yourself less afraid of needles as time goes on. Also, you'll be doing something positive for other people as well, and that can't help but make you feel good about yourself, right?

Just a thought, but that would be my suggestion. If you fear it, face it. And yes, accept the anxiety as normal and let it pass. Don't let it drive you away, or it will only be harder the next time you try.