Fear of Blood better over time?

Question

I was heading to bed when "Another 101 things removed from the body" on TLC came on.

I'll spare you the details but I forced myself to watch an entire incident before I had to go to the bathroom and almost vomitted.

I am going into the medical profession and wondering if this nausea will decrease after constant exposure.

Answer 1

There are two possible outcomes of repeated exposure to an anxiety-provoking stimuli in phobias--desensitization or sensitization. In short, most psychological models of phobias conclude that with repeated exposure, in some people it gets worse, and in some in some it gets better. Presumably, there is something else going on that decides which one--the standard belief is that if the exposure is in a controlled, safe environment, that desensitization is more likely to occur, but this is not necessarily supported by any evidence. Desensitization and sensitization assume the intensity of the stimuli is constant or random over the repetitions.

Clearly the only system that is almost guaranteed to decrease phobias is "flooding"--massive, constant exposure to a anxiety-inducing stimuli, and continuing it constantly until the anxiety has abated. In practice, phobias can be cured in only a few sessions, even hours or minutes this way, but few people have the stomach to try this.

"Systematic desensitization," where gradually increasing amounts of anxiety-provoking stimuli are introduced episodically, is perhaps a more tame version, but it is clearly less successful than flooding. however, it is also clearly more successful than doing nothing.

All this assumes, of course, that you actually have a psychological _phobia_, which is distinct from normal reactions in that is is excessive or impairing. Many people can have the reaction you have to seeing blood or gory scenes, so it may not be excessive. And obviously, if you are not in the medical field (or not yet), it can hardly be considered impairing in the course of normal life. What really needs to be seen, of course, is whether you have a reaction that is impairing enough when you are actually working with potential stimuli for a living.

It is not a given that you will have this kind of reaction after starting this line of work--I have certainly seen people who don't like or are disturbed by blood and gore, but while they are working they actually do not have this reaction. Only time will tell whether your reaction will be a problem or not.

if it does become a problem, of course, it would be worthwhile to consider speaking to your doctor about treatment. Good luck!

Answer 2

I never had that problem, probably because I was a country boy and hunted from a young age, but I remember when Samuel Shem's book, The House of God, came out during my first year of residency. One of the operational rules for the doctors in the novel is, "The patient is the one with the problem," and that's held me in good stead through the years. As long as it isn't my blood, it isn't my problem. I suspect if you keep that in mind, it can be less nauseous. The suspension of disbelief is important in reading novels or watching movies, but there's no reason to do so in all situations.

Answer 3

Fear of blood is a safe phobia to have! When you work with blood you have to assume every possible time you are around it that it is contaminated! If you are going into the medical profession I would recommend using EXTREME caution this day and age around it! So much can be transmitted through the blood, mucous, sexual fluids we excrete through our bodies! PLAY IT SAFE EVERYTIME AND YOU WILL BE FINE!

Answer 4

Perhaps surgery isn't for you. But there are many, many non surgical specialties.
my wife's internist admits, he's an internist because he can't stand the sight of blood.