Our sticking point
No one likes injections, but how will those who are phobic cope with the Covid- 19 vaccine, wonders Elizabeth Archer
As the country celebrated the rollout of the first coronavirus vaccines, Mrinalini Mathew was filled with a sense of dread. She has a phobia of needles and injections – and avoids them unless absolutely necessary.
“I know it will be a sleepless night for me the day before I have the vaccine,” says Mrinalini, 37.
And she isn’t alone – injection phobia is thought to affect between 3.5 and 10 per cent of the population, according to Anxiety UK.
A fear of needles can cause dizziness, sweating, heart palpitations and even fainting during injections and blood tests. Yet it’s something people are wary of telling their GP.
“Needle phobia is nothing to be embarrassed about as it’s one of the more common fears,” says psychotherapist Lisa Jury ( bwrt- professionals. com).
“It’s often linked to a bad childhood memory and the feeling is re- lived whenever you go for an injection.
“The fear of the procedure is much worse than the actual injection itself which is over very quickly.
“In extreme cases people will even try to avoid appointments, and this really does need to be addressed with a qualified therapist.”
Thankfully, injection phobia can be often cured through therapy.
“Needle phobia is something I work with on a regular basis, more so recently,” says Lisa.
“It responds incredibly well to therapy techniques such as brain working recursive therapy ( BWRT) which rewires how you respond to the original experience and the memory that triggered it and replaces it with a new positive emotion.
“BWRT can dissolve the fear very quickly – in as little as one session.”
Mrinalini lives in Welwyn Garden City, Herts, with her husband Ajay, 39, a transformation director, and their sons, nine- year- old Riyaansh and seven- year- old Arjun.
Mrinalini, a children’s party planner at party- genie. com, recalls how her fear of needles began when she was growing up in India.
“When I was little, about five or six, I was bitten by a
street dog.
“I had to have 14 injections in my stomach to prevent me from getting rabies,” she says.
“I remember that vaguely and it was horrible. I think my fear of injections started from there.”
She recalls that, as a child, she was often given injections instead of other forms of medication.
“In the UK, antibiotics are usually given as a tablet,” she says. “But growing up in India, if I ever had a high fever, I was given the antibiotics through an injection.
“Until I was nine or 10 it was always given to me in my bottom as it’s supposed to hurt less, but I always hated it.”
From there, Mrinalini’s fear of injections grew.
“If I ever have to have an injection, I just go quiet and pray,” she says.
Now she is terrified of them, and avoids them if she can.
“I will not do a blood test unless it’s really essential and then my husband always accompanies me.
“I ’m 37 and I don’t think I ’ve ever been to a blood test alone.”
When she was pregnant with her first child, her overriding concern
If I ever need an injection I just pray. It also means a sleepless night for me
was whether she would need to get any injections.
She went on to develop gestational diabetes, and couldn’t bear to prick her finger to check her blood sugar level.
“My husband did my blood sugar in the morning before I woke up, or at night after I went to bed,” she says.
“During the day it was a massive struggle so he used to come home from the office to do it.
“I was very good with my food at that time in both my pregnancies.
“I only put on eight kilos because I
knew that beyond Metformin ( the diabetes drug), I would have to inject myself with insulin and I couldn’t face doing that.”
Although Mrinalini has considered having therapy, she prefers to avoid injections where possible.
Now, with the vaccine on its way, she is terrified – especially as it’s likely she will have to be alone.
“I can’t stand the image of a needle poking into my skin,” she says.
“As the vaccine approaches, I ’m trying not to think about it because I know I ’ ll just get anxious.”