Medical Anxiety

Does any of this sound familiar?

Do you find yourself constantly canceling and rescheduling medical appointments?

Have you avoided the doctor or a lifesaving procedure due to fear?

Would you rather try to treat yourself than go to the doctor?

Are you trying to ignore serious symptoms?

Have you had a panic attack before a medical procedure?

Ever refused a procedure due to needles?

Are you afraid of bad news… or blood… or germs… or closed spaces like MRI machines… or almost ANYTHING medical??

Before appointments, I bet you have trouble concentrating on anything else, lose sleep, or cry at the thought of going through with it.

“Just get it done,” they say…

… as your hands shake with a prescription in your hand.

It’s just that you have so many worries!

Perhaps there’s a trauma in your past that triggers your fear…

Or maybe you had an intervention go wrong…

… or perhaps a chronic condition like diabetes feels too labor-intensive or painful to manage.

Fear of medical interventions or surgery is common, but for some of us, the anxiety can become excessive and lead to avoidance of medical care. And not getting the care you need can lead to poor health outcomes.

Even when you know that regular medical interventions can prevent many diseases, the temptation to avoid is strong because it taps into deep fears and the need to escape.

I can help you.

I will create a safe space for you to explore your fears.

Words alone cannot change what is ahead of you.

I will respect the pace you need to explore what you avoid. My space is empathic, and I will meet you where you are and provide comfort.

We will get to the root source of your anxiety.

You may have built a wall of negativity due to past experiences.

Panic, a bad procedure, an unapproachable doctor, tired of managing chronic issues. No matter what the cause, this is painful for you. We will rank your anxiety and form a step-by-step plan to dive deep into each of your fears.

We will challenge faulty and unhelpful ways of thinking.

We are born with a negative bias, which does not help when facing an important procedure.

We will use CBT to test evidence against your thoughts and restructure them to a supportive mindset that is comfortable for you.

You’ll learn techniques to change your perceptions and behaviors.

I will let you in on my first attempt in an MRI machine. I had heard so many anxious stories and said, “Oh no!”

I decided to prepare myself, and it was a rather calming experience. Here’s what I did: I used positive self-talk days before to psych myself up… “I can do this.” I interacted with the clinician in a light-hearted way to set the stage.

I meditated throughout; kept my eyes closed the entire procedure. I used grounding techniques such as counting and visualization to interact with the sound of the machine.

I can teach you to do this, too! We can prepare you to be proactive, less avoidant, and take care of your health.

We might also do exposure therapy to desensitize you to procedures.

Driving to the site of the procedure,
Reviewing the doctor’s credentials online,
Exploring the actual procedure in therapy with visualization,
Carrying a support kit with a grounding object, hand sanitizer, pictures of loved ones,…

We can identify these things in therapy. They will help you get through it!

We will also give you strategies to ease your discomfort.

There are a lot of “quick and easy” things you can do to make things easier – things like asking for the first appointment in the morning, using telemedicine, or having a support person accompany you. You can also choose a more relaxing doctor’s office, find a doctor who truly listens, or offer yourself rewards for confronting and conquering your fears.

We’ll explore all these in therapy!

I look forward to meeting you…

… and guiding you through whatever medical anxiety you face.

I know how challenging this can be. It is so easy to avoid and put off the things that will make us better. I do it, too.

I understand, and I can get you through this.

It would be my pleasure to support you toward better health. Let’s talk about your troubles.

Please call now. I offer a free consultation to get to know you better and hear your concerns: (516) 446-8910.