I used to have a phobia about dentists. The moment I was told I needed a filling, I panicked. I can trace this back to two procedures which were horribly painful. After that, I became too anxious for injections to work. It was face the pain or refuse the treatment.
Then, one day, a front tooth needed to be pulled out and I was warned it would not be an easy extraction. I panicked, I sweated, I sobbed, but the pain in the tooth was so bad that I couldn’t eat. Refusal to have it pulled out was not an option.
How was I going to cope?
Image by Aaron Burden – Unsplash
To my relief, my son came to the rescue and offered to come with me and hold my hand. He’s a cool customer with a cool head who’s now become a doctor. He wasn’t going to flinch with horror, dramatise or sink into his own fear. Instead he promised he would just be there for me and with me.
The procedure was as gruesome as expected. I needed fifteen injections and the dentist virtually had to put her knee on my chest as she pulled out the tooth with the pliers. Yet, I did not panic and I wasn’t even scared.
Where had all the terror gone?
It was having someone hold my hand that made all the difference. The support propelled me from feeling alone and hurt to feeling cared for and helped. Because I wasn’t anxious, the injections worked. Not only was the extraction painless, but I saw the humour when the dentist had to yank really hard!
It was absolute proof that the right kind of support can turn a fear response into a relaxed response.
So next time you feel under threat, try asking for help. Have the right kind of someone come and support you. Allow your hand to be held. Embrace the challenge. Watch your mindset to change from terror to trust. Then breathe deeply and smile. You’ve just made a gigantic leap from fear to acceptance.
Well done!
Image by Ruthson Zimmerman – Unsplash
