Aichmophobia
Aichmophobia (pronounced [īk-mō-fō′bē-ă]) is a kind of specific phobia, the morbid fear of sharp things, such as pencils, needles, knives, a pointing finger, or even the sharp end of an umbrella([1]). It is derived from the Greek aichmē (point) and phobos (fear).
Sometimes this general term is used to refer to what is more specifically called trypanophobia. Trypanophobia is the extreme and irrational fear of medical procedures involving injections or hypodermic needles.
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[edit] Treatment
[edit] Hypnotherapy
Hypnotherapy is a combination of hypnosis and therapeutic intervention.[2]
[edit] Direct conditioning
Direct conditioning is a process used to associate desired behaviour in the subject with positive stimuli. Mary Cover Jones conducted an experiment in which she treated a patient with a fear of rabbits, by gradually moving a rabbit closer to the patient in the presence of the patient's favorite food. This continued until the patient was able to touch the rabbit without fear.[3][4]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ "Aichmophobia" article from Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary online
- ^ Hypnotherapy. Jack H. Booth.The Gale Encyclopedia of Mental Disorders. Ed. Madeline Harris and Ellen Thackerey. Vol. 1. Detroit: Gale, 2003. p507-512.Word Count:2631.
- ^ Counter-conditioning.The Gale Encyclopedia of Psychology. Ed. Bonnie Strickland. 2nd ed. Detroit: Gale,2001. p156-157.Word Count:406.
- ^ Green, Christopher. "A Laboratory Study of Fear: The Case of Peter". Classics in the History of Psychology. York University, Toronto. http://psychclassics.yorku.ca/Jones/intro.htm. Retrieved 16.2.2012.
