Preventing Fainting Could Change The World
This article discusses fainting and medical content. If you feel faint, try Applied Tension and get into a safe position right away.
In a previous post, we discussed how fainting is human. Our big brains need a lot of oxygen, and when it gets scarce, we take a tumble.
Fainting is no joke
Falls and convulsions can cause injuries. The feeling of fainting can be sickening, leaving the person unwell for hours to days. The sense of losing total control of one’s body and even experiencing memory loss can be disorientating, to say the least.
But the experience of fainting is not just unpleasant. There is evidence that losing consciousness can be interpreted by the nervous system as a dangerous threat in and of itself. Fainting has been shown to leave patients anxious and preoccupied with preventing further faints. They report sensing that if they faint again, it would be dangerous or even lethal. The sensations of faintness (light-headedness, nausea, trembling, etc.) can then become deeply anxiety-inducing.
The phobia connection
It is no wonder, then, that some people report that their medical phobia started after their first faint. The medical stimulus that caused the faint is associated, according to their nervous system, with a brush with death. Why, then, would a safety-seeking body let us return to the site of such a threat? And, when we do, we may experience intense anxiety, as well as another faint. With each faint, the association with danger is cemented.
Anticipatory fear and fear of fainting can lead to avoidance of medical scenarios. Avoidance can entrench an avoidance cycle that, given enough time, turns to a full-blown medical phobia. Because of medical phobias, people miss important preventative care, tests, immunizations, and treatments.
Though an exact number is hard to get, it’s estimated that 20-30% of people delay or avoid healthcare because of their medical anxieties. We can’t know how many medical phobias have been started or impacted by fainting, but:
Imagine a world where 10% more people donated blood.
Or, where even 5% more people got promptly screened for cancer.
Or even 1% more people donated living organs (such as a kidney or portion of liver).
That would be a dramatically changed world, for the better.
So what can we do?
Preventing fainting must be an absolute priority. Prevention is easy to do, and is a lot easier than dealing with the potentially devastating consequences of fainting. We can do that by:
Learning Applied Tension and using it early and often
Sitting or laying down or getting into a safe position preventatively if there is a chance of wooziness
Don’t assume that you won’t faint because you haven’t yet - anyone can faint, there is no “type”
Educate others - you can start by sharing this post!
References:
Alsbrooks, K., & Hoerauf, K. (2022). Prevalence, causes, impacts, and management of needle phobia: An international survey of a general adult population. PLOS ONE, 17(11), e0276814. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0276814
Freeman, D., Lambe, S., Yu, L.-M., et al. (2023). Injection fears and COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy. Psychological Medicine, 53(4), 1185–1195. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291721002609
Gracie, J., Newton, J. L., Norton, M., Baker, C., & Freeston, M. (2006). The role of psychological factors in response to treatment in neurocardiogenic (vasovagal) syncope. EP Europace, 8(8), 636–643. https://doi.org/10.1093/europace/eul073
