All phobias are, by definition, not “rational.” And, medical phobias aren’t a fear of pain - otherwise, they would be called a pain phobia! Someone who engages in extreme sports, or has a high pain threshold, or laughs off pain and injury could still have a severe medical phobia.

Phobias are quite different than everyday anxiety. Someone could be a meditation instructor and still not be able to "breathe the phobia away."

Additionally, medical phobia is different than other phobias. While others cause our heart rate and blood pressure to increase, medical phobia can do the opposite. Relaxation can lead to fainting, which is not only unhelpful, it can further traumatize the nervous system and deepen the phobia in the long run. 

Specific Phobia according to the DSM-5 is exactly that -  specific!

People with medical phobias may have diverse triggers, but one thing they all have in common is that they are to specific medical procedures, or the medical environment. Piercings and tattoos may not worry someone with a medical phobia at all. 

While this sounds intuitive, this statement misses crucial points.

First, people with medical phobia ARE already brave - that's why this site is called Brave Enough.

The "just do it" approach can sometimes make a phobia worse, not better. 

While it’s true that Exposure Therapy can be extremely effective for medical phobias, Exposure Therapy is done through a slow, gradual, collaborative approach to exposure.

Medical phobia can be so severe that the person faints and/or loses control of their body simply from seeing or thinking about their triggers. They do not have control over these reactions.

No one likes parking tickets, but imagine if you ended up unconscious every time someone even talked about parking!