Heartwarming moment a man PETRIFIED of needles after being tortured as a child finally gets a Covid vaccine after being hypnotised – and it even brings a veteran ACA reporter to tears
- Alex Rosales suffers from a crippling fear of needles as he was tortured as a child
- The 57-year-old has tried to receive a Covid vaccine but panicked every time
- At wits end Mr Rosales called in the assistance of hypnotherapist Mark Stephens
- After a 2 hour therapy session the proud Aussie was able to receive his first dose
A man with a crippling needle phobia after being tortured overseas leaving him unable to get a life-saving Covid-19 vaccine has finally been able to get the jab after undergoing hypnosis.
Trypanophobia, the fear of needles, affects nearly two million Australians, so Alex Rosales is not alone in struggling to receive the vaccine – leaving him unable to even visit the dentist.
On every other attempt, the 57-year-old recoiled in fear whenever a nurse tried to administer the jab, despite him desperately wanting to get vaxxed to ‘help his community’ escape lockdowns and end the pandemic.
Mr Rosales explained that before he immigrated to Australia, he and his father were tortured after a military coup in his native country – leaving him petrified of needles.
But he was happy to do whatever it took to get vaccinated for ‘myself, for my family and for my country’.
‘I want to be around for my family, for years to come,’ he told A Current Affair.
‘Secondly, because I want Australia to move on. We all need to pull together, vaccinate, and get the country open again.
Mr Rosales reached out for assistance to receive the jab, and hypnotherapist Mark Stephens sprung to action to help the man.
‘It’s a problem that can be easily fixed with a number of quick techniques,’ Mr Stephens explained.
After a two-hour long process, which consisted of activities to retrain Mr Rosales’s brain, he was incredibly able to have a needle rub against his skin without suffering a panic attack.
Alex Rosales suffers from an intense fear of needles after he was tortured as a child (pictured, Mr Rosales panicking while attempting to receive a Covid vaccine)
Mr Rosales was then confident he could receive his vaccination, like the rest of his family.
‘I just can’t go through with it,’ the 57-year-old had said prior to his hypnotherapy, getting ‘chills’ whenever he laid eyes on a needle.
Throughout his life he had refused to go to the dentist, crying and sweating every time a needle came near his skin.
Bur Mr Rosales bravely sat the in the chair, closed his eyes and with the help of Mr Stephens received his vaccine.
With the help of hypnotherapist Mark Stephens (pictured) and a two-hour therapy session, Mr Rosales was able to overcome his fears
After the therapy, Mr Rosales went and got his first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine and didn’t even notice the needle (pictured)
He admitted he didn’t feel a thing and didn’t even realise his Covid-19 vaccine had been administered until he was told by nurses, bringing veteran reporter Brady Halls to tears.
If Mr Rosales can receive the jab without any issues, there is hope for other Australians suffering with Trypanophobia.
According to Australian government data, 72.1 per cent of Australians have received their first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine as of September 19.
47 per cent of the population are fully-vaccinated, which amounts to 9,690,933 people.