Reddit mentions of Mastery of Your Specific Phobia, Therapist Guide (Therapyworks)

Hey! Yes! Exposure therapy is a thing! As a therapist specializing in anxiety disorders, I can attest to it!! I would say though, that best practice for treating anxiety no longer supports the "downregulating" model. Sometimes that can subtly teach us that we can't handle our anxiety and need to make it go away, when actually the anxiety itself is harmless, but sometimes convinces us to do maladaptive things (like avoid needles). This article in huffpost isn't perfect (again it sort of talks about needing to 'control' anxiety, rather than accept and be willing to experience it) but it gives a decent overview of the process. They also link to a book that can be used to help yourself do exposure therapy.

/u/ttctoss I think that you are very brave to challenge yourself to do shots!! My husband has a needle phobia, and despite this being my area of expertise, we haven't tackled that (I've learned not to try and treat your family). Best of luck to you!!