Does the sight of a white coat make your heart race?

11 June 2026

And I don’t mean in a George Clooney/Doug Ross from ER style way!

I’m asking if you’re someone who experiences “White Coat Syndrome”?

What is White Coat Syndrome?

White Coat Syndrome is where a patient has a artificial spike in blood pressure or heart rate due to the anxiety and stress of being a medical setting.

Here’s a few examples of how it may appear that I’ve worked with over the years:

Always getting high blood pressure readings when you are pretty sure you don’t have high blood pressure
Feeling the need to run when faced with a blood test or any needles
Being terrified of the dentist
Panicking about any kind of medical procedure - MRI or CT scans, minor or major operations, local or general anaesthetics
Hating injections and avoiding having vaccinations

Does this sound like you or someone you know? It’s surprisingly common, in fact, experts suggest even as many as 1 in 3 suffer from it.

Why is it a problem?

It can be a real problem because patients avoid getting medical treatment such as dental work or required surgery. They often avoid getting blood tests or vaccinations putting their health at risk. The issue can be getting false readings on blood pressure tests leading to being on medication that isn’t required.

Sometimes, GPs will ask patients to take their own readings at home and sometimes this can help but then also just the sight of the blood pressure monitor can then trigger off the same reaction!

Where does it come from?

Sometimes there can be a traumatic incident that has caused the issue - such as those unscrupulous dentists that were around during the 1980s or a problem taking a blood sample in the past. It can also be triggered by someone else’s experience, something you’ve seen on TV or there can even be no rhyme or reason whatsoever.

How can hypnotherapy help?

Hypnotherapy can be a great help in dealing with the underlying fear and working on reducing that. It can also provide great for tools and techniques for remaining calm during procedures.

If you’ve always fancied a tattoo but you’re scared of needles, are putting off the dream holiday because of the jabs you’ll need, are pulling your own teeth or avoiding that potentially life changing medical treatment book yourself a free consultation by clicking here.