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A nurse holds a vial of Moderna Covid-19 vaccine. Patrick Meinhardt/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Patrick Meinhardt/AFP via Getty Images

Afraid of Needles? You're Not Alone

Many people are afraid of needles in some capacity — about 1 in 10 experience a "high level" of needle fear, says clinical psychologist Meghan McMurtry. But that fear is often underrecognized or misunderstood. That's why today's show is all about needle fear: what it is, tools to cope, and why it's important to address beyond the pandemic.

Afraid of Needles? You're Not Alone

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Ron Nielsen, a retired airline pilot, tells his class of fearful fliers in Southern California that crying can be a useful emotional release. If that's what they need to do, he tells them, "let 'er rip!" Courtesy of Air Hollywood hide caption

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Courtesy of Air Hollywood

Hollywood Jet Gives Fearful Fliers The Courage To Soar

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The parts of the brain known to help process fear and negative emotion are hyperactive when someone with math anxiety confronts a tricky problem, scientists say. iStockphoto hide caption

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Illustration by Daniel Horowitz for NPR