The stories I could tell of fainting triggers! Let's just say, I can watch a show like ER or Grey's Anatomy, or a crime show, and just look away once in a while, but even hearing about a knee surgery or watching someone pinch their hand in a door can cause me to faint. I have a vivid imagination (or is it empathy?) and can feel another's pain, so I have to make a concerted effort to distance myself. The downside is that comes across as insensitive at times, as I remain guarded, but the alternative is me on the floor. I will skim parts of stories that are too graphic, and I will not watch parts of movies that are too gorey, and I think that's okay. I highly recommend him not watching movies of books, or viewing certain graphic novels, of text that was too hard to stomach, because then the images may burn in his mind forever.
So, one aspect is a mental part -- being able to distance yourself. Yes, psyching yourself out is a skill to utilize. Another is a physical balance aspect -- keep hydrated and well-rested, don't stand up quickly, always sit a while after a blood draw, use mental relaxation techniques/deep breathing when feeling that discomfort, don't watch needles going into your body, and learn to recognize the feeling so if feel like you might go down, always lie or sit down, or bend over, until your blood pressure comes back up (to avoid hitting your head in a fainting fall!). The funny thing is, I can totally distance myself when my kids get injured. But I can feel light-headed at the smell of a medical clinic.
