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Nail Biting - Quickly Break Your Habit With Self-hypnosis |
Written by Alan B. Densky, CH
Thursday, 17 May 2007
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Nail biting is related to skin picking and hair pulling. These behaviors are labeled as Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders. Nail biters often keep their hands hidden in their pockets. Nail biters often feel shame and experience out-of-control feelings at times. Sometimes they wonder why they can't stop biting their nails and they may question whether or not they are crazy. Biting generally happens when people are in one of two modes. Some biters do it in an automatic way, as if they are in some kind of altered state and not thinking about what they are doing. It is often when they are engrossed in some other activity at the same time such as reading or talking, etc. For others, the deliberate picking or biting is their main activity at the time, and they will often interrupt other activities to engage in it. There is also a strong commonality seen in the purposes behind these three problems (skin picking, hair pulling and nail biting). At the most basic level, these symptoms satisfy an urge. Many people report an almost uncontrollable feeling of needing to do them. Biting, picking or pulling also seems to deliver a pleasurable or relaxed sensation. When sufferers feel stressed, pulling, picking or biting has a kind of soothing effect on them and reduces levels of stimulation. On the other hand, when they are bored or inactive, they seem to provide a needed level of stimulation to the nervous system. This probably accounts for why so many people who have these habits find it so hard to give them up. It simply "feels good" at the time no matter what. Even if you have more than one of these problems, don't give up on yourself. They can be overcome if you have a sufficient amount of motivation. More important is learning to "de-stigmatize" yourself. You are not crazy, helpless, morally weak or totally out of control, even though you may feel like some or all of these things at times. Once you realize that you are just a person who simply happens to have a bad habit, you can make some serious progress. Skin picking and nail biting are chronic problems, so there currently isn't a "cure" but you can find relief if you are willing to work at it. Hypnotherapy for nail biting consists of three parts. Hypnotherapy For Nail Biting First of all, nail biting is a nervous habit. So the first part of the hypnotic therapy is to teach the sufferer how to be more relaxed at all times. To that end, I have found that traditional hypnosis, Ericksonian hypnosis, and Neuro-Linguistic Programming techniques can be effective. That's because the very essence of hypnosis is relaxation. The nail biter can learn to apply several different methods to enhance both the relaxed state, as well as his/her overall feeling of relaxation and well-being. The second part of the therapy teaches the biter awareness of this unconscious habit. Post-hypnotic suggestions can be given to the unconscious mind to make the conscious mind aware that you are bringing your hand towards your mouth for the purpose of biting your nails. Then you get to consciously decide whether or not you are actually going to bite them. There are also several other much more effective hypnosis and NLP methods. For example, we can help the client to set up an "Anchor" or trigger so that he/she can momentarily mentally step outside of him/herself. This is an effective technique that will effectively relieve the urge. The third part of the therapy is to eliminate the compulsion to bite the nails. There are hypnotic methods that actually program the client with a compulsion to not bite his/her nails. With the nail biting behavior, being realistic is very important. First, you have probably rehearsed the unwanted habit thousands of times. You'll need to accept that this behavior will not be overcome in a few days or weeks. Second, you are fighting the fact that it feels good to do, and it offers short-term satisfaction and either stimulation or soothing feelings. It takes time and effort to master, but I believe that it is well worth it. My experience has shown a number of methods to be quite effective! Article Source: http://www.ArticleBlast.com |
About The Author:
Alan B. Densky, CH is a hypnotheraist & NLP Practitioner specializing in stress related symptoms. He offers NLP CDs which abolish the nail biting compulsion. Reach him at the Neuro-VISION Self Hypnosis website. Visit his FREE hypnosis article library, or download his MP3s.
Alan B. Densky, CH is a hypnotheraist & NLP Practitioner specializing in stress related symptoms. He offers NLP CDs which abolish the nail biting compulsion. Reach him at the Neuro-VISION Self Hypnosis website. Visit his FREE hypnosis article library, or download his MP3s. | Comments On This Article: |
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