Hypnotherapy and skin-picking (Dermotillomania/Excoriation Disorder)
Excoriation Disorder, Dermotillomania or skin picking is classified as a BFRB (Body Focused Repetitive Disorder).
This disorder affects 1-4% of the population, women more than men, and often starts in adolescence. Many people pick or scratch their bodies at certain times, it’s when this gets out of hand and interferes with your life that it can be called a disorder.
You can spend many hours attempting to get rid of the slightest perceived imperfection, blemish, or spot. You’re not self-harming, on the contrary, you want to have perfect skin. However, when you engage in this excessive grooming behaviour, you damage yourself, leave scars and often have sore skin, that bleeds and hurts.
You want to stop and not do this but somehow you just can’t. Your hands seem to have a mind of their own. Even when you can see that you are bleeding and it hurts, you continue.
You may skin pick when you’re bored. frustrated, anxious, or worried. Picking distracts you from these negative feelings, helps you cope, and provides you with a certain pleasure. This quickly disappears when you see the damage of your picking and so you set yourself on a negative spiral.
The part of your body that you pick can be different: face, arms, chest, legs, feet.
Do you spend a lot of time covering up the damage that skin picking causes?
Do you feel embarrassed and ashamed of your compulsion?
Is this disorder affecting your life too much?
Do you feel out of control?
How Cognitive behavioural hypnotherapy can help you stop picking
Skinpicking is a stubborn compulsive habit, this is why I have developed a specific programme called Determined.
This programme incorporates CB Hypnotherapy, Habit Reversal Protocol, Mindfulness, Acceptance Therapy and Relaxation Techniques.
These are all evidence proven techniques that work to stop the devasting effects of skin picking on your life.
The deep, relaxed, focused mindset that hypnosis offers, lets you accept suggestions, explore feelings and imagine no longer picking in the peaceful realms of your imagination.
You learn to stop your physical skin picking habit and put in place a firm alternative action using a powerful habit reversal protocol.
In order for this to be a long-term recovery during the programme, you also learn skills and techniques to:
- Release stress and anxiety and experience calm and deep relaxation.
- Identify, stop and change self-sabotaging thoughts and feelings
- Have to hand strong coping strategies to ensure your recovery is permanent
The wonderful side effect of the programme is that your regained self-confidence helps you in many different areas of your life
If you’re ready and willing to put in the work and the time, my treatment can at last release you from the overwhelming effects of this habit.
Just imagine how life could be if skin picking was no longer disrupting it!
If you are motivated and determined we can work together to get this compulsive habit under your control.
Take action today and give me a call
Find out about the Determined Stop Skinpicking Programme here
What my clients say
Discover the 1:1 online coaching and therapy sessions, the De-Stress Bootcamp and the ongoing support group