Overcoming onychotillomania with solution-focused hypnotherapy

Do you feel in a constant, even unconscious, battle with your nails? Onychotillomania, also known as compulsive nail picking or nail biting disorder, may be a frustrating and personal cycle that never stops. It goes beyond being a mere habit, as it tends to permeate into every aspect of your everyday life, a silent friend that determines the condition of your hands and, more often than not, your psyche.

But, what would happen if you could find a means of regaining control in a simple, logical manner, of getting out of the present shackles you see? It is a call to stop, to breathe, to carefully think about a new way to go, not a way of fighting an inner war, but a way of bringing an inner alliance.

Feeling stuck in the cycle

You might have had a deep and long-lasting feeling of being stuck, and you might have been totally convinced that you have tried everything, that you have tried all the possible solutions out there. Willpower, distraction, and other physical barriers may have been attempted, but the habit has returned with the same and disappointing frequency.

It is a typical tale, a story that can be shared by a great number of people who are in a similar situation, but it is important to realise that this does not have to be your story. It is not only possible but even the journey between where you currently are and where you want to be can be a journey of deep self-discovery and empowerment. The past does not need to become a prototype of the future; rather, it can be the starting point where you create a new reality of yourself, one where you will be consciously controlling it.

A journey of change and empowerment

Stop - just for a moment. Stop the self-talk of frustration, the self-hatred and the constant questioning of why.

Start - to really and clearly think of something new. Let your mind open and form a vivid picture of a time when your hands are peaceful, healthy and complete - a time when you will have a feeling of peace when you look at them. Now! 

How can you experience an enduring change? An alternative reality is not only possible, but it is also more accessible than you may think right now. 

Understanding onychotillomania

Onychotillomania is much more than a bad habit; it is an intricate, body-focused repetitive behaviour (BFRB) that functions at a level deep within the subconscious. The main reason is usually an unconscious, firmly rooted reaction to stress levels, anxiety, boredom or even deep concentration.

The particular trigger might not be even consciously known to you until the damage has been carried out. It may be only a passing desire, scarcely to be felt, and before you can properly realise what is going on your hands are already in action.

This occurs because the subconscious mind, in its benevolent (albeit misguided) effort to ease or relieve stress or tension, has learned and made an automatic maladaptive coping strategy. It has formed a neurological short circuit which identifies the process of picking or tearing at the nails with a brief feeling of relief.

How solution-focused hypnotherapy helps

The general intention of solution-focused hypnotherapy is not to spend eternity figuring out the source of this shortcut, but to develop a new, more rewarding one.

We collaborate to make you logically and intuitively comprehend this pattern as not something that's wrong with you, but something you have learned to do and, therefore, anything which has been learned can, in its turn, be unlearned and substituted with something much more empowering and useful.

My role as a solution-focused hypnotherapist is to take you away from the problem and into the solution. There is no need to go into the history of the behaviour since the answer to unlocking your freedom is not in the past but in your natural potential to build an alternative future.

Creating your alternative future

The whole process is based on the pillars of future thinking and optimistic anticipation. 

First, we collaborate to intuitively and simply know what you want your future to be like. This is the most important step.

• How would life be in a real sense without this behaviour?
• What would you have to do with your hands?
• How would you feel, not only about your hands but about yourself, in general?

We develop a clear, colourful, and completely irresistible image of your success, and you can emotionally relate to and get to know what you are progressing towards.

Second, in a state of profound and natural relaxation, what we refer to as trance, we can start to talk directly to the subconscious, that which is running these automatic patterns in your mind. It is important to note that this is not a condition of unconsciousness, but it is a condition of increased concentration which you automatically slip into every day when you daydream or get totally absorbed into a book or a movie.

Your analytical, critical side of the mind will be able to rest during this period and you will be more open to new positive ideas.

Third, we will present effective, positive suggestions that will enable you to experience a basic change in outlook. We work on blunting the desire so that you will automatically become aware and experience an increasing feeling of not belonging to the old behaviour. We develop new, healthy pathways and reactions to old triggers, which will make you naturally calm yourself down in ways that are truly relaxing and fruitful. 

This process is that of shifting unconscious, automatic responses to conscious, willful responses. 

You may be stuck before beginning. You can feel intense relaxation during a session. And then you will begin to see the small yet important changes that are indicators of real enduring change.