Learn To Hypnotize Someone: Break The Nail Biting Habit

By Alan B. Dinsky


Skin picking, hair pulling and nail biting are all related behaviors. Skin picking, hair pulling and nail biting are labeled as Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders or OCD. Nail biters often keep their hands behind their backs or in their pockets. Nail biters often feel social embarrassment and experience out-of-control feelings at times. Sometimes they wonder why they can't stop and they may question whether or not they are crazy. The good newsis that you can learn to hypnotize someone -- or yourself -- to break the habit.

Biting usually happens when people are in one of two modes. Some people 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 immersed in some other activity at the same time such as watching TV or working on the computer, etc. For others, the deliberate picking or biting is their main activity at the time, and they will often interrupt their other activities to engage in it.

There is a strong commonality in the various purposes behind these three problems (skin picking, hair pulling and nail biting). At a very basic level, they satisfy an urge. Many people report an uncontrollable urge to do them. Pulling, picking or biting 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 up these behaviors. It simply "feels good" at the time no matter what the consequences.

Even if you have more than one of these problems, don't despair. These negative behaviors 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 problem, you can make serious progress.

Skin picking and nail biting are chronic problems, so there is not currently a "cure" but you can find relief if you are willing to work at it. You can learn to hypnotize someone -- or yourself -- and put an end of nail-biting once and for all. Hypnosis for nail biting consists of three parts.

Therapy For People Who Bite Their Nails

First off, nail biting is a nervous habit. So the first part of the hypnotherapy is to teach the nail biter how to be more relaxed at all times. To that end, I believe that traditional hypnosis, Ericksonian hypnosis, and Neuro-Linguistic Programming techniques are usually effective. That's because the very essence of hypnosis is relaxation. The individual can learn to apply several different methods to increase both the relaxed state, as well as his/her overall feeling of well-being.

The second part of the therapy teaches the individual to become aware of this unconscious habit. Post-hypnotic suggestions can be given to the subconscious mind to make the conscious mind aware that you are about to bite your nails. Then you get to consciously decide whether or not you are actually going to bite them.

There are several other much more effective hypnosis and NLP techniques. For example, we can help the client to set up an "Anchor" or trigger so that he/she can momentarily disassociate. This is an effective method that will effectively relieve the compulsion.

The third part of the therapy is to eliminate the compulsion to bite the nails. There are hypnotic techniques that actually program the client with a compulsion to not bite.

With the nail biting habit, being realistic is very important. In the first place, you have practiced the unwanted behavior hundreds or even thousands of times. It is important to accept that the compulsion to bite your nails will not be overcome in a few weeks.

Secondly, you are fighting the fact that biting your nails feels good to do, and it offers short-term satisfaction and either stimulation or soothing feelings. It can take time to overcome, but I believe that it is well worth it. Experience has shown a number of techniques to be extremely effective!

Alan B. Densky, CH is a certified hypnotist specializing in stress related symptoms. He offers NLP CDs that abolish the nail biting compulsion. Reach him at the Neuro-VISION Self Hypnosis ecommerce site. Visit his FREE hypnosis article index, or download his MP3s
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