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Behavioral therapy
Hi there
I'm an an old time skin picker. I'm picking practically everywhere I can, as long as it remains unnoticed - my arms, legs, sculp. I went to a therapist to try and stop. He suggeted a way of healing called behavioral therapy. Basically it's about trying to control and relax your body and replace the old habbit of picking with different behaviour.
If some of you are acquainted with this method - please let me know is it efficient? Did it work for you? How long does it take?
December 21, 2007
I am not familiar with this behavioral therapy, but like you i consider myself an old time skin picker (face and upper body) roughly about 14 years, this started when i was a sophomore in high school and that was a long time ago, but unlike you i also pick on places that are noticeable especially the face. You however are fortunate to have this compulsion in a controlled condition hearing that you limit your picking to only the unnoticeable areas of the body. Either way u have the same problem as all of us do just the same.
I don't know what this behavioral therapy is but one thing i'm sure of is that this thing just won't work. If behavioral therapy is replacing the old habit with say writing a journal or keeping your hands busy with a musical instrument everytime the urge to pick arises - the only time that works is when you are aware that your body is planning to do the "deed". But often times for people like us, the picking starts usually when we are caught off guard. By the time we realize it, our fingers are already at it, and we don't stop precisely because we feel we've already started and that we might as well finish what we'v started, which is exactly what compulsive behavior is. Once you start, there's no turning back, it drives us crazy if we don't press forward. Sadly it's a lot like drug addiction or alcoholism. Sad to say this thing is a life long battle. There are definitely no easy remedies.
Through the years i've learned that this compulsion frequently stems from boredom, depression and stress most of the time. The easiest answer would be to live a stress free, happy and active lifestyle. But who in the world lives that way anyway? Sometimes I could go on months without picking but without warning and from out of nowhere, this "thing" strikes, and i just find myself wondering what hit me.
Through the years i've devised preventive measures of my own, but none that could actually get rid of the behavior all together. I am also interested in a free exchange of effective treatment methods from other people suffering from the same behavior as we do. I'm sure there are ways to control this "thing" we just have to gather what works and get rid of what doesn't.