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An interesting thought about picking...what do you think?
Hi everyone!
I am delighted to find a community of such friendly supportive people! Thanks for being here to share and give advice.
I have been skin-picking on-and-off since my teen years, and the other day I had a thought about the origins of this, and wanted to share it to see if it sounds reasonable to anyone else: A friend of mine works with rescue animals, and he says that birds will pull out their own feathers or peck at themselves when they are in captivity, especially if they are crowded in with other birds. Maybe people do the same thing - that is, do we pick when we feel imprisoned or encroached on by other people? I did notice that when I moved out of my parents' house, I didn't really pick at all. So maybe there is some truth in this. I am not a psychologist, so maybe I'm totally wrong, but it sounds like picking could be a response to feeling imprisoned.
Please share your views on this - I'd be delighted to hear if it makes sense to you!
Katheryn
Feeling imprisoned is something that I am sure many people go through. For me, I am a stay at home mom, so there is an unlimited amount of time for me to do as I wish. Sounds freeing doesn't it? However, when I was skin picking, I actually felt like I had to stay inside. Going through with putting on makeup and then it not even looking good, was too much for me to handle. Now that I am done with skin picking, I have all the freedom in the world to do as I wish, and feel good while doing it. I actually started picking my skin when I moved out of my parents, because I felt like I had the privacy to do so without someone yelling at me to get out of the bathroom. Needless to say, we humans are way different than birds. Them plucking their feathers is no different than us feeling anxious/nervous when we don't feel safe.
I have read somewhere that some believe that coming from a family with an authoritative parent, may cause picking. When I come across the source again, I will share it with you.
http://www.penmai.com/forums/general-health-problems/7088-dermatilloman…
this is one of the links that talks about parents