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Hypnotherapy for Nail Biting
From Ugly, Chewed down nails to Perfectly Manicured Ones… Treat Nail Biting with Hypnotherapy
So what excuse do you give yourself and the people around you for nail biting? You were scared? You were nervous? You didn’t realize you were doing it? It’s just a childhood habit which doesn’t seem to leave you? Whatever be the case, a large number of adults around the world today succumb to the temptation of biting their own nails. They might not even have a plausible reason for doing it – They just do it without thinking. The result is invariably, nails chewed down to the skin, which not only makes your hands look ugly, they are painful as well.
If you have been thinking about how to put a stop to this annoying habit, hypnotherapy could be just the answer you were looking for. Most nail biters have consciously tried giving up the habit more than once, only to return to the habit more quickly than they thought. A conscious decision never seems to work with this problem. It is because nail biting is something which people do unconsciously. Nail biters don’t even realize when their hand reaches their teeth and the chewing process starts. For most of them it’s a childhood habit which never went away, and now they are too old to get over this habit.
It is only when you adopt a process which will affect this habit at a subconscious level, that you can put a lid on this problem forever. And this is why hypnotherapy is so effective in dealing with nail biting. Since it is a subconscious problem, your subconscious needs to be trained in such a way that the need to bite one’s nails just disappears. And that’s what Richard helps you achieve. He will teach you techniques which will help you alter your behavioral pattern for nail biting. The urge to bite your nails will be deflected to a different alternative which will be more positive and painless.
Imagine having perfectly manicured nails instead of badly chewed ones. Wouldn’t you feel glad if someone complimented you on your well kept hands, instead of recoiling in horror at the sight of nails? You get only one pair of hands in a lifetime, might as well keep them looking healthy and happy!
You can do it, you deserve it
Find out how to book your session with Pavel today!
If you have any questions, we are happy to answer them. Just give us a call
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Stop Biting Nails Articles
NAIL BITING WHAT IS IT ALL ABOUT?
Nail biting at a glance doesn't seem that much of a problem but careful examination of this behavior surely shows that it is problematic. The technical word for nail biting is Onychophagia and it starts generally between the age of 4 or 5 to ten. It is a very common problem and over 30% of the Americans show, nail biting behavior and it is the maximum at the time of puberty.
This highly prevalent behavior much more in children results in short and ragged nails. It can also result in cuticle damage and damage to the edges of the nails resulting in bleeding. Infections are also a possibility.
When Malon and Massmer researched children behavior in the Chicago school system, they found out that more than half of the children in the age group of 8 to 10 showed nail biting behavior. It is also an agreed fact that nail biting is a learnt habit from parents or from people around the child.
Anyone who is habituated to nail biting would tell you how difficult it is to overcome this habit. One could try to identify the reasons behind nail biting and then try to solve it. Nail biting is seen to be a very private affair and some experts feel that it is some sort of self-indulgence. What ever might be the reasons behind nail biting, it is no doubt very prevalent and knows no boundary of class and gender.
NAIL BITING DISADVANTAGES
Various studies have come out with the observation that nail biting could be the result of nervousness or boredom or stress or even hunger. It generally indicates some kind of mental or emotional upheaval. Clinically it is known as chronic onychophagia. A breakdown of its prevalence reveals that nail biting is the maximum in adolescents (over 40%) then in children from seven to ten years (over 30%). More than 25% of the teenagers are habituated to nail biting and more than 5% of the adults also show nail biting tendencies.
The biggest problem with nail biting is the threat of infection. Germs that might be in your nails might get transferred to your mouth. It is similar to what happens in nail salons. When tools like files are used on different people it might lead to spread of nail fungi, viruses or staph bacteria. And when you bite your nails, you invite the germs into your body.
It is also seen that even cuticles and skin around the nails also get bitten in case of compulsive nail biting. With broken skins, the chances of microbial infections increase manifold. There are other negative aspects of nail biting. It might lead to restraints where use of hands is concerned. Tasks like writing, drawing, typing, driving or playing stringed instruments could be hampered. It might be because of the damage to the fingers or due to the nail biting person trying to avoid showing the appearance of his nails. What is more, prolonged nail biting could also result in substantia adamantinea of the front teeth which could lead to caries.
TREATMENTS TO STOP NAIL BITING
It might sound surprising but there are many types of medications available to stop nail biting. Some of these medications like some of the recent anti-depressants prove very effective. The same medications like fluoxetine, clomipramine, paroxetine, sertraline, fluvoxamine, escitalopram, citalopram, nefazodone and venlafaxine also prove effective in treating Trichotillomania (the compulsion to tear or pluck out the hair on one's head and face and often to ingest it) and OCD.
These anti-depressants might be used with anti-psychotics in small amounts to enhance the effectiveness of anti-depressants. Anti-psychotics like olazapine, risperidone, quetiapine, aripiprazole and ziprasidone are generally used to cure schizophrenia. But this doesn't mean that if you are being treated to stop nail biting with these, you are a psychotic. To stop nail biting, your physician might use B vitamin inositol which enhances serotonin activity in the brain resulting in lessening of nail biting tendencies.
BEHAVIORAL THERAPY
With medication one could also go for behavioral therapy to stop nail biting. It starts with Habit Reversal Training (HRT) which includes four parts and intends to make you stop nail biting and if possible make you learn a better constructive habit. Then you have the Stimulus Control therapy which is used to recognize and remove the stimulus for nail biting.
OTHER TREATMENT
Various aversion therapies exist to stop nail biting. It might be coating the nails with some kind of special nail polish which tastes bitter. One could war a rubber band on the wrist. Friends and family members could also point out whenever and wherever one starts nail biting. Eating chewing gum has also helped some to stop nail biting. If you keep a record of nail biting, it might reveal the reason for it.
NAIL BITING AND PERMANENT DAMAGE
Nail biting is amongst one of the most common habit intended to relieve stress. Some of these habits pointing out stress and nervousness might include thumb-sucking, hair twisting or pulling, nose picking, tooth grinding and skin picking. Nail biting is generally the result of stress or excitement or it might be indicative of inactivity and boredom. It is believed that nail biting is generally a learnt behavior.
Nail biting is almost instinctive without actual realization. So, you could be engaged in reading or talking on the phone or watching TV and start biting nails without realizing it. Nail biting is not just limited to biting nails but also to biting the cuticles and the surrounding tissues around the nails.
It is true that until and unless you damage the nail bed there would be no effect on your nail growth but you should stop nail biting because of health reasons. Nail biting could result in infection of the skin (paronychia) or even result in warts surrounding the nail bed.
PEOPLE AND NAIL BITING
It is generally seen that nail biting is the result of stress, worries and boredom. There are many who unconsciously start nail biting. And nail biting is perhaps one of the most common habits present in this world. As much as forty four percent of adolescents are habituated of nail biting. About 30% of the children between 7 and 10 and about 25% of the young adults are habituated of nail biting.
It is generally seen that males are more prone to nail biting than females. And to make it soft for people engaged in nail biting, it is found out that people with higher intelligence levels are more prone to nail biting. It might be because of higher level of stress and higher level of responsibility that is associated with higher intelligence.
When it comes to stop nail biting, it is easier said than done. It requires a lot of effort to break this habit of nail biting. It would take time and patience to stop nail biting. Let us have a look at some of the suggestions that might help you stop nail biting.
Ø Have emery board or have nail clippers wherever you go
Ø You can go for nail creams that taste very bitter and help stop nail biting.
Ø It is also better to wear gloves and bandages to stop nail biting.
Ø You can have a rubber band attached to your wrist to let you remind that you have to stop nail biting.
Ø Your family members and friends should always remind you whenever they see your fingers in your mouth.
STOP NAIL BITING WITH NLP
When you look at the world with the help of your senses it gets formulated with our experience, values, beliefs and assumptions. And when we act it is dependent on our perception and not on the real world. What NLP does is that it helps you model your highly structured language and behaviors into a more reproducible form. So this modeling could be done to the more successful part of your behavior and apply it to the less successful parts. It can actually improve functioning.
So, if you find someone excelling in some particular field you can observe it to learn what actually makes them tick and that could be imbibed. NLP contains many techniques such as hypnosis which is considered as an effective way to change the thinking and learning communication skills of a person.
There is one very simple as well as very effective technique in NLP called anchoring. Suppose something made you very happy in the past. Now go back to the same image again and try to make it more vivid. Try to listen to its sounds and try to make the images brighter and larger. And it is certain to bring smile to your face.
This could well be used to bust bad habits like nail biting. If you need to stop nail biting you need to concentrate hard and use NLP techniques. It would allow you to change the way you perceive the world. That would change your behavior which would help you stop nail biting.
So, begin a new life Now!
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