Hypnotherapy for nail biting

Have you tried to stop biting your nails without success? Do you pick at your cuticles and nails when you're stressed, bored or anxious? Are you unaware that you're biting your nails until after you've done it? Are you embarrassed by the state of your nails, and maybe starting to avoid situations in which people may notice your hands?

Habits like nail biting and cuticle picking are created by the subconscious, as solutions to issues like boredom, anxiety and stress. The problem is that the effects of the solution are negative, and reinforce the feelings that it is meant to alleviate. So, for example, if you bite your nails when you feel anxious, your bitten nails and peeled cuticles might make you feel self-conscious, which increases your anxiety and the desire to do the habit.

Hypnotherapy is very good at changing a negative habit into positive one, by using the habit mechanism and changing its content. The habit blueprint is stored in the subconscious and in the relaxed hypnotic state, it is easy and effective to revise the habit, so that it has a positive action to perform in response to the original habit cue. For example, you could file your nails instead of biting them, or do a few minutes of self-hypnosis to create the feelings of calm and relaxation you want.

The deep relaxation of hypnosis also allows you to mentally rehearse using your new habit, reinforcing it with repetition and the positive benefits that it creates (nice looking hands and nails you can be proud of). In addition, if there are any past experiences that contributed to you starting to bite your nails, hypnotherapy can help you easily and safely work with those experiences, so that they no longer fuel the habit.

Hypnotherapy can also be very helpful for working directly with improving your ability to control your impulses, manage stress and anxiety better, and increase your self-esteem and confidence, so you have new ways to cope with the challenges you face.

For more information about hypnotherapy to stop biting your nails, or to book an appointment, contact Sian on 07725 732810 or email