Hypnosis for nail-biting

Hypnosis helps against nail biting because the background of nail biting can be directly addressed by means of hypnosis therapy. The triggers of nail biting are also treated.

Whether it is a compulsion to bite one's nails or a habit of doing so, the cause is usually in the unconscious. With hypnosis therapy these are not only dissolved but also replaced by more positive behavioral patterns. We do this to prevent relapses as far as possible.

Hypnosis therapy against nail biting has a very high success rate because changing unconscious processes is one of the best uses of hypnosis.

Causes of nail biting

Nail biting, with the technical term onychophagy, is almost always caused by psychological factors. For most of those affected, the biting of the fingernails begins as a substitute for something else.

This means it is very often a valve for accumulated internal pressure. This inner restlessness can be caused by many different feelings. Not only nervousness or stress can trigger nail biting, but also boredom. Even the classic image of biting nails out of fear is sometimes true.

Thus, the biting of fingernails can often be traced back to feelings, which in one way or another are diverted into nail biting.

One specific case concerns counterfeiting. This is often the case with clients who as children have started to copy someone who bites nails. Often children copy the stress reduction methods used by their role models.

In principle, as with many substitute satisfactions, an addiction can develop in which the person concerned feels that he or she must chew. This is often considered negative. The resulting stress can in turn lead to more chewing.

Who does nail-biting concern?

In many cases, nail busters have a certain amount of inner restlessness or nervousness. So it is not surprising that people with ADHD often bite their nails as well. People who otherwise have a lot of excess energy also tend to bite their nails, especially in moments when there is nothing to do. Then it shows up as a kind of nervous tick.

In my experience with nail biting, clients are also often present who tend to avoid confrontation and do not claw out as often as the unconscious would like. The unconscious then sometimes symbolically makes them bite their fingernails.

If there is a great inner desire for harmony, nail-biting can occur more often when a conflict is foreseeable. Mostly, however, it is a certain inner basic nervousness that favours biting.

Most of those affected are women, but there are also more and more men visiting me to treat their nail chewing.

Children

As mentioned above, children can also start to bite their fingernails. This can occur if the child has copied it from parents or siblings, for example.

Or it was discovered by the child itself. This often has to do with the fact that this accumulated energy has no release valve. Even if it often disappears on its own, it is sometimes necessary to intervene. This is especially the case when children massively damage their nails and nail beds.

Severity of fingernail biting

Chewing of fingernails can be pronounced to varying degrees. From light biting of the nails to severe self-injury, many things are possible. Also the combination of nail biting and gnawing off cuticles occurs.

When the habit becomes a sort of addiction, injuries such as a bloody bed of nails or even deformed fingernails can occur. The harder it is to bite the nails, the more difficult it is to treat.

In severe cases, it is usually complex problems that need to be solved.

Superficial aids against fingernail biting

If you have failed to stop biting your nails with yourself, then the question arises: "What can you do against nail biting? There are many products that can help you get rid of this annoying habit.

Many of my clients tried it with gel nails first. Most of the time, however, they simply offer more "surface to attack" and are chewed through again within a short time. Gel nails may help to protect your own fingernails a little, but they are not suitable for chewing nails. Because all external aids have something in common: they only treat the symptoms, not the trigger.

We can have the most success in treating nail biting if we treat the causes behind the impulses.

That is why psychology and above all hypnosis helps best.

Hypnosis solutions against nail biting

Getting rid of nail biting with hypnosis therapy

The causes of nail biting are found in the subconscious. If we want to treat nail biting effectively, we need to change these basic behaviors and how we deal with feelings of stress or boredom.

That is why hypnosis is also so well suited to wean you off nail biting. Because with hypnosis we can communicate with the unconscious in a way that is otherwise hardly possible.

Relaxation with hypnosis

The first step in the treatment with hypnosis is to create a pleasant form of relaxation. The hypnotic trance in itself is very relaxing and with the right suggestions a relaxing atmosphere can be created.

In the state of hypnosis it is possible to analyze stressful moments without immediately becoming tense again.

If there is a nervous mood, it will be reduced step by step and replaced by a state of relaxation. This state can also be anchored in the unconscious, e.g. to be used again in future self-hypnoses.

Breaking the habit

The next step is to break the habit.

This means that we offer the subconscious alternatives to biting our fingernails. By breaking the habit we can guide the unconscious processes in a different, better direction.

In this way, we reduce the moments in which the fingernails are chewed out of habit. By this I mean those moments in which chewing is not a forced hand and one does not "have to" chew. This is where we can achieve the fastest results.

Sometimes the subconscious needs several alternative behaviors. But it is also important for the conscious mind to realize that there is also another possibility.

If the nail biting occurs mainly in certain situations, I go through these situations in the trance suggesting new ways of dealing with them. These kinds of posthypnotic suggestions are then activated in the respective moments.

With these measures the habit can be completely removed and replaced with something more useful.

If nail biting is perceived as an addiction, the treatment is similar to how we treat addictions.

Stop nail-biting

If nail biting has become really bad or it has become a real kind of an addiction, then there is usually something more serious involved. In such situations I focus on the person sitting in front of me and not just on the fingernails.

Many clients have given me feedback that this was significant for their change. Especially if there is something bigger behind it, it is important to discuss all possible causes.

My goal is to pick up all my clients where they come from, so that I can really lead them on the path to success.

Impulskontrolle

The stronger the self is, the better the impulse control works. In most cases, stressful or tense situations cannot be avoided completely in life. Therefore it is important that we can control the impulse that leads the fingernails into the mouth early enough.

Especially in the initial phase, when we have just stopped biting our nails, this can be of great importance.

Prevention of relapses

In the last step the relapse prophylaxis is in the main concern

When the unconscious no longer automatically or addictionally resorts to biting fingernails, it is important to consolidate this change. It is often important to strengthen the self and reduce a possible nervous mood.

As mentioned above, hypnosis calls this "post-hypnotic suggestion" and is often used in the "if, then..." format. Thus the unconscious has a guideline in the future how to stay away from nail-biting.

Conclusion to stop nail biting with hypnosis therapy

Hypnosis therapy is one of the most effective methods to stop nail biting. By working with the unconscious, the danger of relapse is also massively reduced. Other aspects, such as stress resistance, can also be positively influenced. Nail biting can be stopped well and safely.

Questions

How many sessions do I need to get away from nail-biting with hypnosis?

How quickly the full change takes place varies from person to person. A first improvement is often noticed after the first session. Most of my clients need between 1-3 sessions to stop biting their nails.

What are the costs for hypnosis against nail biting?

The hypnosis therapy against nail biting costs 150 Fr. per hour. Experience shows that most clients need between two and five sessions to stop biting their nails. The number of sessions depends on many factors, such as the strength of nail biting