Compulsive Behavior: Pete

Pete Russian (Nail Biting)
Account Director
Pflugerville, TX

I've had problems with biting my nails for as long as I can remember. It was so unconscious that it was every day, all the time. I felt out of control. It seemed like a simple thing, when you're 45 years old, you should be able to stop it. Because I couldn't overcome it, the nail biting affected a lot of other things. It made me wonder what else in my life I wouldn't be able to control.

The appearance of my nails also bothered me. I'm in a professional situation a lot of the time and I dress well when I'm in front of the client or someone important. I could control how my hair looked, my clothing and how I presented myself, but that was the one thing I couldn't control. Because of the appearance of my nails, I often lost focus on what the meeting was about. I sat on my hands and put them under the table so that no one would see them and I suspected that everyone was looking at my hands, even though they probably weren't. It was a distraction which hampered my work skills and my job.

I used this paint that tastes bad to stop biting my nails and that didn't work. I also tried to pay attention when I was doing it and have more self control. I tried to distract myself with a stress ball and tried help with counseling to figure out the source and redirect it, but it never worked either.

I've been fighting this thing for years and it's been an important goal of mine to beat it. It was a battle that I wanted to win. I'd heard success stories with hypnosis and nail biting and read a number of things about people being successful using it. Hypnosis was one of the few things that I'd never tried. It was a last ditch effort for me. I heard about A New Day Hypnosis when I did a google search and decided to schedule an appointment.

I noticed immediately after my first session that I was aware of my hand going to my mouth and was able to stop it. I literally have not done it once since that day. It's been much easier than I ever thought it would be. I haven't bitten my nails in five weeks and I'm much more relaxed; I even noticed that I have better sleep patterns. Overall, I feel better about myself as a person. In social situations, I'm less stressed. I've come further than I ever have before and that means a lot to me. I feel better about my appearance and I know how to handle stressful situations better.

Hypnosis eliminated the urges and cravings to bite my nails. I'm not focused on it anymore. I'm aware of what I'm doing now and I feel like I've beaten it. When I meet with clients I'm not focused on it anymore. My hands are on the table and I felt more relaxed and connected in meetings.

I've gotten my self-confidence back and that's been the biggest thing for me. I've really enjoyed working with Laura. I came in here thinking that my only goal was to stop biting my nails, but all the residual things that came along with it were bonuses, so it's been a great experience.

To have this kind of immediate success is amazing to me. I'm a very goal oriented person and I know that once I reach a goal there is no going back. I feel like I've reached the goal that I wanted to reach and I haven't looked back. There is no question that it's over and I'm confident that I'm free of this problem permanently.