Compulsive Behavior: Karen

Karen H. (Nail Biting and Picking)
Customer Service Representative
Austin, TX

I've had problems with nail biting for as long as I can remember. I've picked off and on throughout the years, but started picking more severely recently when I stopped biting my nails and suddenly had fingernails that I could use to pick at my skin. I used these behaviors as crutches for forty years. It was totally unconscious and I was doing it before I even realized that I was doing it.

I was constantly trying to hide it and was using makeup to cover up the problems with my skin. I felt less confident and more anxious about people noticing the effects of the behavior. I had a really stressful job and the problem had become bad enough that I was really damaging my skin to the point where I couldn't cover it up with makeup anymore. I felt like I couldn't control my behavior and didn't think that I could stop doing it. It was totally irrational. My husband would tell me to stop and as soon as he wasn't looking I would do it again. Sometimes I would even hide somewhere and do it and that made me feel more out of control. I didn't feel like I could change other parts of my life and this was one place where I did feel in control.

I heard about A New Day Hypnosis on yahoo local and decided to schedule an appointment. I noticed results almost immediately after my first session. I was conscious of the behavior and found myself more able to control myself. I feel less anxious overall and that's been really helpful. I also have healthier skin.

I found that having a battery of techniques and a system using hypnosis has been really helpful to me. I've started to exercise more control over other areas of my life and I'm working toward goals and coping with situations that are not under my immediate control. I notice that it's easier for me to manage my emotions with factors that I can't control in my life.

I feel more confident socially and I've been working on the social side of my life. I feel encouraged to be more social, happier, and more connected. I'm more comfortable around people and I've reconnected with people who had previously been scattered. That whole element has been very healthy and these things seem to feed into each other. I had become very isolated after I left my last job and I think that working on social connectedness was really important for my progress.

I would recommend A New Day Hypnosis because it has been very useful and helpful to me. I've done counseling before and found that sometimes the act of going to counseling caused me anxiety. It's been a very enjoyable experience. The whole process has put me at ease and the way that Laura presents it makes me want to come back. I'm confident that I've learned a lot of techniques and have a tool kit that can generate awareness in the future. I am re-learning behaviors and I am reminded to think positively. I'm better able to redirect thought patterns and have more control of my behaviors and that has been enormously useful to me.

Compulsive Behavior: Brian

Brian B. (Nail Chewing)
IT Manager
Austin, TX

I've had problems with nail chewing all of my life. I would be sitting around a table with five other people and believing that someone isn't going to notice that I'm sticking my finger in my mouth, it was ludicrous. My hands look pretty bad especially when I had to deal with bleeding cuticles in public. If I had a cuticle problem and I was bleeding I would literally have to hold my finger to keep from bleeding all over the place. It was embarrassing and I felt out of control, I couldn't find a way to consciously stop my behavior. It felt like the sensation of driving on ice and realizing that there is nothing I could do once I hit the brakes and started sliding. It was frustrating, I knew I shouldn't do it and yet I continued to do it and didn't know how to stop it.

I've tried many things over the years to stop. In childhood, my parents tried the bitter tasting nail paint to make me stop, but it just increased my determination and I would chew it off or scrape it and continue to chew my nails. I tried to consciously stop myself from doing it; I never seemed to get traction. I had some success with limiting chewing to specific nails, but I would eventually go back to chewing all of them again.

At a professional development seminar during a feedback session, one of the guys who had been in my industry for 25 years pointed out that my nail chewing would be a challenge for me because of the way that people perceived me in the workplace. I realized that it wasn't just a nasty little habit, but that it was holding me back professionally. When my daughter was born, I realized that I didn't want to set a bad example for her, so that was the tipping point for me and I knew that I had to quit.

I heard about A New Day Hypnosis from one of Laura's previous clients. She was a smoker and she had tried a variety of things and nothing had worked, but Laura was able to help her. It's all about results, so I decided to call. I stopped chewing right away and immediately noticed a change in my outlook. I started to really think about what was driving me to do the behavior and began to understand the motivations for my chewing.

I've noticed that I'm more comfortable in stressful environments and I have better coping mechanisms for dealing with pressure. My hands have healed and look presentable now. It's a relief to know that I have a set of fingernails that look like everyone else's and I feel more confident in public settings and when I'm interacting with others. I don't have to hide my hands and I can have them on the conference table, which makes things more comfortable for me.

It's been easier than I expected it to be. I think that once I got past the behavior of criticizing myself when I slipped, it made more sense to divert my attention or do a substitute behavior. Once I got past the hurdle, it was a lot easier. My wife has been very supportive and has noticed the changes. She is proud that I have been able to get past something that I've been doing all my life. She has also noticed that I am managing my stress a lot better.

The most important benefit has been the improvement in self image and the empowerment to make a change. The tools that I have learned have been very valuable, but the real insight to me has been associating the behavior to self-image. I would recommend A New Day Hypnosis to anyone who wants to stop biting their nails. I've enjoyed the sessions and I think people need a good insight into their behavior; it behooves us to really understand what motivates our behavior and take action to change it.

This really comes down to coping with stress and understanding how to manage anxiety. Being able to address the problem at a deeper level makes a big difference for me and, because of what I have learned and experienced, I am confident that I am free of my problem permanently.

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.

Compulsive Behavior: Liz

Liz (Nail Biting)
Customer Service

I've had problems with biting and picking my nails since I was four years old. It was something that I didn't think about as a child unless an adult told me to stop. There were a few incidences where I was questioned about it by adults, but it was just something that I always did. It was a completely compulsive behavior for me. Once you get older, there is a social stigma attached to it and it's hard to get ahead. The habit is distracting and time consuming and unnecessary. When I bit all my fingernails off, it was an outward sign for me of self-deprecating and negative thoughts. I looked at that and thought that it wasn't attractive and it created a cycle for me. I felt out of control. It was something that I took for granted and I was always grappling with it. I wanted to have that control, but I would try to get it in other ways. I was biting my nails when I was tired at night and I was probably picking at them all the time.

When I was 12 or 13, my friend's mom got my mom on a kick to stop biting my nails and she gave me this really bitter nail polish. It dried out the cuticles so much that it made me want to bite them more. Then I got used to it and it didn't bother me so much, so I bit them anyway. Whenever I made a concerted effort to stop biting my nails the opposite would happen and I would do it more and more.

I found out about A New Day Hypnosis when I found an advertisement posted at the Green Muse Cafèe. I had used hypnosis before and I had stopped biting my nails for several months. After Hurricane Katrina, I started biting again with a vengeance. It was like I had just lost that self control. I haven't bitten a nail since our first session and it's been 8 months now. I have experienced all of the expected positive results. I'm more focused with more mental clarity. I have better sleep because I'm not grinding my teeth at night. I'm much more aware of when my jaw goes out of place and that is a direct result of the hypnosis. I'm more aware of my body. I don't have as many headaches because I'm not grinding as much.

Quitting the compulsive act of biting my nails has been relatively easy. What I've really been working on is recognizing what other patterns of thinking are causing that destructive behavior and taking action to change those things. I feel more in control now because the persistently negative thoughts that would come up weren't very loud, but they were always there in the background. When those thoughts come up now, I'm very aware of them and I can use the techniques that I've learned to eliminate them. I feel more confident because I don't feel like I'm hiding my hands anymore. I actually feel proud when a stranger can see my nails because I haven't had any looks of aversion from them.

I made a big career move, I ended a relationship that was going nowhere, and I've gone back to school. I'm way happier. I'm very satisfied and everything is good. I would absolutely recommend A New Day Hypnosis to anyone who wants to overcome a nail biting problem because it works. I know that it's up to me to make this work permanently. If I reverted back to it I firmly believe that I have the power to stop myself. It's a choice that I can make and I have a choice now.

Compulsive Behavior: Lindsey

Lindsey (Nail Biting)
Singer
Austin, TX

I've been chewing and picking at my cuticles for almost twenty years. I'm a musician, and on stage I would stress out and worry that a video or photo of my hands would show my cuticles. I was worrying about my fingers instead of being in the moment and enjoying the performance. I never wanted to show anyone my hands and I hid them all the time.

I was really stressed because I want to be in control, but I was biting and picking my nails at least ten times a day. I couldn't stop and I really didn't want to. I never got manicures because the nail ladies yelled at me and told me that they didn't want to see me again until I had stopped ripping at my skin. They couldn't do anything with it and the cleaning stuff really stung.

I tried the nasty tasting stuff to stop chewing at my cuticles, but I just started picking instead of biting. I tried wearing gloves in movies or at times when I knew I would normally pick, but I just took them off when I was out in public and did it anyway. I tried putting athletic tape around my cuticles, but it made me feel weird so I stopped doing it. I even had a friend slap me whenever I did it, but that didn't work because I just got mad at her.

I heard about A New Day hypnosis from my dietician, Jenny Leman. I had the erroneous view from the media that I wasn't going to have control; I thought I would be under someone else's influence. Laura explained that I would be aware the whole time and that I would be relaxed, so after I read her website testimonials I decided to give it a shot.

I thought it would be hard to quit, but I stopped after the first visit. It was relatively easy and just allowed me to see that the problem was evidence of a deeper issue that I had with anxiety. I realized that I was thinking about it before I picked or bit my fingers.

I'm a lot more relaxed and confident now. I'm more rested and I think more clearly. I stopped messing with my fingers and haven't touched them in over two months. I feel more confident because my hands look awesome. I talk with them and don't even think twice about it. When I interact with people I don't worry about hiding my fingers. I realized that it wasn't just this annoying little habit and it was a big deal that wasn't healthy for many reasons. As I became mentally and emotionally aware of the issue, I started to ask myself why I wanted to do it. I don't feel like something so silly is controlling me anymore and that is a relief.

All my family, friends, and people I work with have commented that they are so proud of me for overcoming this. They are amazed at how healthy my fingers look. Just last night, my best friend said that she'd never seen my fingers look better. About a month ago, I got my first manicure where the lady didn't say anything. It was wonderful and I felt more ladylike. I had a victory and I was rewarding myself for my hard work.

There have been so many benefits. I am free from my addiction and I'm really proactive about battling it. I would recommend A New Day Hypnosis to anyone who wants help because it works. Laura is very relaxed, non-judgmental, and a kind, intelligent person. I feel like the habit has been broken and I'm not even tempted to pick or chew. Because I now know that it's a deeper issue, I'm dealing with the root of the problem. I have tools to fight it so that I can have peace and stay on top of it.

Compulsive Behavior: Kim

Kim (Trichotillomania)
Medical Transcription
Austin, TX

I've suffered from an obsessive need to pull my hair out for the last 45 years. Pulling my hair out had become so routine; I used it to soothe myself and calm myself down. It was my everything and it was my best friend, but it hurt everybody in my family to see me hurt and we were all tainted by this. I was so unhappy and crying because I pulled all the time. It affected my self-confidence and my relationships with men. I kept myself more distant because I didn't want anyone to find out about my problem. I always had spots, but I kept them covered. The whole thing kept me off balance and the last few years it's kept me from dancing, swimming, dating, and exercise. I was mad at myself for not being able to stop on my own and it made me feel less confident. I felt out of control when it got so bad that a lot of my hair was gone.

I had to start wearing a hairpiece and that's when I started to panic. My sister could even see the bald spots through my wig. In the past, I tried medication, journaling, and just telling myself to stop. They worked somewhat, but the sheer desire of wanting to pull my hair was so strong that I wasn't successful. I spoke with a therapist and I just got the feeling that they wanted to go back in the past and I'm not interested in that so that didn't work for me either. I made the decision that I wasn't going to spend the rest of my life without hair and started to do some research.

I heard about A New Day Hypnosis on Citysearch. I started feeling better after I met with Laura because I had someone to talk with about this. I noticed that I felt more enthusiastic about my ability to overcome it. I feel more focused and more normal now. I have a better mindset and feel more in control because I have a better handle on this. I've changed my diet and given up sweets, caffeine, and processed foods, things that have triggered my pulling. I've taken control of it and it's a good feeling. I don't have any bald spots and that makes me feel more confident. I feel cuter and just feel like I'm like everyone else walking around the grocery store. I want to say "Hey, look at me, I've got hair".

Things are happening for the better. I've started taking jazzercise classes and I'm going to take ballroom classes, which I was afraid of with the hairpiece because I thought it might fall off. I'm looking forward to dating again and I was terrified about that before. It helps me to know that someone really cares about it and really wants to hear about it. It's nice to be able to talk about my problem and Laura has given me good things to think about and different strategies to stop myself from pulling. She has also helped to bring me down to earth and feel more optimistic about my situation.

I would recommend A New Day Hypnosis to anyone who wants help with hair pulling because it has helped me. I'm going to stay vigilante with it and continue to deal with the urges. I have some new strategies that I can use. I'm not pulling all the time anymore and I've made great progress. I feel calm and just don't feel the urge as much. I feel clever that I've gotten my hair back and it's wonderful for me.

Compulsive Behavior: Claire

Claire Harris (Skin Picking)
Video Production
Austin, TX

I've suffered from the compulsion to pick my skin for the last twenty years. Mainly, it happened at night when I was feeling overwhelmed and stressed. I tried to stop doing it by telling myself that I wasn't going to pick for the next week, but I wasn't able to hold myself accountable. It worked for a day or two, but I've been at this behavior for so long that it was ingrained. I didn't understand that it as a behavioral issue and spent money getting chemical peels and microdermabrasion, thinking that the problem was that I had acne and not realizing that I was creating it by digging into my face. It made me feel embarrassed because I had scabs and acne. When I really went at it, it made me afraid to show my face in public and I wanted to hide from the world. I felt disappointed; like I had no self control. I wondered what was wrong with me. I knew that it was wrong, but I still couldn't stop myself.

I heard about A New Day Hypnosis from my aesthetician and I noticed results after the first session. Almost instantaneously, I was calmer as I started following some of the tips that Laura gave me. It's been relatively easy. I have time to sit down and relax and get that positive reinforcement. I feel more in control. My skin has cleared up and I have a lot less scarring.

I really feel like I have some secret techniques in my pocket now. I even feel more confident beyond the picking. I feel better about my outward appearance and I've also learned some time management skills with the help of hypnosis. I didn't even realize how much my confidence was affected by being late and I'm more aware of the way that I stand and speak, so that I create a more confident air.

There are so many things that I've benefited from, but stopping the habitual picking, better self-confidence, and time management have been the most important to me. I feel less anxious and stressed and I'm a happier, more positive person. I would absolutely recommend A New Day Hypnosis to anyone who wants to stop picking because with a behavior like picking there are often other reasons why we are doing it. Beyond just recommending hypnosis for picking, I would recommend it to individuals who are dealing with other behavioral issues because it's a wonderful alternative to medication.

I think that hypnotherapy is a great way to fix those behavioral issues that you may not even be aware are causing the picking. I'm confident that I'm free of my problem permanently. I know that even if I were to "slip", I have resources readily available to me to help me get back in touch with the tools that I need to fix it. The daily positive reinforcement and behavior modification over time have really helped me to build a new behavior.

Compulsive Behavior: Lorna

Lorna (Nail Biting)
Austin, TX

I've had trouble with nail biting for fifty years. I was doing it all day long I wasn't even consciously aware of it. It felt out of control. Nobody wants to have horrible looking nails and hands, but being a woman with this problem made it especially difficult and as much as I wanted to, I couldn't stop doing it. I thought when different milestones happened in my life I would stop biting them. It had gotten to a point where I honestly didn't think that I could stop biting my nails because I'd done it my entire life and it was so difficult for me to overcome.

I've put bad tasting things on my nails and it had very little effect. My ex-husband had tried to help me by giving me incentives and bribes and they didn't work either. I tried hypnosis in the past and the first time I went, I didn't get a recording, so there wasn't anything to help reinforce it. I managed to stop for three weeks, but eventually went back to it. I went to another hypnotherapist who gave me tapes, but it didn't take for some reason. In both cases, the focus was just about thinking how bad it was and that wasn't enough motivation for me.

I was so sick of it and it was the new year, so I was ready to try it again. I heard about A New Day Hypnosis on Citysearch and I was able to stop after the first session. It's been six weeks since I've bitten my nails and it's been surprisingly easy. I don't have the impulse to do it and it just doesn't seem appealing to me anymore. I'm more aware of when my hand is going to my mouth and I stop myself and do something else instead. Changing habits has been the key for me. It feels natural for me to not bite my nails and that has been a relief.

I have an improvement in self-esteem and now that I've done this, I want to take care of myself in other ways. I feel more in control and have a real sense of satisfaction. I feel like I've overcome it. I'm conscious of the impulse, but now I have a choice and I don't engage with it. I feel more confident and more like a complete person because I don't have this thing that I have to hide anymore. Because I can do this, I know that I can improve other things in my life as well.

When I see my hands on the steering wheel, I don't have to think about how disgusting they look or be ashamed of them. I feel proud of the way that my hands look and I don't have that source of shame that I've carried around my whole life. I would recommend A New Day Hypnosis because it has worked for me and I think it would work for other things, too. I'm confident that I will continue with my progress because it isn't desirable for me and I don't want to do it anymore.

Compulsive Behavior: Nam

Nam Szeto (Coughing)
Web Design
Austin, TX

I've had problems with stress induced coughing for the last couple of years, but the bigger emotional problems that are responsible for the cough have been there all of my life. My persistent cough was a psychosomatic symptom of being lost in my emotions and unable to cope with the stress and anxiety that I was facing. There were long stretches where I was coughing nonstop literally all day. The coughing was preventing me from having a normal social life and a healthy, effective family life. It disrupted my life and limited me in terms of what I could or could not do.

I tried three years of psychotherapy to overcome my problem. The therapist was great about listening, but when it came to helping me figure out what to do about the problem, that wasn't a part of it. It's important to understand where you come from, how you're built, and figure out what kind of life you want to lead. Therapy gave me the basic steps, but I needed more than that. I studied Buddhism and meditation, which helped me to develop self awareness and led me to understand what needed to happen to solve this problem.

I heard about A New Day Hypnosis on Citysearch. I had some qualms about using hypnosis because it's not widely accepted in our society. There is a social stigma towards hypnosis and I was concerned that this wasn't going to be useful, but I decided to find out more. After the second session, my cough diminished. I had a stronger self awareness and I wasn't just recognizing feelings, but also thinking about what I was going to do with them.

At this point, I'm no longer coughing. I'm sleeping better at night and I'm not floored or taken aback in situations because I have very specific techniques for getting myself out of irrational emotions. To me, the process is more about actionable wisdom. It's simply taking things that people realize that they should do in conducting their lives and teaching them how to do it.

I really like the process because it actually maps out the steps that are necessary to getting to my goals and I find that imminently useful. I think that the techniques for replacing negative thoughts with positive ones have been really excellent and I no longer think that any problem in life is insurmountable.

Now, it's just a matter of developing awareness, practicing, and continuing to keep working at it. I know that I've mastered the techniques for dealing with the things that might come up and I can combat them effectively. I've already recommend A New Day Hypnosis to others and I'm confident that I have the exercises down; it's liberating to be in touch with a problem and really understand the steps to take in order to solve it.

Compulsive Behavior: Jose

Jose Manuel Cortes (OCD)
Student
Austin, TX

I've had problems with obsessive and negative thoughts since I was six years old. In the past, I've had emotional breakdowns and sometimes thought that I might be going crazy. It was affecting school because I was so stressed and worried about it. My negative thinking also affected my friendships.

I was very angry and had trouble with getting into fights. In the moment, I sometimes thought that I wasn't able to control things like counting, tapping and washing my hands. I was also having trouble sleeping because I was thinking a lot at night. I've tried many things to help me: prescription pills, psychotherapy, and many other types of therapy. It kind of worked a little bit, but then it stopped working. I realized that instead of working against it, I wanted my mind is working with me instead. I thought that hypnosis might work, so I did an internet search.

I found the Citysearch website and there was a listing for A New Day Hypnosis. There were a lot of entries from different people on the site. I had some concerns that using hypnosis might be dangerous, but everyone said that it was great, so decided that I would try it.

I noticed results around two days after my appointment, I was a lot more calm and at peace. I believe that one should be committed, so if you want to improve you have to do as much as you can, so I think that has helped to make this easier for me. I am now able to stay calm in classes and during exams or at work. I'm also going right to sleep. I know when I have had a stressful day; I can just listen to my sessions and feel immediately calm with a good outlook.

I am able to be more focused on my goals. Now I have many tools to overcome the things that weren't working for me and I see myself as a lot stronger. Because I am calm and focused I make much better decisions now. I would recommend A New Day Hypnosis because if a person wants to change something but has a strong part of them that is telling them not to stop, this can help. When you have more tools you have a much better chance of fulfilling your goals. I am confident that as I continue to work on this, my issues will not pose a problem for me in the future.