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kcantwell , 01 Aug 2009

Posible cure

OK Let me get in on this. I was a finger picker for over thirty years until I found the way to quit, quite serendipitiously. I now want to tell others about the method. It has been tried by many and worked for most but not for all. It costs nothing but a little time. I would appreciate it if those who try the system e-mail me about their experience with it, either positive or negative. kenn100@yahoo.com. I will answer any questions you may have and try to explain why the system works. I will also tell you about others who have succeeded, without revealing identities. Here it is. It is a mental exercise. Choose a simple sentence to repeat over and over. We will call it a mantra. I use "I know what I'm doing," but any short sentence will do. Choose some reading material, not too demanding - magazine articles or children's stories will do nicely. While you are voicing your mantra, try to read your reading material at the same time. It will be frustrating at first. You will see words you know but somehow they do not seem to register their meaning. That is because you are blocking off the neural pathways to cognizance by talking at the same time you are trying to read. Read your selection several times if necessary until the meaning does register. When it does, and generally very quickly, you will have established new or broadened pathways to congizance. It is this phenomena that stops the compulsion to pick. The mental exercise does not bolster your will to quit - it eliminates the compulsion as though it never existed. Now beware, as you are performing the mental exercise there is a strong temptation to stop the voicing of the mantra so that you can understand what you are reading. DO NOT YIELD TO THIS TEMPTATION. Read your selection several times if necessary until the meaning does register but do not stop the mantra. AS I mentioned above, please e-mail me if you will try I have nothing to sell and your identity is confidential. We can talk about many things. Ken100@yahoo.com
15 Answers
kcantwell
August 03, 2009

In reply to by cantstop

Good for you, "cantstop." I hope you change your name to "stopped at last." It is possible. If you have any questions, let me know. I am an individual, not connected with any organization. I do correspond with other participants and I will tell your their outcomes, without revealing identities. kenn100@yahoo.com
ldill
August 04, 2009

In reply to by kcantwell

This seems interesting enough but when your driving down the road or at your local pub these options do not seem very easy. Are there suggestions for when your not snuggled at the comfort of home?
kcantwell
August 04, 2009

In reply to by ldill

No - I wouldn't recommend it while you are driving and when you're in the pub you need all your wits around you. Do the exercise in the morning or before you go to sleep. Keep it up for twenty minutes. It works for most pickers and costs nothing. If you try it, and I hope you will, let us know at this site or send me a message. Ken
kcantwell
August 13, 2009

In reply to by kcantwell

So many promises, promises, promises. But please try the mental exercise described above. It costs nothing but a little time. It has worked for most of those who have participated. It can work for you also. And in addition to the cessation of picking compulsions, there are other benefits. I hope you will try. And if you will, I hope you will contact me with any questions you many have. I will answer to the best of my ability. I do like to know who is trying the system and how it is working for them. kenn100@yahoo.com
kcantwell
August 20, 2009

In reply to by kcantwell

kcantwell I see that dooehy and cantstop have agreed to try the mental exercise but Ihave not heard of their results. Come on, people, how is it going> Ken e-mail me kenn100@yahoo.com
mshbuck
August 08, 2009
I'm a skin picker (and hair puller) who picks at every part of my body. Literally, if I can reach it, I pick it. My picking over time has only gotten progressively worse and caused me all the pain in the world. Like many people who have shared here, it's a living nightmare. It's insanity. And it's a double life, because on the "outside" I look like I've got it all together. Recently, I found a 12 step group for skin pickers that has SAVED MY LIFE. I now have HOPE. There is a weekly phone meeting. I'm not facing this devistating illness alone anymore and I no longer have to "figure it out." Before these meetings I tried EVERYTHING - cog behavior therapy, habit reversal therapy, talk therapy, blockers, abstinence, group therapy, online programs (not free) and every SSRI on the market. Today I don't have to struggle like I used to because the 12 steps work for picking. I have seen MIRACLES of healing and recovery and I know there is hope because I know there is a solution. It works, it really does. Please call in if you need support. YOU ARE NOT ALONE. SKIN PICKERS ANONYMOUS PHONE MEETING - Sundays at 7PM EST. Call in #: 1-270-696-2525 / Access Code: 12128
ihatecsp
August 20, 2009
i have to try this! its a kind of neurofeedback. ive tried everything. im seeing a hypnotherapist right now that is helping some, not a lot with the picking, but with some other things is helps a lot. thanks for the idea!
kcantwell
August 21, 2009

In reply to by ihatecsp

kcantwell I know how it is. I was a picker for over 30 years. The method I described cured me, although it was developed for a different purpose. But understand, it is a form of self therapy. And as with all therapy there is resistance. Please e-mail me and we will work through this thing together. I cant promise success, but I can tell you that it has worked for most of those who tried. I will tell you more about the success of others and provide moral support. I will also answer questions that you must have. And please understand, everything is confidential. kenn100@yahoo.com
kcantwell
August 24, 2009
kcantwell My apologies. I asked members of this panel to read my suggestion for curing annoying and destructive compulsions and e-mail me if they would try the method. But I gave an incorrect e-mail address. Please forgive me if you tried to contact me. The correct e-mail address is kenn100@yahoo.com. Please try again. Once again let me say that the method proposed, a mental exercise designed to establish new neural connections, has worked for most who tried it, but not all. I would be happy to work with you. I am not associated with any commercial or academic organization and there is no charge now or ever. I was a finger picker for over 30 years and am now free of the compulsion thanks to the mental exercise.
gorillamom
September 15, 2009
I just started trying out this technique. I'll let everyone know how it works as I go along. My picking got into a new phase in the past 2 weeks. I started saving the scabs I pick off my skin. I r ealize that this is really diisgusting. It was clearly a new and worse symptom of whatever the scratching represents for me. Talk about compulsive. One thing, however, I'm not hurting myself as much as before. Since I "want" really good scabs for myI was getting really concerned collection (Sheesh - I sound so crazy), I wait until the scab is ready to be removed. I'm sure each one of us could write a thesis on the particular details of our brand of picking. By waiting, I am not picking off live skin as much. A month ago, I was swallowing pain killers by the dozens. I haven't taken 1 ibuprofen for the last 2 days. I was getting really worried b/c I was taking 600 - 800 mg several xs a day. I also had some 6 year old tylenol with codeine from surgery 6 years ago. When the pain got really bad, I was taking one of those. But that reawlly worried me. the last thing I needed was to get addicted. So while my saving, my skin picks seems to be a new low in my compulsion, I haven't been causing myself pain like I was before.
hateMyaffliction
September 18, 2009
Very interesting! I am going to try this, starting now. THANK YOU! I've been a scalp / skin picker for nearly 10 years or so. I have no idea how it started but it's something I am continually trying to get rid of or control. i'm 40 years old and going through a divorce with three children. I have been unhappy for so long that I somehow developed the skin picking along the way. I will email you and let you know how this goes for me.
lookingforcure
January 03, 2010
here are things that have worked for me... tho i still pick most everyday for at least a few min to my face. staying in a hotel usually triggers an attack... bright lights and mirrors... 1) Shower in the dark at night 2) Limit use of soap on face--go o' natural 3) When urge to pick arrives, take a hot/warm shower instead Am going to try using a stress ball...

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