Annette Pasternak, Ph.D., is a certified holistic health coach specializing in skin picking.
Over the past twelve years I have successfully coached many hundreds of women (and tens of men) to stop skin picking and similar body-focused repetitive behaviors.
Before finding freedom, for two decades I myself was stuck in the vicious cycle of this compulsive behavior.
I understand exactly what you are going through and know how to help. My unique step-by-step tailored-to-you programs will make the difference.
It’s hard to find help for your skin picking. Some people say they specialize in these types of behaviors yet still seem uncertain or even doubtful that you can get better. I believe in you and your ability to change, even if you don’t yourself right now.
Before breaking free, I also used to be stuck in the vicious cycle of this compulsive behavior.
I picked my skin a little when I was in high school, but no big deal. Like many of my clients, college was when it became persistent and a bit of a problem.
I felt ashamed when people noticed scabs on the backs of my arms under short sleeves, and ashamed as I sneaked out of the bathroom quickly so nobody would see the fingernail marks and redness on my face. But the consequences weren’t bad enough yet to do anything about the picking.
It got worse throughout my twenties and most of my thirties. I was continually stressed and put a ton of pressure on myself to succeed, even though most of the time I didn’t even enjoy what I was trying to succeed at!
Why I Specialize in Skin Picking
Periodically, I would seek out help.
I tried psychotherapy three times unsuccessfully.
None of the therapists knew how to help me.
I have a healthy skepticism about pharmaceuticals and their side effects, but a few months after leaving my job as a college professor, I was so anxious and was picking so badly that I tried them. They helped mellow me out for the five months that I took them, but didn’t do much to stop the picking.
It seemed it would be up to me if I wanted to ever
get rid of the picking problem.
I read all manner of self-help books, from spiritual to practical. I learned a lot, and put some of it into practice with good results.
But ultimately, I backslid.
How I Finally Found the Freedom to Stop
Three game changers enabled me to conquer my own picking and understand how to help others:
I stumbled upon a key to the peace of mind that had always eluded me, and that makes transformation possible.
I found a therapy group to support me in the critical steps of my journey to stop picking.
I discovered the important role nutrition played, not only in helping me stop picking, but also in boosting my energy level, reducing my anxiety and easing chronic pain.
Today, I am free from the compulsive cycle of picking, covering up/hiding, and feeling badly about myself – something that dominated a huge part of my brain for so many years.
I can wear whatever I want now, and at age 52 I think I look better in a bathing suit than I ever did in my 20s or 30s!
But what is most important is how happy and healthy I am, and how much satisfaction I get from guiding people just like you to stop picking too.
I read the emails my clients send me, with sentences like,
“You have given me back the gift of hope”
“I’m amazed at how far I have come”
“I finally feel free”
And I know all my suffering in the past gives me the ability to meet clients in the state they are at when we first meet, and show them the way up and out.
I did it, they did it, and
I know you can do it too.
have you read my bestselling book?
spring hike with hubby
our sweet kitty Frankie
hobbies
Learn how you
can work with me too!
Contact me at support@stopskinpickingcoach.com
Annette Pasternak, Ph.D., is the author of “Skin Picking: The Freedom to Finally Stop,” “Skin Picking: The Freedom We Found,” and the Freedom Companion journals for stopping skin picking and hair pulling. She has coached women, men and teens for over a decade to stop these behaviors. Annette completed health coach training programs at both the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and Functional Diagnostic Nutrition, as well as a program in Neurolinguistic Programming from the Hypnosis Motivation Institute. She was a regular Sivananda yoga teacher for five years as well as a Brain Gym® instructor. Ages ago, she was even a professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry! Born in New York and educated in New England, after seventeen years in Los Angeles, Annette and her husband relocated to Chattanooga, Tennessee, where they have lived for nearly five years now with their cat Frankie. Annette enjoys CrossFit, hiking, reading and some Real Housewives.