Why I Specialize in Skin Picking
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!
Periodically, I would seek out help. I tried psychotherapy three times unsuccessfully. None of the therapists knew how to help me.
I also tried hypnosis three times with no success.
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 (numb) 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. (And I believe spiritual can also be practical.) I learned a lot, and put some of it into practice with good results.
But ultimately, I backslid.