Here’s a technique I use with my clients that’s amazingly useful. It’s called Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT, or meridian tapping) and here Tammy Fletcher, Ph.D., MFT shows you one way to use it specifically for skin picking. The nice thing is you can just follow along with her, tapping on yourself as you watch the video. Once you learn the tapping points you can use it, without even saying any phrases, whenever you’re feeling urges to pick your skin, or whenever you’re feeling any negative emotion you can’t seem to shake.
Please share your experiences with the tapping – leave a comment. And if you don’t have it already, sign up to the right of this post to receive my stop-skin-picking “Freedom Kit”.
Love and support,
Annette
p.s. Have you downloaded my free “Freedom Kit” yet? It comes with a written and audio report, “Why you pick your skin and how to finally stop,” a video on “how to stop skin picking urges in two minutes flat,” and my “Live Free” newsletter in your inbox each month. Learn more here.
Thank you for sharing this video. I just followed along, and it greatly reduced my anxiety and urge to pick.
Great, Hailey. I’m glad it worked for you. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you for this video, Annette. I am going to bookmark this page and use this technique daily.
Annette, thank you so much for sharing my video! I really appreciate it :-)
You’re welcome, Tammy. Thank you for making such a valuable video. It has the most comments of any of my blog posts, and several people have told me it was really helpful for them.
Thank you for sharing this really helpful video!
I wanted a script so I typed one. I am posting it here in case anyone else wants a script too.
Tapping meridian points to change habits and get stuck feelings released
Saying statements moving from negative to positive
It helps to calm down the amygdala in the brain ( the flight or fight part of the brain)
Use 1-3 fingers – tap any amount of times
Breath deeply
Body scan for tension
Rate tension on a scale of 1-10 ( 1= no tension)
1- karate chop point- side of hand
Even though I have the problem of chronic skin picking, I completely, and deeply love and accept myself.
1-Tip of eyebrow where it begins: Picking at my skin
2- end of eyebrow/ side of eye : right by bone: I feel unable to resist skin picking
3- under eye: picking at my skin until it is red and bleeding
4- under the nose / above lip: I feel unable to resist the urge to pick
5- Under the lip / above chin: It is so embarrassing for people to see me this way
6- One inch below collar bone in little depression: chronic skin picking makes me feel ashamed
7-Under arm at bra strap: Chronic skin picking makes me feel ashamed
8- On the crown of the head: Feeling helpless to stop picking at my skin
Soften voice:
1- I have tried so many times to stop
2-I feel awful right after I pick my skin
3-I don’t want this habit to control me
4-I want to stop but I don’t know if I can
5-Everytime I fail I feel bad about myself
6-picking has made me feel ashamed
7-It feels like the habit is stronger than I am
8- Maybe I can stop picking
Positive:
I- I am willing to stop picking
2-Maybe I can begin taking care of my skin instead
3-All I have to do is try
4-taking care of myself is a sign of strength
5-I like the idea of saying goodbye to skin picking
6-I am not sure I can succeed
7-But that is ok. I am ok.
8- I am ready and willing to try
Deep Breath
Rate tension
Try tapping everyday for a week
Thanks, Sunshine!