Treat Compulsive Picking with Mind-Body Intervention

As the name implies, Mind-Body Intervention is a family of therapeutic techniques aimed at training the mind to “intervene” in — and correct — undesired or unhealthy patterns in the body.

These “patterns” run a wide gamut:

• Skin picking disorders — compulsive skin picking or dermatillomania
• Finger picking disorders — compulsive finger picking and compulsive toe picking
• Hair-related disorders — Trichotillomania and trichophagia

Some Good Mind-Body Interventions for Compulsive Picking

Mind-body interventions that can be particularly helpful for compulsive picking include:

• Meditation and relaxation routines to lessen the impulse to pick
• To train the mind to focus in both active and passive concentration — use hypnosis in conjunction with meditation
• Visualization techniques — such as those used in habit-reversal training
• Yoga practice to condition the body
• Therapies focuses on the controlled stimulation of the senses like aromatherapy or autosuggestion
• Various other “branded” therapies such as Feldenkrais Method, Trager Approach and Alexander Technique