Habit-Addiction

Most BFRB sufferers have taken tests to rate the severity of their hair-pulling or skin-picking.  Some experts believe that BFRBs are behavioral addictions.  The danger  in  an addiction model takes is that it is a slippery slope that can lead a hair-puller or skin-picker to a very dangerous victim mentality. The BFRB exists in some neurological grey zone totally out of the sufferer’s control. But….there is another more hopeful way to look at your BFRB behavioral addiction…..read on….

Body-focused Repetitive Disorders viewed through the lens of behavioral addiction opens up possibilities.  Hair-pulling can calm and soothe.  Skin -picking offers escape and distraction.  However, both of these BFRBs interfere with daily life and relationships.  The negative effects range from cosmetic to life-threatening (trichobezars, deep infection).

The addiction model has some useful pieces when we flip the script when thinking about our BFRBs. Hair-pulling and skin-picking can lift us out of everyday boredom BUT  running or meditation can do the same.  A BFRB can be used to calm or soothe jangled nerves, but so can chanting and yoga. AND running, meditation, chanting and yoga all give the sufferer a sense of personal power and control over their behavior. Victims of BFRB no more.

The key to stopping a behavioral addiction such as Trichotillomania or Dermatillia is to replace it with a positive behavior that is a satisfying as the hair-pulling or skin-picking.  Bored?  Try to remember what you used to do that made you feel happy and alive …. try some activities offered in your community.  You can always sign up for starter sessions.  Keep with it for 3-6 weeks to give yourself enough time to make the new behavior a new habit.   A positive addiction if you will a new physical or mental focused behavior to replace the BFRB.

Not every activity has the potential to become a positive addiction. The behavior should take effort – you have to make time to fit it into your schedule.  Replacing the time spent pulling hair or picking skin. You have to be able to get better at it – there are levels of proficiency that you can reach with effort and practice satisfying the self-improvement gene which seems to reside in every one of my BFRB clients.   It is something you do alone – you can do it with a group (Zumba class), but the activity itself is not dependent on the group.  It isn’t a team activity – every member of the group acts individually. It can be solitary the same way the pulling or picking was practiced in solitude.

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Has your BFRB habit become an addiction?  Yes, if it relieves boredom, soothes you, takes time away from regular activities, causes problems in your relationships, and if you feel anxious whenever the topic comes up or someone asks about it.

Do you regret that you can’t stop your BFRB?  Have you tried to stop  hair-pulling otr skin picking and failed? Finally, do YOU think it is a problem?  If so, make a decision to reach out for help, learn more about your behavior and how to cut down or quit.

Visit http://www.travisps.com for more information