Nail biting is not only one of the most common of all the 'oral compulsive' habits but it includes biting the cuticle and soft tissue surrounding the nail as well as biting the nail itself. It is also one of the most responsive to hypnotherapy.

Why?

The reason why most people bite their nails, whether in times of stress or simply through habit, is essentially the same mechanism as used by overeaters and smokers - it's called 'oral satisfaction'.

Put simply, 'oral satisfaction' involves putting something in your mouth, be it a nail, a cigarette, cream cake, etc, and this will often be done in times of stress.

Nail biting can often simply be out of habit, or it could indicate an underlying anxiety. You may bite your nails in times of stress or excitement, or in times of boredom or inactivity. You could be involved in an activity such as reading, watching television or talking on the phone, and bite your nails without thinking about it. It can also be a learned behaviour from family members. It's the most common of the typical "nervous habits," which include thumb-sucking, nose-picking, hair-twisting or -pulling, tooth-grinding, and skin picking.

Nail biting is a nervous habit that most sufferers grow out of. However if you begin to worry about it and 'try' to stop it, the problem will persist. Like any bad habit the more you try to use your will power, the more you feed the negative thought form.

The reason why nail biting first became a bad habit usually doesn't matter. It's more important to find out why it is still happening and find an alternative. As you destroy a bad habit at a subconscious level, you need to replace it with a good habit.

Treatment

Hypnotherapy has been proven to be one of the most straightforward and effective ways of helping people to stop simple compulsive behavior such as Nail and/or Finger Biting. Nail biting is usually a life-long habit but the duration of the problem is irrelevant in terms of resolving it. There are a huge range of techniques that can be used to stop nail biting, from the field of neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) and anchoring techniques. Very direct aversion techniques are used combined with a range of approaches from indirect metaphor to direct command.

Time Frame

By utilising the combined techniques of hypnotherapy and NLP, you can expect success in just one 1-2 sessions.