Help Your Anxious Client Stop Nail Picking

Compulsive nail picking is a bad habit that leaves visible proof behind. Many people are embarrassed of their compulsion and struggle to control it.

The Stop Nail Picking Hypnosis Script from The Script Collection was put together to help clients make a positive, lasting change in their lives by dropping this habit.

A brief pre-talk prepares the client for the work ahead. The unconscious nature of the habit is discussed, as is the primary motivation for nail picking - letting go of stress and tension.

The client is assured that hypnosis is an effective and natural way to stop the nail picking. Consciously trying to stop a repeating behavioral pattern rarely succeeds, but hypnosis is presented as a process that will short-circuit the problem at its root, producing a natural stop to the behavior.

The induction begins with a progressive body relaxation that guides the client through the process of releasing tension in their face, shoulders, hands, and feet. They are led to imagine themselves floating on "waves of comfort" as they recall a memory from a happy and comfortable time in their life.

The client now merges into that memory, re-experiencing senses and feelings from that time. They are directed to notice what it was that made them feel able to "let go completely" during that time, before embedded commands deepen their relaxation.

The trancework begins with a discussion of habits. The client is reminded they've outgrown many habits throughout their lives. Examples show how, when a behavior no longer suits us, we are able to naturally and instinctively stop it. The client is assured that their mind is excellent at updating itself with new, better ways of doing things.

Now, nail picking is addressed head on. The client is asked to get a sense of how it will feel to treat their fingernails, described as a loyal and important part of their body, with the respect they deserve. They are led to imagine a "deep appreciation" imbuing their nails that grows with every exhalation.

The client's focus is shifted to recall how it felt when "some of that old tension" crept into their hands and the urge to pick their nails bubbled up. After sitting with this feeling, they are guided to drift outside of themselves and watch themselves deal with that tension by taking three deep, slow breaths. They are reminded they will always have the ability to do this.

As the client breathes, embedded commands guide their thoughts to become calmer, more supportive, and more encouraging. Repetitive language anchors this phrasing in their subconscious, and the client is instructed to feel the resulting sense of calm imbuing their hands and nails.

From this place of deep calm, it is suggested that the hands may experience a "heavy reluctance" to sabotage the nails, because they are a "loyal part of the team." The client is encouraged to feel this heavy, statue-like stillness in their hands, forearms, and fingers now, and any time the thought of damaging the nails might come to mind.

Again, the client is asked to feel "that old pressure" that previously led to nail picking, to concentrate on how they used to feel in the moments before the picking began. Now, they are led to drift outside of themselves and again watch themselves calm down and "come to their senses." Instead of picking, they stretch, breathe, and release their tension in a way that's "respectful to the body" and better eases their tension.

The client is brought forward into the future, where they dwell in the feeling of having had healthy nails for years. In this future, they have fully incorporated this positive change into their lives to the point that it's second nature. Their old habit feels far away, just like the childhood habits they've long since outgrown.

A fable is told in which a child outgrows their shoes and finds great relief in taking them off. As an adult, they barely remember the shoes at all, because they've been irrelevant for such a long time. It is directly acknowledged that this is how the unconscious mind works: it can "easily and naturally" make positive changes at every stage of life.

The client is now gently encouraged to discover that they are no longer a person who picks their nails. They have abandoned that behavior pattern "for good."

The client is led to imagine a day in their future, including specific details like conversations and lunchtime, with a "good feeling of calm self-respect" in their hands and fingers. Embedded commands remind them to "have a breather" and "rest and recharge" whenever they need.

After a long pause, the client is guided to recognise that their old behavioral pattern has been replaced by "the space and the calm" for their nails to be given respect and appreciation. Embedded commands instruct them to integrate this change at the very deepest level.

Add the Stop Nail Picking Hypnosis Script to your script library today.

Stop Nail Picking is also available as an MP3 download.