Resource Review: "Skin Picking: The Freedom to Finally Stop"

Last year, I was interviewed by Annette Pasternak, a holistic health coach who is in recovery from dermatillomania. With her formal education including a doctorate in chemistry, her collective approach to combating her skin picking disorder has been an eye-opener for the community.

Annette has the research to back up much of what is in her book and has taken the time to have both Jennifer Raikes, TLC’s Executive Director, and Tammy Fletcher, a reputable treatment provider in the field of body-focused repetitive behaviors (BFRB’s) review “Skin Picking: The Freedom to Finally Stop”. For the sake of full disclosure, Annette mailed me a copy of the original transcript of this guide to look at and provide feedback for before it was released.

I must address my worries about the release of this guide; the title of it concerned me because I don’t quite endorse any title that sounds definitive in nature when regarding BFRB’s. It may be a marketing strategy to reach out to the community, to those desperately seeking a “quick fix” but it can disappoint vulnerable persons who do not understand the complexities of this disorder. A title such as “Reduce Your Skin Picking Urges” would not pack the punch that Pasternak’s working title does.

However, the content of this book is outstanding and I believe it may play an enormous factor of healing for many people with this disorder. I was impressed with the layout of Annette’s work as she delves into her own experiences with skin picking in high school to how it progressed in college.

If you don’t have access to adequate BFRB therapy in your area, I would highly recommend this book for your toolbox. Already, her book has made me question some of my lifestyle choices and how they affect my skin picking. When she delves into the diet aspect of our triggers, I paid close attention to how my body may be reacting to foods. I have learned that, for me, when I eat appropriate portions (dwindling my intake of sugar) my picking decreased which takes away from the torture of having to use as many tactics to rip myself away from the mirror once I’ve “gone there”.

The tone throughout the book is one of a gentle kindness, which mimics what Annette Pasternak is really about. The flow in which she explains the impact of focusing/ grounding techniques, negative thinking, EFT, habit log, etc. makes it hard to put the guide down. She breaks down facts, studies, experiences, the “whys”, and details techniques to consider. Again- I must stress that you cannot go into reading this or any other self-help guide with the expectation of it curing the affliction in question. It’s designed to curb your urges and if the result is one that leaves you with no urges then the point behind its publication has been fulfilled.

I wish I could go in-depth with this review but I don’t want to spoil everything Annette has done in her guide to bring awareness to a various number of possible issues, ones that aren’t already conventionally out there that we hear over and over again but don’t benefit from. I believe that we can all benefit from Annette’s insight based intrinsically on her own battles, success, chemist background and dealings as a holistic coach.

Connect with Annette via Website / Twitter / Facebook page