STOP TOUCHING YOUR FACE HYPNOSIS SESSION
With Sue Peckham

STOP TOUCHING YOUR FACE INTRODUCTION

No one knows for sure why we touch our faces as much as we do, some believe it may be a self-grooming behaviour left-over from our primitive ancestors.

What we do know though is that there are 3 main triggers to face touching. One is when we are concentrating on something intently. Another is when we feel anxious or stressed. The other is for practical reasons, such as when we have an itch, need to swat away an insect, or simply you need to adjust makeup or apply something to our lips.

According to research form the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology we touch are faces in the region of 23 times an hour. Of course, the vast majority of these face touches are unconscious. As it is an unconscious behaviour, we can of course use hypnosis to reprogram our minds to create new behaviours. Making ourselves aware of how often we touch our face with our conscious mind can allow us to redirect this behaviour. That's why hypnosis is such a valuable tool: it works directly with your subconscious to acknowledge your habit of touching your face and redirect it towards new, healthier habits. After all we have helped thousands of people around the world to stop nail with our Stop Nail Biting Hypnosis app. Indeed, the results success photos app users share on our Facebook support group are breath-taking, even after just a few weeks of using the app!

Avoiding touching your face is an important and highly effective way of reducing your exposure to potentially harmful pathogens. But unfortunately, it's not as simple as just deciding not to touch your face.

Of course, the problem with telling anyone to not do anything that is a habit is that generally it makes them do it more. The behaviour is purely psychological and is known as Reactance, which is a type of mechanism where our brain wants to ensure that we're free to do whatever it is that we want to do with our own lives.

But that's not all; humans are  notoriously curious creatures, so when you label something as the forbidden fruit and then say someone can't have it, you ultimately make them want it even though they might not have even wanted it to begin with.

For most of us, frequent face touching is a deeply ingrained habit that occurs without any conscious input, which makes it very difficult to change the behaviour through willpower alone.

So how can you break a habit you never even think about?

On a conscious level, you can reduce how often you touch your face by increasing your awareness of your hands. One way to do this is by using a scented moisturiser or wearing new jewellery - anything that makes you pause and take notice of your hands.

Of course, regular hand washing is also critically important. The more often you wash your hands, the fewer pathogens they will carry, and the lower the chances of infection when you do touch your face.

Of course, as we have established touching our faces may act as a kind of self-soothing mechanism. Research has shown that skin-to-skin contact results in the release of the hormone oxytocin, which can help to increase calm and reduce stress. Stress can play a large part in how much we touch our faces. whilst we can’t always make our environments free from stress and anxiety, we have full control over how we respond to them. Allowing ourselves to be calmer and more relaxed in stressful situations can have a huge impact on how often we have the compulsion to touch our face, as a self-calming, pacifying behaviour.

As you relax and listen repeatedly to your session, you'll notice that you naturally touch your face less often, and that you begin to feel calmer and more relaxed.

Naturally you  still need to touch your face sometimes – like when you’re washing, showering, or bathing or if you use contact lenses – but you can find that you naturally ensure that your hands are clean before you do so, which in turn will help you keep yourself healthy and well over the coming weeks, months, and years.

To find out more about Heath Anxiety click here.

Keep well!
Sue & James