Skin Picking and EMDR Therapy: A New Way to Break the Cycle

Skin picking (also known as excoriation disorder) can feel like a secret battle. On the outside, it may seem like “just a habit,” but inside it can be distressing, compulsive, and hard to control. Many people describe feeling stuck in a cycle — picking to relieve anxiety or tension, then feeling guilt, shame, or frustration afterwards.

If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. Skin picking is far more common than most people realise, and there are evidence-based therapies that can help. One approach showing promise for compulsive behaviours like skin picking is Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy.

Why Skin Picking Happens

Skin picking is rarely “just” a behaviour. Often, it’s a way of regulating emotions:

• Distraction – focusing on the skin instead of overwhelming thoughts or feelings.

• Comfort – the repetitive action soothes the nervous system temporarily.

• Relief – picking relieves a buildup of inner tension.

The problem is, this relief is short-lived. Over time, the cycle can feel compulsive, distressing, and even damaging. Many clients say: “I know it’s bad for me, but I can’t stop.”

How EMDR Helps with Skin Picking

EMDR is best known for trauma, but it can also be adapted for compulsive and addictive behaviours. Instead of focusing only on “stopping” the picking, EMDR looks at the emotions, triggers, and beliefs driving the behaviour.

The aim is to:

• Reduce the intensity of urges

• Reprocess the underlying triggers or memories connected to the behaviour

• Install new, healthier coping mechanisms

EMDR Protocols for Skin Picking

1. DeTUR (Desensitisation of Triggers & Urge Reprocessing) Protocol

This EMDR protocol is specifically designed for addictions and compulsions.

• The client identifies the triggers, urges, and positive resources they’d like to build.

• Bilateral stimulation (eye movements, taps, or tones) is used to lower the intensity of the urge and strengthen positive states.

• Over time, the trigger loses its power and the urge decreases.

2. Standard EMDR Protocol (Targeting the Root)

Sometimes skin picking develops after a specific emotional experience (stress, bullying, trauma, shame, etc.). Targeting and reprocessing those memories can release the emotional “charge” that drives the behaviour.

3. Resource Development & Installation (RDI)

This builds alternative coping strategies. For example, clients might visualise a “Calm Part” or a “Compassionate Helper” inside them and practice calling on it instead of picking.

4. Urge Protocol

This is a lighter, in-the-moment EMDR technique. The client holds the urge in mind while doing bilateral stimulation to reduce its intensity before it leads to picking.

What Progress Looks Like

Many people using EMDR for skin picking report:

• Fewer and less intense urges

• More control in high-stress moments

• Less shame because they understand the behaviour as an old coping mechanism, not a “personal flaw”

• Healthier replacement behaviours (fidget tools, grounding, self-soothing techniques)

It’s not about “white-knuckling” to stop. It’s about healing the emotional drivers and installing healthier ways to cope.

A Gentle, Non-Judgmental Approach

If you’ve been struggling with skin picking, you deserve support without shame. This behaviour isn’t about weakness or lack of willpower — it’s your brain’s way of trying to cope with overwhelming emotions.

EMDR offers a structured yet gentle way to address the urges at their roots while building up your resilience. Instead of fighting the urges or blaming yourself, we work together to understand what’s driving them, reduce their intensity, and create healthier ways to manage stress and emotions.

Healing is possible — and you don’t have to go through it alone.