Psychologists Off the Clock

Psychologists Off the Clock


339. Picking, Pulling and Biting: Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors with Marla Deibler and Renae Reinardy

January 24, 2024

Research shows that somewhere between 2 and 6% of the population struggles with BFRBs at a clinical level, which can include behaviors like hair-pulling, skin-picking, and nail-biting (among others). What differentiates BFRBs from other self-grooming behaviors, though, is the unintentional harm they cause to the body and the lack of successful efforts to stop them. To gain a better understanding of these difficult-to-control behaviors that can have detrimental effects on mental and emotional well-being, Michael interviewed clinical psychologists Marla Deibler and Renae Reinardy. If you're looking to recover from body-focused repetitive behavior, Marla and Renae, who coauthored The BFRB Recovery Workbook, are here to provide up-to-date behavioral science and evidence-based tools specifically tailored to meet your individual needs and help you transform your life for the better!

Listen and Learn: 
  • What are body-focused repetitive behaviors (BFRBs)? 
  • The stigma and dismissive attitude surrounding BFRBs
  • How prevalent are BFRBs?  
  • WTF: What is the function of BFRBs?
  • The importance of viewing change as a process rather than a final outcome 
  • Techniques for experiencing shame, emotional avoidance, and response prevention
  • How to deal with inevitable setbacks
Resources: 

Order your copy of The BFRB Recovery Workbook: https://a.co/d/5pFMEGM

Marla’s Links:


Renae’s Links:


Related Episodes: 

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