Education
Habit reversal training, explained simply
Habit reversal training, or HRT, is a structured behavioral approach developed by psychologists Nathan Azrin and Gregory Nunn in the 1970s. It is one of the most studied approaches for BFRBs like hair pulling, nail biting, and skin picking, and it is usually practiced with a therapist.
Try Hands DownThe three parts of HRT
- Awareness training. Learning to notice the behavior and the situations, urges, and early movements that lead into it. Most BFRBs run on autopilot, so this step comes first and carries the others.
- Competing response. Practicing a physical action that makes the habit impossible for a moment, like making a loose fist or pressing your palms to your legs, held until the urge passes.
- Social support. A person, or a system, that encourages practice and helps you notice when the behavior starts.
Where an awareness tool fits
The hardest part of awareness training is that the behavior begins before you are aware of it. Hands Down closes that gap: it watches your webcam on your own device and sounds an alarm the moment a hand enters a watch zone, so every reach becomes a noticed reach. The trend charts then show you when and how often the habit shows up, which makes urges easier to predict.
Hands Down supports the awareness step. It does not replace working with a therapist, and pairing the two is a natural fit.
Your video never leaves your device
Detection runs entirely in your browser with bundled on-device models. No video is recorded, saved, or sent anywhere. Only a small log of when a nudge happened and how long it lasted is stored, so your trends can exist. Open your browser's developer tools and watch the network tab while you monitor: there are no outbound requests.
The core is free. The extras cost $17.99, once.
| Free | One-time unlock | |
|---|---|---|
| Live detection and alarms | Yes | Yes |
| All four watch zones | Yes | Yes |
| Driving mode | Yes | Yes |
| Today's count and trend charts | Yes | Yes |
| False-alarm reclassify | Yes | Yes |
| Cross-device sync and backup | Yes | |
| Journey progress timeline | Yes | |
| Day notes | Yes | |
| CSV and JSON exports | Yes |
The unlock is $17.99, once. No subscription, no ads.
Sources
- Azrin, N. H., & Nunn, R. G. (1973). Habit-reversal: A method of eliminating nervous habits and tics. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 11(4), 619-628. PubMed
- Bate, K. S., Malouff, J. M., Thorsteinsson, E. T., & Bhullar, N. (2011). The efficacy of habit reversal therapy for tics, habit disorders, and stuttering: A meta-analytic review. Clinical Psychology Review, 31(5), 865-871. PubMed
- The TLC Foundation for Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors. bfrb.org
Questions
Do I need a therapist to try HRT ideas?
HRT is usually practiced with a therapist, and that is the best-supported way to do it. The general ideas, especially awareness practice, are something many people begin exploring on their own.
Is Hands Down a form of HRT?
No. Hands Down is an awareness tool that supports the awareness-training component: it makes each unnoticed reach a noticed one and shows your patterns over time.
Does my video get uploaded anywhere?
No. The camera is read frame by frame in memory and thrown away. The detection models are bundled with the page and run locally. Nothing visual ever leaves your device, and your account only backs up nudge counts, settings, and notes you write.
What should I do when the alarm sounds?
Pause, lower your hand, and if you practice a competing response, use it. Over time the alarm turns automatic reaches into decisions, and the trend charts show your progress.
What does it cost?
The core tool is free: detection, alarms, all four watch zones, and trend charts. A one-time $17.99 unlock adds cross-device sync, the Journey timeline, day notes, and exports. There is no subscription.