I have body focused repetitive behaviours, which are within the broad remit of obsessive compulsive disorder but with their own pathologies, and for me also relate to my history of clinical depression and anxiety. They can involve picking and pulling of skin and hair on the body, and for some, can cause other serious physical health issues.
As an approach to redirect my attention away from picking or pulling, I started to make intricate pen and ink drawings that explore the process of picking, pulling and scratching through detailed pen and ink drawings of natural materials that have gone through their own process of excoriation, like a twig stripped of its bark, or bones stripped of their flesh. The intense focus required to make such drawings supports my own BFRB recovery, while the subject matter acts as an expression of the experience of having a BFRB. I am now trialing their application on clothing as a way to re-embody the process, to reclaim parts of myself I may have lost.
Below is a video explaining some of my work, the presentation I made at the Arts and Health peer group in London in May 2026, showcasing my work and asking for support in where to take it next, and some static images.
Jane Robb BFRB presentation.pdf
See also Scribbles on Healing and BFRB posters.