Carrie Rattle Treats $100 Million Clients for Compulsive Shopping With 4-Step Program
Updated
Updated · The Cut · Jun 18
Carrie Rattle Treats $100 Million Clients for Compulsive Shopping With 4-Step Program
1 articles · Updated · The Cut · Jun 18
Summary
More than half of Carrie Rattle’s compulsive-shopping clients carry no debt, she said, and some are worth over $100 million but still feel unable to stop buying.
One client racked up $4 million of car debt, while others cycle through watches, handbags and sneakers, using shopping to soothe anxiety, perfectionism, loneliness or ADHD-linked impulsivity.
Rattle’s four-step treatment starts by inserting a pause between urge and purchase, then identifying triggers, tracking spending, and changing habits and environments such as brand emails, social media and phone use.
Five to six months is a typical treatment span, though some clients stay a year, often needing to cut ties with personal shoppers and replace buying with healthier sources of belonging like volunteering or classes.