I wish I had more time to update this blog. Some of the comments I get here are really amazing, and they make me so glad that I started this blog back in 2008. I seem to get more and more visitors all the time and if it can help people know they’re not alone then it’s all worth it.
On the subject of keeping busy, I’ve found business can have two completely opposite effects on my hair pulling. Sometimes it’s a ‘good’ kind of busy and it stops me pulling almost completely. It’s the kind of busy that I just don’t have time to stop, no time to pull.
But if being busy means I’m stressed, then I’m going to pull more. Sometimes I will pull and it will completely distract me from the things I need to get done, making it worse because I feel guilty that I’m not getting things done.
In a weird way, both kinds of busy aren’t healthy. The first would basically mean I had to never stop to avoid pulling. That obviously wouldn’t be good for me. And the second is obviously no good.
So the question is, how do I not pull when I’m completely relaxed? So far the only times that seems to happen to me is when I go away on holiday.
Hi Penny, I’ve just had a quick read of your blogs and felt I had to write to offer ‘hope’.
I’m hardly a spring chicken anymore and have pulled my hair out since I was a little child. There were times when I managed to create a huge big, bald, ugly patch! Then I got ‘clever’ and made a conscious effort not to ‘work’ the same patch. Sometimes it worked. Sometimes it didn’t.
My parents/grandparents/teachers were all equally horrified by what I was doing to my glorious hair and honestly didn’t understand why their moaning/nagging/berating made me feel worse about myself which meant I then pulled out even more hair.
Today, I am able to look back at what triggered the first instance of hair-pulling. I am also able to recognise what it is that ‘triggers’ the desire to this day. I’ve learnt a lot about myself on this journey.
What I can tell you is this. For me: Hypnosis worked ‘sort of’ for a period of time. I had a good hynotist who managed to ‘implant’ a suggestion that I would run my hands through my hair instead of pulling it out when I became anxious. It worked for quite a while, but I had to fight the impulse to run my hands through my hair when i.e. a manager was giving me a mountain of work with a short deadline.
Medication has never been an option. I will not take any. I need to be alert and ‘high-functioning’ for my work.
Thought Field Therapy helped me to stop pulling out my hair once and for all. I went on a weekend course, learnt the techniques and practice them every day. The best thing about TFT was that I didn’t have to ‘dig’ for reasons. I simply do the exercises for ‘urge reduction’ and they work. Big time.
I am under no illusion. I accept that I am the equal of a ‘recovering alcoholic’. My problem is serious and I know that it could well begin again if I don’t keep on doing the exercises. There have been days when I have teetered on the brink. I recognise this. That said and done it’s been wonderful not to have those days when I’d ‘lose an entire day’ to hair pulling. I used to stand in front of the mirror, in an absolute trance for hours on end. When I was finished, my hair would lies in piles on the floor. I was also absolutely mortified and totally miserable about the days activity, but I was powerless to stop it.
At least now, I am able to feel like I am back in control. The irony of all the years of hair pulling was that I’ve always been incredibly vain about my hair. This blessed ‘infliction’ made me miserable beyond belief and all the cries of ‘leave your hair alone’ only made me feel more like doing it.
Give TFT a try. It won’t hurt. It might just help.
Abi – Sorry I’ve taken so long to reply but what you’ve said here is so simple. I have never heard of this before so I will have to put it on my list to look into it! Thank you!
Abi –
One area that you may want to also looking into is neurotransmitter imbalances, which can lead to the urge to pull. Neurotransmitters are basically chemical messengers in the body that tell it what to do. There are two main types of these chemical messengers – inhibitory and excitatory.
As you would expect, the inhibitory neurotransmitters slow down the flow of information in the brain, and the excitatory neurotransmitters increase it. If there are imbalances between the two, it can result in an intense urge to do compulsive things, like pulling hair out.
To help you stop pulling hair out, one approach is to help reestablish proper levels of these chemical messengers and correct your nutritional imbalances.
Traditional medicine, or allopathic medicine, does work extensively in this area. Unfortunately, the medications used to treat trichotillomania mask or shuffle the neurotransmitters around, so that the body is tricked into believing it is receiving the correct levels.
Over time, the tradtional approach will become ineffective, and people lose the ability to stop pulling hair out. Tricked by the medication into believing it has enough of its valued chemical messengers, the body sends out enzymes to destroy the ones present in the synapses.
As a result, the body eventually depletes itself of neurotransmitters, and the current medication level becomes ineffective. At this point, the medication dose is either increased or additional medications are recommended.
Inadequate levels are also at the heart of why many people do not respond well to the medical treatments currently available. That’s what happened to you. Medications don’t work if there are insufficient chemical messengers to work on. Yet this occurs, time and time again, and the dosage levels are increased, time and time again.
The result is a cyclical approach that helps no one in the end.
Like Penny, I’d really be interested in learning more about TFT. Do you have any websites that you recommend.
Thanks, and good luck,
Greg
.-= Greg´s last blog ..How we helped CP stop pulling hair out =-.
Greg – Wow thank you for that explanation. I do not know much about that side of it at all. I hope one day I’m less busy so I have more time to read up on these things, but your comment helped me gain more of an understanding.
Hi Penny -
I’m glad you found the explanation helpful. We hear that a lot from people.
I really applaud you on this blog. 5,000 visitors in July – that’s incredible!
Because you found the information useful, and because your mission is to raise awareness and help those suffering from trich, I was wondering if I could submit a guest post?
We have been getting dramatic results and have really helped people to stop pulling hair out. Would you be interested?
Greg
.-= Greg´s last blog ..Trichotillomania relief for Lacey and hope for her son =-.
Hi Penny ,
I am also known for pulling my hair out. I pull my hair out on the sides, I pull it out until my arms become tired or when theirs just not enough hair in the spot I want. So penny what would be the best way for me to stop?