A PROVEN TREATMENT TO STOP TRICHOTILLOMANIA IS HYPNOSIS (AND EFT)
Recently, a young woman came to me for help.
She was ashamed and embarrassed because she couldn’t stop pulling her hair.
Trichotillomania overwhelmed every aspect of her life.
She was afraid to go swimming in case someone noticed her bald spot. Walking into the locker room made her uncomfortable. She hated having to wear her hair in one style to hide her bald spots. She felt out of control and frustrated.
She tried wearing gloves at night. She tried a stress ball. Nothing seemed to stop her from pulling.
Now that her hair has grown back, she feels in control. She enjoys swimming a few days a week. More importantly, she tells me that her anxiety levels dropped and she feels better about herself.
STOP THE SHAME OF HAIR PULLING
Since I was about 10, I have dealt with hair pulling, or trichotillomania. I was in no way the worst case, but I lived in a constant fear that someone would see a bald spot and start asking questions.
I have tried prescriptions, behavior modification and therapy over the years and nothing ever worked. On a whim, I decided to try Hypnosis. I was absolutely amazed. I can now stop myself before I even start, and the majority of the time the thought no longer even enters my head.
I would recommend Hypnosis to anyone seeking a positive change in their lives. It was truly a great decision to go to Wendy.” – Jennifer R., age 28, Chester Springs, PA
WILLPOWER DOESN’T WORK
There’s more than one way to get in control of trichotillomania. Most people are unsuccessful with the “willpower treatment”. And using a stress ball or a fidgeter rarely works to stop hair pulling.
Willpower requires that you be fully aware of what your hands are doing every moment of every day. Some people even try sitting on their hands to prevent hair pulling.
You’ve probably found out that using willpower to stop trichotillomania doesn’t work for long.
Therapy is another treatment for trichotillomania and has been used for decades. Therapy often includes willpower and can be partially effective, however, it can take years to overcome the pulling habit.
Unfortunately, therapy doesn’t address the subconscious habit – the pulling that you notice only after you’ve already pulled.
TRICHOTILLOMANIA IS A SUBCONSCIOUS HABIT
Sometimes pulling is triggered by stress. You might notice a feeling of tension, anxiety, or boredom right before you pull.
Some people notice their fingers were already searching for those hairs that just feel a bit different – and needed to be pulled.
For some, it’s automatic, and for others it’s intentional. Most people experience both. Your subconscious mind has been programmed to pull. The more you pull, the more the habit became ingrained.
You might think of trich like other habits, smoking, nail-biting, even emotional eating. What these habits have in common is they get worse with stress.
But, unlike the habits above, pulling your hair creates an extreme sense of shame, disappointment, frustration, embarrassment, and even anger. That is the reason it’s so hard to stop by using willpower.
Read these research case studies which prove the effectiveness of hypnosis to successfully treat trichotillomania. Scroll down to “Case Reports”
The way to take control is through your subconscious mind. You’ll learn how your inner mind works during your very first session. Learning lays the groundwork for you to understand and effectively take control.
GET THE CONTROL YOU NEED TO STOP HAIR PULLING AND:
- Create a new unobtrusive habit to replace hair pulling
- Learn new ways to respond to stress
- Use self-hypnosis to break the subconscious pattern and habit of pulling
- Learn to change thoughts and repattern your mind
Learning self-hypnosis, subconscious repatterning, and EFT Tapping for the treatment of trichotillomania are proven, effective ways to stop the habit of pulling hair. Hypnotherapy and EFT Tapping addresses the underlying issues and helps you to easily substitute a healthier habit.
IN ADDITION, YOU WILL:
- Practice ways to calm your central nervous system in response to stress triggers
- Learn deep breathing techniques to increase your relaxation and focus
- Experience strategies to help you deal with life’s daily challenges
I’d been dealing with trich for the last 8 years. I’ve tried every treatment known to man. I was desperate and ready to give up. So I called Wendy. She was so gentle and really understood my pain. Through her different strategies, we dealt with a lot of deep wounds that I thought I had dealt with. It was so freeing and healing. I’ve enjoyed my journey with Wendy. I would highly recommend her to anyone dealing with trich or any other emotional issue. I’m forever grateful! – Faith M., San Francisco, California
HOW DOES HAIR PULLING START?
Often trichotillomania starts at an early age – generally between 8-14 years old. Though I’ve had clients as young as 7 who pull their hair and as old as 55 who have been stuck with the habit of pulling their hair.
The onset of trich is not always clear. One theory for trichotillomania states that a stressful or traumatic event, such as moving or the loss of a loved one, or a family conflict precedes the onset of hair pulling and then hair pulling begins, in an attempt to relieve tension caused by a stressful event.
This behavior eventually becomes habitual. In a way, it’s the same way that biting nails becomes habitual – frequently triggered by a subconscious feeling.
Trichotillomania may even begin in response to what a child may perceive as excessive demands from an authoritarian or an overbearing parent, worries about social life, even concerns about school.
Most people don’t know what triggers trich, but often it gets worse year after year. Because it’s a habit that generates so much shame, it feels almost impossible to overcome.
I’m here to tell you that yes, you CAN overcome hair pulling. I’ve experienced success with dozens of women.
MARY’S STORY
Mary was a lovely 36-year-old woman who had been pulling her eyelashes out since she was about 6 years old. She had given up all hope of ever seeing her lashes grow and wearing mascara. A friend had read that trichotillomania can be overcome easily with hypnosis, so Mary made an appointment.
During her first three sessions, we worked together on her hair pulling habit. Using hypnosis and EFT (the Emotional Freedom Technique), she created a new habit to replace her old one. After each session, she noticed that she was pulling less and less.
By the tenth session, Mary hadn’t pulled her hair for a month.
She was amazed that her trichotillomania was finally in control.
A year later she sent me a photo and a note. She was smiling and happy. Her beautiful eyelashes had grown in and she had replaced her glasses with contacts. Her note read “Trichotillomania – gone!”
I was surprised that hypnosis could help to cure my trichotillomania. Before I went to see Wendy I didn’t think I could ever overcome my trichotillomania and I almost gave up. After the first session I found myself actually wanting to practice my new skills and felt confident in myself. I’m very happy that I can finally control myself and have overcome my disease. What I learned was that being patient and staying strong really makes you feel better about yourself. – Rachel Alwyne, age 20, Philadelphia, PA
TRICHOTILLOMANIA IS NOW A DISORDER
By now, you’ve probably read more information than you care about trichotillomania.
You already know the statistics. That up to 3 1/2% of women have trich. The men who report hair pulling are about 1 1/2%.
Decades ago hair pulling was a habit. Now trichotillomania is a Body-Focused Repetitive Behavior.
Trichotillomania is currently classified under “Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders” in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition.
The DSM-5 diagnostic criteria include:
- Recurrent hair pulling, resulting in hair loss
- Repeated attempts to decrease or stop the behavior
- Clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other areas of functioning
- Not due to substance abuse or a medical condition (e.g., dermatological condition)
Hair pulling now has a label that is helpful in many ways. A label allows you to get the help you need and your insurance company may cover your costs. A label also helps researchers.
While a label may be helpful, labels also have long-term negative consequences.
Labels usually revolve around deviance. This process of labeling can have an effect on a person’s social identity that they will carry with them for a lifetime.
Being labeled with a mental disorder means there is something seriously wrong with you.
Imagine a person who picks her nose. Or she smokes. Or swears incessantly. These are all bad habits. Some are unhealthy. Some embarrassing. You know others have stopped their bad habits. Of course, you can stop an unwanted habit too.
But a label makes hair pulling feel even more serious and much, much more difficult to overcome. The more you think of this, the worse you feel.
Like you, so many women pull their hair, eyebrows, lashes (and more). And they can’t seem to stop. No matter what they do.
Nothing seems to work. Stress balls? Forget it. Gloves? Too easy to take off. Hats? Not even possible in the summer.
The urge to pull overpowers almost everything you do. Part of you does it and you know you are doing it. And sometimes you realize you’ve pulled only after you’ve pulled hairs.
It’s as if you were in a sort of a trance.
Most start when they are young. How old were you when you began?
THE VICIOUS CYCLE
Stress makes it worse. Boredom causes pulling. The thought of how bad you feel makes you pull. And every time others look at or mention your hair, eyebrows, or your lashes, you pull even more.
Therapy doesn’t help.
Medication doesn’t make a difference. The keen bracelet only works occasionally.
The more you pull, the worse you feel. And the worse you feel, the more you pull. You know if you could just stop pulling, you’d feel so much better about yourself.
You’d stop being so anxious. You’ll be proud of yourself. But nothing you do ever works. That makes you feel bad. Feeling bad translates into pulling.
It’s a vicious cycle.
YOU MAY NOT KNOW THIS YET: THERE IS A WAY TO BE IN CONTROL.
CAN I PERMANENTLY CONTROL TRICHOTILLOMANIA?
Yes. Other girls and women have and you can too.
Getting help with hypnotherapy and EFT Tapping is the easiest way to overcome your trichotillomania.
I am SO excited that my hair is growing. It feels incredible especially after struggling for over 15 years! I’ve tried so many other techniques that I almost gave up. I love your approach. It has permanently changed my mindset and I am so grateful. Thank you!” Shannon Thompson, CA
As a Certified Hypnotist, I help you work directly with the part of your mind that keeps repeating your old habit of pulling your hair. As a result, you create a new and healthy habit that will replace your hair pulling – permanently.
Is hypnosis a magic pill? Of course not (though sometimes it feels as if it is).
Zoom Sessions Are Just as Effective as In-office Sessions.
Zoom is a simple solution right now. Women from as far as Australia, Chicago, California, and Chile, have overcome trich over zoom calls.
While you are in the process of getting over the habit of hair pulling or trichotillomania, you also learn a technique called Tapping (also known as EFT Tapping, the Emotional Freedom Technique). One major benefit of learning EFT is that you can use this to help you in other aspects of your life – to feel better, more confident, and reduce stress.
I have had an excellent week this week. It has now been ten days since I last touched which I am very proud of! I have had stressful tests, movies, boring classes and annoying friends but haven’t slipped once. I have put into place my tapping everyday as well!”
HOW MANY SESSIONS ARE NEEDED?
Generally, treatment for trichotillomania takes about ten to twelve sessions. It takes time to learn and integrate new habits and tools into your life.
Each day you do your mental and physical practice and each week we work together to help you change so that you no longer pull. When trichotillomania is no longer an issue and you are in control you can use all that energy to do things that feel good and are helpful in your life 🙂
An important part of your program is to find new ways to handle stressors in your life and help you feel better about yourself.
MY ISSUE IS A BIT DIFFERENT. CAN HYPNOSIS HELP?
It’s not unusual to have a different version of trichotillomania. Rather than pulling hair, some people have a habit of pulling their split ends apart. Pulling eyebrows, eyelashes, pulling and cutting hair, can also be helped with hypnosis.
WANT TO LEARN MORE?
I invite you to schedule a free call with me to learn how the Trichotillomania Control Solution can change your life.
Loading 