TREATING:
Compulsive Skin Picking Scratching & Hair Pulling
What is Compulsive Skin Picking Scratching & Hair Pulling?
Trichotillomania (or Trichotillosis) is a hair pulling disorder (impulse disorder) distinguished by the compulsive urge for a person to pull out their hair, directing noticeable hair loss, balding, emotional suffering, and then difficulty in social situations. Trichotillomania can also incorporate Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), nail biting (Onychophagia) and skin picking (Dermatillomania), and a variety of tic disorders.
Note: Anxiety, depression and obsessive–compulsive disorder are more frequently encountered in people with trichotillomania.
Symptoms Include:
Concealing what you are doing (pick, scratching or pull hair)
Avoidance of activities and relationships with others
Feeling great shame
Become isolated
Rarely talking to people about your problems
Researching the Internet (as your main source of support & information)
Deep feelings of guilt…
Probable Cause:
TRAUMA/emotional and/or physical abuse in childhood
Who are they?
Pickers, pullers and scratchers range from very emotionally troubled, to otherwise quite healthy and successful people.
Other issues to consider:
Physical troubles over time…deep scaring, frequent skin infections and a devastating sense of shame…are no deterrent for the obsession and compulsion to keep digging deeply at the skin, pull hair, scratching, etc.
Why pick-pull or scratch?
Did you know that many adult’s who now pick, scratch and/or pull their hair as children, teens where the victims of disparaging, perfectionistic parents (or primary care givers)?
As children and teens many pickers may have been ‘picked on’ or bullied a high percentage of the time by others both physically and emotionally (and/or verbally abused).
Understanding the Unconscious...
Being ‘picked on’ then becomes a metaphorical physical pattern that people devotedly continue by internalizing being picked on (from their past abusers) and then “picking on themselves”.
Deep seated unconscious fears and anger.
In many cases unconscious anger can be directed inward and the pickers (metaphorically speaking) skin then takes the ‘beating’ that they wished they could have delivered to others who emotionally or physically hurt them in the past.
Psychotherapy is the Adult Treatment Recommendation
The KEY: Feeling your deeper unconscious feelings…
Psychotherapy: A psychotherapy that helps a client get to know unpleasant feelings, then learning to not act upon them, and to learn not to circumvent situations where they are triggered to pick, scratching or pull hair.
Part of treatment must be (in a positive way) increasing the connection between mind and body. Connecting feeling to their true body sensations and away from clients conceptualizing their feelings. This is done as the client is guided to look deeply inwards during therapy. This inside focus leads to a better understanding (awareness) of the deeper ‘truth and reality’ of these unconscious issues at the core of this disorder for many.
The building of a clients complete identity and sense of ‘Self’. People who pick, scratching or pull hair need help to feel their feelings in their core instead of in their skin (or head).
Lastly, resolving Arrested Emotional Developmental Issues
More about AED here:
http://emotional-intelligence-training.weebly.com/arrested-psychological-development-you-maybe-younger-than-you-lookhellippsychologically-speakinghellip.html
Medications:
NOTE: Antidepressants have been very helpful for some a disappointment for others.
~~~~~~~~~
Trichotillomania (or Trichotillosis) is a hair pulling disorder (impulse disorder) distinguished by the compulsive urge for a person to pull out their hair, directing noticeable hair loss, balding, emotional suffering, and then difficulty in social situations. Trichotillomania can also incorporate Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), nail biting (Onychophagia) and skin picking (Dermatillomania), and a variety of tic disorders.
Note: Anxiety, depression and obsessive–compulsive disorder are more frequently encountered in people with trichotillomania.
Symptoms Include:
Concealing what you are doing (pick, scratching or pull hair)
Avoidance of activities and relationships with others
Feeling great shame
Become isolated
Rarely talking to people about your problems
Researching the Internet (as your main source of support & information)
Deep feelings of guilt…
Probable Cause:
TRAUMA/emotional and/or physical abuse in childhood
Who are they?
Pickers, pullers and scratchers range from very emotionally troubled, to otherwise quite healthy and successful people.
Other issues to consider:
Physical troubles over time…deep scaring, frequent skin infections and a devastating sense of shame…are no deterrent for the obsession and compulsion to keep digging deeply at the skin, pull hair, scratching, etc.
Why pick-pull or scratch?
Did you know that many adult’s who now pick, scratch and/or pull their hair as children, teens where the victims of disparaging, perfectionistic parents (or primary care givers)?
As children and teens many pickers may have been ‘picked on’ or bullied a high percentage of the time by others both physically and emotionally (and/or verbally abused).
Understanding the Unconscious...
Being ‘picked on’ then becomes a metaphorical physical pattern that people devotedly continue by internalizing being picked on (from their past abusers) and then “picking on themselves”.
Deep seated unconscious fears and anger.
In many cases unconscious anger can be directed inward and the pickers (metaphorically speaking) skin then takes the ‘beating’ that they wished they could have delivered to others who emotionally or physically hurt them in the past.
Psychotherapy is the Adult Treatment Recommendation
The KEY: Feeling your deeper unconscious feelings…
Psychotherapy: A psychotherapy that helps a client get to know unpleasant feelings, then learning to not act upon them, and to learn not to circumvent situations where they are triggered to pick, scratching or pull hair.
Part of treatment must be (in a positive way) increasing the connection between mind and body. Connecting feeling to their true body sensations and away from clients conceptualizing their feelings. This is done as the client is guided to look deeply inwards during therapy. This inside focus leads to a better understanding (awareness) of the deeper ‘truth and reality’ of these unconscious issues at the core of this disorder for many.
The building of a clients complete identity and sense of ‘Self’. People who pick, scratching or pull hair need help to feel their feelings in their core instead of in their skin (or head).
Lastly, resolving Arrested Emotional Developmental Issues
More about AED here:
http://emotional-intelligence-training.weebly.com/arrested-psychological-development-you-maybe-younger-than-you-lookhellippsychologically-speakinghellip.html
Medications:
NOTE: Antidepressants have been very helpful for some a disappointment for others.
~~~~~~~~~
The way to let go of compulsive behaviors is to engage in an in-depth process of emotional healing and self-nurturing.
LEARN WHAT WORKS to remove Trichotillomania symptoms
LONG TERM by clicking this link…
The Treatment I recommend:
http://theliberatormethod.com/Welcome.html
LEARN WHAT WORKS to remove Trichotillomania symptoms
LONG TERM by clicking this link…
The Treatment I recommend:
http://theliberatormethod.com/Welcome.html