Kim (Trichotillomania)
Medical Transcription
Austin, TX
I've suffered from an obsessive need to pull my hair out for the last 45 years. Pulling my hair out had become so routine; I used it to soothe myself and calm myself down. It was my everything and it was my best friend, but it hurt everybody in my family to see me hurt and we were all tainted by this. I was so unhappy and crying because I pulled all the time. It affected my self-confidence and my relationships with men. I kept myself more distant because I didn't want anyone to find out about my problem. I always had spots, but I kept them covered. The whole thing kept me off balance and the last few years it's kept me from dancing, swimming, dating, and exercise. I was mad at myself for not being able to stop on my own and it made me feel less confident. I felt out of control when it got so bad that a lot of my hair was gone.
I had to start wearing a hairpiece and that's when I started to panic. My sister could even see the bald spots through my wig. In the past, I tried medication, journaling, and just telling myself to stop. They worked somewhat, but the sheer desire of wanting to pull my hair was so strong that I wasn't successful. I spoke with a therapist and I just got the feeling that they wanted to go back in the past and I'm not interested in that so that didn't work for me either. I made the decision that I wasn't going to spend the rest of my life without hair and started to do some research.
I heard about A New Day Hypnosis on Citysearch. I started feeling better after I met with Laura because I had someone to talk with about this. I noticed that I felt more enthusiastic about my ability to overcome it. I feel more focused and more normal now. I have a better mindset and feel more in control because I have a better handle on this. I've changed my diet and given up sweets, caffeine, and processed foods, things that have triggered my pulling. I've taken control of it and it's a good feeling. I don't have any bald spots and that makes me feel more confident. I feel cuter and just feel like I'm like everyone else walking around the grocery store. I want to say "Hey, look at me, I've got hair".
Things are happening for the better. I've started taking jazzercise classes and I'm going to take ballroom classes, which I was afraid of with the hairpiece because I thought it might fall off. I'm looking forward to dating again and I was terrified about that before. It helps me to know that someone really cares about it and really wants to hear about it. It's nice to be able to talk about my problem and Laura has given me good things to think about and different strategies to stop myself from pulling. She has also helped to bring me down to earth and feel more optimistic about my situation.
I would recommend A New Day Hypnosis to anyone who wants help with hair pulling because it has helped me. I'm going to stay vigilante with it and continue to deal with the urges. I have some new strategies that I can use. I'm not pulling all the time anymore and I've made great progress. I feel calm and just don't feel the urge as much. I feel clever that I've gotten my hair back and it's wonderful for me.