You know when you're pulling, right?
You lean into the mirror to get that "perfect" hair. You feel your hair in your hands. You chastise yourself as you do it. You know you're doing it, the problem is you can't stop.
I'm going to challenge you on that belief.
You might've read the official diagnosis for Trichotillomania. You know it's a self-soothing behavior. You know it gives you fleeting relief.
But do you know the science behind it?
Trichotillomania is the work of the automatic brain.
Your nervous system has two states.
When you are in fight or flight, your body will do whatever it has to do to calm itself down. For people with Trichotillomania? That means reaching for your hair as a de-stressor. Your body is dependent on the self-soothing skill of pulling out your hair.
This is the work of the sympathetic nervous system. This is the work of your subconscious mind. So even when you are leaning into the mirror, you aren't fully aware. You're trapped in the trance activated by your nervous system to try to calm itself down.
You aren't the one calling the shots when the trance kicks in.
This explanation doesn't go into all of the subconscious pulling that you might do while you watch TV, read, drive, etc. It's very common for people to experience both these forms of "focused" and "automatic" pulling.
That's why the Keen2 smart bracelet is so helpful when it comes to managing a behavior. The vibration brings your awareness to your hands - letting you know it's time to work on activating your parasympathetic nervous system, and turn on that rest & digest.
