Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Revised Proposal
In order to relate with the members of my group, my revised proposal discussed my interpretation of the academic approach. I discussed how I’ll be using my own personal experiences as way to further understand my topic, and by developing my thoughts over the course of the semester I hope to have a firm understanding on the relationship between Trich and addiction. When I first started searching for a topic I settled on the idea of Trich very quickly. I knew it was something I wanted to learn more about, for myself, as well as for others. After I started to develop my research project, and learn more about my topic, I decided to look into the link between Trich and substance abuse. In other words, how Trich is a form of addiction rather than a simple compulsive disorder.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
The 9 Minute Trichotillomania Cure!!!
THE CURE!!!
For my second blog post I wanted to write about this website I found claiming to have the “nine minute cure to Trichotillomania.” That being said, I would like to start off by saying before I even read it I doubted this lonely blog post had the cure-all concerning Trich, and after reading it over I was most definitely right. With that in mind I didn’t really choose this source for it’s “cure,” but rather it’s explanation of the disease. As I was scrolling down the page I came across a heading that said “Common trichotillomania symptoms include…” and here’s the list that followed:
1) Obsessive hair pulling that results in serious hair loss…
2) A sharp increase in tension right before you begin pulling your hair out.
3) An immediate sense of pleasure when pulling hair out.
4) Extreme distress in your social life, job, and every area of your life is affected by this condition.
Coincidentally I found a similar list of symptoms concerning heroin use…
1) Obsessive heroin use results in hair loss…
2) A sharp increase in tension right before heroin is injected.
3) An immediate sense of pleasure when heroin is injected.
4) Extreme distress in your social life, job, and every area of your life is affected by this condition.
Truth be told, the list of symptoms regarding heroin use is something I came up with, and while it may seem a bit funny, or out of place, the reality is everything I said is completely true. As I continued reading the article I found an interesting quote, “This is the dangerous cycle of trichotillomania, it actually becomes addicting to pull your hair out.” Well go figure!!!
As I was explaining in my previous post, recovery from chemical dependency may be perceived as a harder task than treating Trich, but is it really? When an outside chemical is introduced to the brain, especially a chemical it enjoys, a “path” or connection is made, usually one that leads to use in the future as a means of coping. When recovering addicts remove the chemical as the normal course of action when dealing with stress the brain craves it, it needs more and more. This is the reason for so many cases of failure with recovery, commonly referred to as a “relapse.” When connections are made in the brain chemically as a means of dealing with stress, which could be referred to as the “easy way out,” it becomes tremendously hard to reverse.
Incidentally, pulling hair also creates a chemical response in the brain, one that if abused could potentially lead to a full-blown Trich disorder…and guess what? HARD TO REVERSE! Since I want to be scientifically correct with what I’m trying to explain here I started searching for the “feel good” chemical pathway in the brain…I knew there was one, but I forgot the details….it’s been awhile since I learned the material, when I came across this, a “hair pulling scalp massage!”
Apparently “pulling hair” can be so enjoyable people will even pay for it, or in some cases demand it during sex! Now obviously in 99% of these cases the hair isn’t actually removed, but for individuals with Trich that do…can’t you imagine the RUSH!?!? So what is a “hair pulling massage?” According to the massage website, “A Gentle but firm pressure is used to glide from your scalp to the ends of each small section of hair. The resulting pressure at and beneath your scalp is both pleasurable and beneficial. Hair pulling scalp massage causes a release of tension in the micro muscles surrounding each hair follicle, restoring pliability to your scalp, and causing the relaxation response in your entire body.” …key words here being, “relaxation response in your entire body.” The page continued, “…The relaxation response lowers your heart rate and blood pressure, slows respiration, neutralizes stress chemicals, and counteracts the “fight or flight” response.”
“The hair pulling scalp massage releases endorphins, your body’s own natural pain killers, it is effective for: headaches (including migraines and sinus), whiplash, neck and shoulder tension, TMJ dysfunction syndrome, neurological trauma, nerve injury, body aches and stiffness, mental tension, and emotional upset. Taking into consideration that Trich is a destructive process unlike the scalp massage; there are still many similarities in effect.
That being said, Trich is similar to chemical dependency in that they both potentially involve chemical interaction with the brain. If an individual begins pulling their hair out as a means of coping, releasing the endorphins, he or she might have a hard time refraining from this course of action when confronted with stressful situations in the future. So for anyone out there with Trich that feels hopeless over something that might not be viewed as a “major issue” by the eyes of society, I say to you, find it as problem, find help, you’re addicted…Shit, I’m addicted.
“Hair Pulling Scalp Massage” Information.
Other interesting information from the “cure” article:
What Are Secondary Symptoms Of Trichotillomania?
Other common symptoms of trichotillomania include skin picking, nail biting, high levels of anxiety, panic attacks, obsessive thoughts.
Most trichotillomania suffers have embarrassment, frustration, shame, and depression about the condition...plus was worst is most people never want to share this condition with anyone, which makes it very difficult to get others to help you.
Denial of the condition is very common.
A bowel infection will be caused if the hair that is pulled is eaten on a consistent basis.
Why Do You Pull Out Your Hair?
Trichotillomania sufferers have developed what psychologists call "secondary gain." You unconsciously have a secondary gain for pulling out your hair. Some female sufferers even do it to sabotage their success with men because they do not like being hit on by the opposite sex.
What you must realize is that absolutely everything you do is out of a need to gain pleasure and avoid pain.
You're brain is wired to do this, it is your basic survival instincts to move towards pleasure and move away from pain.
Your brain always has a positive intent...even if it is pulling out your hair.
For my second blog post I wanted to write about this website I found claiming to have the “nine minute cure to Trichotillomania.” That being said, I would like to start off by saying before I even read it I doubted this lonely blog post had the cure-all concerning Trich, and after reading it over I was most definitely right. With that in mind I didn’t really choose this source for it’s “cure,” but rather it’s explanation of the disease. As I was scrolling down the page I came across a heading that said “Common trichotillomania symptoms include…” and here’s the list that followed:
1) Obsessive hair pulling that results in serious hair loss…
2) A sharp increase in tension right before you begin pulling your hair out.
3) An immediate sense of pleasure when pulling hair out.
4) Extreme distress in your social life, job, and every area of your life is affected by this condition.
Coincidentally I found a similar list of symptoms concerning heroin use…
1) Obsessive heroin use results in hair loss…
2) A sharp increase in tension right before heroin is injected.
3) An immediate sense of pleasure when heroin is injected.
4) Extreme distress in your social life, job, and every area of your life is affected by this condition.
Truth be told, the list of symptoms regarding heroin use is something I came up with, and while it may seem a bit funny, or out of place, the reality is everything I said is completely true. As I continued reading the article I found an interesting quote, “This is the dangerous cycle of trichotillomania, it actually becomes addicting to pull your hair out.” Well go figure!!!
As I was explaining in my previous post, recovery from chemical dependency may be perceived as a harder task than treating Trich, but is it really? When an outside chemical is introduced to the brain, especially a chemical it enjoys, a “path” or connection is made, usually one that leads to use in the future as a means of coping. When recovering addicts remove the chemical as the normal course of action when dealing with stress the brain craves it, it needs more and more. This is the reason for so many cases of failure with recovery, commonly referred to as a “relapse.” When connections are made in the brain chemically as a means of dealing with stress, which could be referred to as the “easy way out,” it becomes tremendously hard to reverse.
Incidentally, pulling hair also creates a chemical response in the brain, one that if abused could potentially lead to a full-blown Trich disorder…and guess what? HARD TO REVERSE! Since I want to be scientifically correct with what I’m trying to explain here I started searching for the “feel good” chemical pathway in the brain…I knew there was one, but I forgot the details….it’s been awhile since I learned the material, when I came across this, a “hair pulling scalp massage!”
Apparently “pulling hair” can be so enjoyable people will even pay for it, or in some cases demand it during sex! Now obviously in 99% of these cases the hair isn’t actually removed, but for individuals with Trich that do…can’t you imagine the RUSH!?!? So what is a “hair pulling massage?” According to the massage website, “A Gentle but firm pressure is used to glide from your scalp to the ends of each small section of hair. The resulting pressure at and beneath your scalp is both pleasurable and beneficial. Hair pulling scalp massage causes a release of tension in the micro muscles surrounding each hair follicle, restoring pliability to your scalp, and causing the relaxation response in your entire body.” …key words here being, “relaxation response in your entire body.” The page continued, “…The relaxation response lowers your heart rate and blood pressure, slows respiration, neutralizes stress chemicals, and counteracts the “fight or flight” response.”
“The hair pulling scalp massage releases endorphins, your body’s own natural pain killers, it is effective for: headaches (including migraines and sinus), whiplash, neck and shoulder tension, TMJ dysfunction syndrome, neurological trauma, nerve injury, body aches and stiffness, mental tension, and emotional upset. Taking into consideration that Trich is a destructive process unlike the scalp massage; there are still many similarities in effect.
That being said, Trich is similar to chemical dependency in that they both potentially involve chemical interaction with the brain. If an individual begins pulling their hair out as a means of coping, releasing the endorphins, he or she might have a hard time refraining from this course of action when confronted with stressful situations in the future. So for anyone out there with Trich that feels hopeless over something that might not be viewed as a “major issue” by the eyes of society, I say to you, find it as problem, find help, you’re addicted…Shit, I’m addicted.
“Hair Pulling Scalp Massage” Information.
Other interesting information from the “cure” article:
What Are Secondary Symptoms Of Trichotillomania?
Other common symptoms of trichotillomania include skin picking, nail biting, high levels of anxiety, panic attacks, obsessive thoughts.
Most trichotillomania suffers have embarrassment, frustration, shame, and depression about the condition...plus was worst is most people never want to share this condition with anyone, which makes it very difficult to get others to help you.
Denial of the condition is very common.
A bowel infection will be caused if the hair that is pulled is eaten on a consistent basis.
Why Do You Pull Out Your Hair?
Trichotillomania sufferers have developed what psychologists call "secondary gain." You unconsciously have a secondary gain for pulling out your hair. Some female sufferers even do it to sabotage their success with men because they do not like being hit on by the opposite sex.
What you must realize is that absolutely everything you do is out of a need to gain pleasure and avoid pain.
You're brain is wired to do this, it is your basic survival instincts to move towards pleasure and move away from pain.
Your brain always has a positive intent...even if it is pulling out your hair.
Claire's Trich Poem In Relation To Chemical Dependency
"Claire's Trich poem"
I decided to write about this as the first entry to my blog, not necessarily for it’s educational purposes, but because it got me thinking about my topic in a general manor. As you may or may not know, my goal is to find the link between Trich and other addictive behavior. For instance, lets say you happen to be an individual with Trich as well as an alcoholic. One day you decide, “I have a really bad drinking problem, I think I might need to get help.” My question is, if Trich goes untreated will treatment for alcoholism continue successfully? Or just the same, will treatment for Trich be delayed if the alcoholism goes on untreated?
Socially understanding that alcoholism tends to be difficult to treat, it’s important to understand that some cases of Trich can be just as difficult to manage. Although Trich is labeled as more of a compulsion than an addiction, like alcoholism, they both share common triggers of use or action. To make the separation more clear, alcoholism involves chemical dependency, where as Trich is simply an “addictive behavior.” The connections in the brain that are made concerning substance abuse and Trich are the same in that they both have closely related triggers, whatever they may be. So the difference in recovery is not necessarily determining the cause, but rather removing an intentional chemical reaction with one, and not the other. This is how they are different, but just as important, related.
That being said the larger question in regard to my example is if an individual is being treated for substance abuse will the triggers that cause Trich simply deplete alongside the chemical dependency treatment? It’s not my assumption that the Trich will stop completely by it’s own, but I have a strong feeling that the effects of Trich will deplete drastically over time.
This poem shows one thing if for sure, Trich is psychologically damaging, just like all other addictions. Most people suffering from addiction feel alone; feel as if they’re the only ones. They get down on themselves and ask questions like, “why me?” They also show the same detail in regard to covering up the issue. Most people suffering from addiction try to cover it up, or act like it isn’t happening. This is the same for those suffering with Trich. It’s common to attempt covering up the problem, which is why many cases of Trich go unnoticed.
So the point is there are most definitely connections between Trich and problems concerning addictions, other than the fact they both show repetitive behavior. They both show the same reasons for continued action, and although some addictions concerning chemical dependency may be harder to treat they are both undoubtedly in the same ballpark.
I decided to write about this as the first entry to my blog, not necessarily for it’s educational purposes, but because it got me thinking about my topic in a general manor. As you may or may not know, my goal is to find the link between Trich and other addictive behavior. For instance, lets say you happen to be an individual with Trich as well as an alcoholic. One day you decide, “I have a really bad drinking problem, I think I might need to get help.” My question is, if Trich goes untreated will treatment for alcoholism continue successfully? Or just the same, will treatment for Trich be delayed if the alcoholism goes on untreated?
Socially understanding that alcoholism tends to be difficult to treat, it’s important to understand that some cases of Trich can be just as difficult to manage. Although Trich is labeled as more of a compulsion than an addiction, like alcoholism, they both share common triggers of use or action. To make the separation more clear, alcoholism involves chemical dependency, where as Trich is simply an “addictive behavior.” The connections in the brain that are made concerning substance abuse and Trich are the same in that they both have closely related triggers, whatever they may be. So the difference in recovery is not necessarily determining the cause, but rather removing an intentional chemical reaction with one, and not the other. This is how they are different, but just as important, related.
That being said the larger question in regard to my example is if an individual is being treated for substance abuse will the triggers that cause Trich simply deplete alongside the chemical dependency treatment? It’s not my assumption that the Trich will stop completely by it’s own, but I have a strong feeling that the effects of Trich will deplete drastically over time.
This poem shows one thing if for sure, Trich is psychologically damaging, just like all other addictions. Most people suffering from addiction feel alone; feel as if they’re the only ones. They get down on themselves and ask questions like, “why me?” They also show the same detail in regard to covering up the issue. Most people suffering from addiction try to cover it up, or act like it isn’t happening. This is the same for those suffering with Trich. It’s common to attempt covering up the problem, which is why many cases of Trich go unnoticed.
So the point is there are most definitely connections between Trich and problems concerning addictions, other than the fact they both show repetitive behavior. They both show the same reasons for continued action, and although some addictions concerning chemical dependency may be harder to treat they are both undoubtedly in the same ballpark.
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