Compulsive Hair Pulling

Compulsive hair pulling is very common, and many clients who ring for help with this this imagine that they are the only individuals who have this difficulty! Often, they have become very self-conscious and embarrassed about this, but despite much thought about the situation, they can’t find any relief.
I ask all clients to complete a full set of client notes before arranging an appointment. This saves a great deal of time during the sessions and gives me a better understanding of how the client is experiencing this problem. One of the key questions in these client notes is “When is the problem better and when is it worse?” This information allows me to begin to explore how to change the thinking process that creates the feeling that triggers the behaviour. Often, compulsive hair-pulling occurs at a particular time of day. Often, this behaviour occurs when a person is alone (usually in the evening), and in many cases, they are not even consciously aware that they are doing it.

During the session, we first determine when this behaviour occurs most often and check what is happening during these times. It’s useful to remember that the final hair or eyebrow pulling is preceded by thinking and feeling a particular way. In my experience, this problem is not resolved by analysing why it might be occurring. Still, rather than changing the thinking patterns, which in turn changes the feeling “the need to do this.” All sessions are recorded, so each client can see which exercises are most useful for resolving this issue. The Provocative Change Works process is highly effective for this kind of problem, and most clients are fully treated in 2-3 sessions. I see clients in my Leeds and Manchester hypnotherapy clinics as well as by Skype