This is My Personal Journey: Battling the Bully Known as Trichotillomania

Living with trichotillomania has been one of the toughest battles of my life. If you’ve ever faced this condition, you know it’s more than a habit or quirk—it's a relentless urge that takes control of your actions sometimes for hours. In this podcast, I share my personal journey with trichotillomania as detailed and embarrassing as it is, I talk about what I've been going through from childhood all the way up to now.

I'm hoping this podcast will help me find a community of people willing to go on a journey together until this urge is completely eradicated from our lives. For now, I want to give you some free tools in the form of tactics and stories that have begun to change my life and stop the pulling. Enjoy the rest of this blog then dive into the first season of the Stop The Pull podcast.

Understanding Trichotillomania: It’s More Than Just a Disorder

Trichotillomania is classified as an impulse control disorder, but if you're living with it, you have to start recognizing it as a bully. It's not your fault. Just like a bully in the physical or "real" world, it thrives on our emotions, isolation, and vulnerabilities. Unlike the physical world, this particular bully gets away clean every single-time year after year while you and I deal with the weight of shame and disgust within ourselves. I'm here to tell you we are in the middle of a war and we can choose whether we want our homes (bodies) to be a casualty of it or not.

For too long, I wandered through the fog of this condition, never looking at it as something, ironically, not in my control. My self-esteem plummeted as I pulled out my hair, often leading to body dysmorphia and embarrassment. Recognizing trichotillomania as a bully was my first step toward fighting back. I will warn you ahead of time so you are not caught off guard, this bully I'm talking about is in the Bible... so I have to tell you about what is written in it. I hope you don't turn away because I am bringing up God. Even if you are not a believer, if you will tune in and stay with me, this podcast could help you.

The Journey of Healing: God, Time, and Active Participation

I’ve learned that while faith and the passage of time are important in healing for anything, they are not standalone solutions in this case. Engaging actively in recognizing the behavioral patterns that pop up before we pull is one tactic in stopping it. In my podcast, I discuss how I was able to start this journey with God by allowing myself to remember the beginning of my hair pulling days and owning the root cause of it so I can let it go. I've dealt with this disorder for over 20 years and it wasn't until I started this podcast that I was able to analyze what physical and psychological things trigger this habit- more closely.

For instance, I share a moment when I was looking at myself (and the hairs on my face) a little too closely in the mirror and how it set off a spiral of me pulling hair out. I talk about the specific and actionable steps we can take in moments like this to help us snap out of it, push away the bully, controlling our thoughts first and our actions second.

Identifying those triggers has been essential in my journey over the last year and a half. Healing is not merely about wishing for change or focusing purely on our behaviors; it requires exploring if God is real and if the spirit world exists then believing God can help us with letting go. We can't stop a bully from being a bully but we can stop it from bullying us.

The Limitations of Traditional Treatments

While seeking therapy, medical advice and medical treatments can be beneficial they often provide only short-term and sporadic relief. Many medications can numb emotions but do not address underlying issues, furthermore, they could potentially cause other more harmful side affects. Inflicting further harm on yourself like shock therapy and drugs are not the answer. Doctors can only treat our symptoms but they can't give us a cure. Someone who pulls their hair out is no different than someone who cuts themself except there's less blood spilled in the process.

Through my podcast, I stress the importance of taking this journey with me. Assistance has arrived, albeit in unexpected ways and I'm giving you these tools for FREE. As this series progresses, new strategies and approaches continue to emerge, and I invite you to join me on this path. It's not about wearing a shock bracelet or taking medication; it's about fostering community by telling our stories, gaining a profound understanding of ourselves, and recognizing the triggers to confront the bully that is trichotillomania.

What You Can Expect from My Podcast

If you're navigating your own journey with trichotillomania, I invite you to tune into my podcast. Here’s what you'll find:

• My Personal Story: We all struggle with trichotillomania, and sharing our personal experiences with it fosters community and understanding. You’ll realize you’re not alone in this fight.

• Practical Steps: I outline actionable steps to help you identify what happens internally and externally before the urge to pull emerges. Awareness is power.

  
  

• Biblical Stories: I refer to the Bible because the truth of what we are dealing with is in it. This is not a Bible study but I hope you join one in your city!

  
  

• Community: One day this will grow offline, for now, leave a comment after each show, subscribe, or just bookmark this series listen and learn.

You Are Not Alone in This Fight

As I wrap up this blog, I want to remind everyone dealing with the bully known as trichotillomania that you are not alone. This journey can feel isolating, but through faith, active participation in stopping our behaviors, reading the Bible, and community support, we can reclaim our lives from this disorder. I encourage you to listen, engage and share your stories even if you don't read the Bible or believe in God. Let’s build a strong community around trichotillomania, supporting each other in our healing journeys.

Thank you for reading! If you or someone you know is struggling, please consider sharing this. Let’s stop the pull once and for all.

J.D.