“The indispensible first step to getting the things that you want out of life is this: decide what you want.” – Ben Stein. Using visualization for hair pulling treatment is an important method for treating hair pulling.
Visualization is a powerful tool
Many successful athletes, businessmen and leaders use on a regular basis. It consists of picturing exactly what you want in order to help you get it. The practice has been the object of many studies and is based on the fact that your brain cannot recognise the difference between reality and imagination. So that if you imagine something often and clearly enough the brain will take it as truth and will do everything in its power to treat these visualizations as reality and help you achieve them. You can use this technique very effectively as a trichotillomania cure.
Some guidelines for using visualization for hair pulling treatment:
• Be very clear with exactly what your vision is. See it in as much detail as possible yourself not pulling your hair and all of your hair grown back. Include sounds, smells, and your emotions, with as much detail to make it real for your brain as possible. Imagine how you feel as you go out without any make up on, as someone compliments you on your beautiful eyes. Remember – you are programming your brain to achieve whatever you are picturing, so make it good.
• Visualise in an active, present tense. ‘I am proud hearing a person compliment me on my beautiful hair.’ rather than ‘I would be happy if…, or ‘I am happy that I have beautiful luxurious hair.’, rather than ‘When I don’t have any more bald spots I will be happy…’.
• When a negative thought comes in to quash your vision isolate the thought, turn it into black and white, cut the sound off, reduce it to a speck and then imagine blowing the negative thought away.
• Visualize stopping pulling your eyelashes or hair as well as fully grown in hair on a daily basis. When you get up in the morning and before you go to sleep. Consider putting together a vision board, full of images and quotes that will inspire you when you contemplate it.
• Include every detail in your life, not just your hair pulling goals. Imagine the house you live in, the holidays you take, the time you spend with your kids, a full life like you want to live it.
• Remember – the sky is the limit. The more you wish for, the more you will get. If you can’t even imagine success, then it is sure that it will elude you.
• Fill out a chart like the one provided in the Trichotillomania Stop Kit to get started. Be sure each goal is measurable, detailed and has a time limit.
Use visualization as a regular part of your hair and eyelash pulling treatment.