How to Stop The Urge to Pull Hair: Tips for Trichotillomania Recovery

If you read the title of this article, which we’re sure you did, you know it’s about trichotillomania. 

That’s the seemingly irresistible urge to pull out your hair. 

To those who don’t have it, it might seem like a hard thing to understand. 

However, to those who do have it, much of life is often occupied in an increasingly desperate search to figure out how to stop the urge to pull hair. 

It feels tragic, endlessly frustrating, and overwhelming, all at the same time. 

And you wouldn’t be anywhere close to alone if you sometimes think of just giving up and accepting that you’re going to be doing this for the rest of your life. 

But that doesn’t have to be true, and with the proper treatment, you can eventually overcome this condition and enjoy a healthy head of hair.

1. Shop For Therapists

If you don’t have a therapist helping you yet, the first step we’d recommend is to get one. 

Also, since you already have an idea of what your problem is, it’s best to find a therapist who specializes or has some experience in dealing with “trich.” 

This particular psychological struggle is actually more common than most people (perhaps even you) are aware. 

So, there is a fairly wide and growing network of mental health professionals who are at least somewhat familiar with it and can help you in some way. 

Even if the first therapist you talk with doesn’t feel that they are able to give you the care you need, they can at least refer or recommend you to another who might be better qualified or equipped. 

That’s why we always encourage anyone dealing with this to reach out to therapists and ask. 

Seriously, our whole job is to provide assistance with things like this. 

Don’t ever feel like you’re wasting our time or bothering us. 

We chose this line of work because we care, and we want to do whatever we can to aid you in improving your experience of life.

2. Ask Your Therapist About Options, Like HRT

No, not Hormone Replacement Therapy. 

That’s a totally different thing. 

We’re talking about Habit Reversal Therapy. 

There are a whole host of different types and methods of therapy out there, and not every therapist is highly skilled in all of them. 

However, there are a few that you can ask about that most therapists will either have some experience with or be able to refer you specifically to someone else who does. 

And one of those is Habit Reversal Therapy, which was originally designed to treat tics and repetitive movements that patients struggle to control. 

If that sounds like it applies to trich, that’s because it does. 

Since your issue is that you can’t seem to figure out how to stop the urge to pull hair, a specialized form of therapy will probably do you more good than general talk therapy. 

HRT isn’t the only option available, but it’s a good one to ask about to open up that conversation with your therapist. 

3. Join a Support Group

Ever since the founding of Alcoholics Anonymous (and even way before that), support groups have been providing compassion and reassurance to those in need for generations. 

Like we mentioned in the first section, trichotillomania is a more common condition than most people think. 

And “most people” also includes those suffering from it. 

Most of the patients we see with trich believe or at least feel like they’re alone, like it’s only happening to them. 

We could tell you that’s not the case (which is true), but you’ll realize it more when you interact with others who are wrestling with the same issue. 

Even more than that, you’ll get encouragement from every success story and every member of your support group who successfully keeps themselves from pulling week after week. 

From both yourself and the other members, you’ll also come to learn that discovering how to stop the urge to pull hair is not about taking a pill but instead engaging in an ongoing process that starts hard and gets easier over time. 

Lastly, when (not ‘if’) you have a success story of your own, you too will become a source of inspiration to newer group members just as others were for you. 

All of that will not only help keep you accountable but also boost your confidence and prove that you’re not all alone in this. 

4. Document Your Journey

If you’re camera-shy, don’t worry. 

You don’t have to become a social media influencer or anything like that. 

But you would probably benefit from keeping a journal or record of some kind that documents your progress step-by-step. 

Include dates, reflections, and photos of your hair growing back if you can. 

You can even add in things like inspirational quotes and helpful things that your therapist or members of your support group say. 

Building a record like this can not only help keep you on track, but it can also be something that you look back on in any moment that you feel like relapsing. 

The more dense and detailed it is, the more it will have that effect. 

So, treat it like a very important scrapbook or journal and tell your therapist and support group members about it so they can give you suggestions. 

Who knows, you may even want to share it with them someday.

You’re At a Fork In The Road, Not The End of It

As much as it may feel like things are hopeless, that’s far from the truth. 

In reality, lots of people have suffered from this very same condition and managed to beat it by learning how to stop the urge to pull hair. 

At the end of the day, it’s psychological. 

The problem is in your psyche, and so is the solution. 

As bad as it is, trichotillomania is not the same as having a failing liver. 

It won’t kill you, and you don’t need major surgery to fix it. 

Keep that in perspective and don’t try to go through this all by yourself. 

Humans are social creatures, and you’re human too. 

Trying to conquer it all alone hasn’t quite cut it so far, and that’s ok. 

All that means is that you might need a little help (or at least some support). 

And who in this world doesn’t need that from time to time?