Tapping Away Trich
When Liz Fisher from Tap Into Health messaged me about how she cured her hair pulling habit (trichotillomania) using EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques, often referred to as “tapping”), I rolled my eyes about as far back into my head as they would go.
I thought, “That won’t work for me.” And, “I’ve tried everything to stop pulling my hair. Why would this be any different?” She asked if we could have a chat on the phone. “Sure,” I thought, “what’s there to lose?"
After the first few minutes, my interested peaked. Not because of any sales pitch or promised magical cure, but because I could tell she deeply understood what it’s like to be a compulsive hair puller. She understood the pain, the hopelessness, and the urge that only has one relief: hair pulling.
She was pulled her head hair and pulled her eyelashes for 36 years. So much so, that she wore a wig to conceal her disorder. After she cured her own trichotillomania with tapping, she became an Accredited, Certified EFT Practitioner and made it her mission to help others. About 75% of her clients suffer from body focused repetitive behaviors like hair pulling disorder and many of them see a change after only 4 sessions.
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I scheduled my first, very tearful video session, where she learned about my past and how my hair pulling started. There was a lot of knowing smiles and head nodding and I could tell she “got it”. She got it the way people with trich get each other, in that way that no other person without the disorder can (no matter how hard they try).
So why all this tapping?
We tapped on the top of my head, my eyebrow points, the side of my eyes, under my eyes, under my nose, on my chin, my collarbone points and under my armpits—all areas that I later learned are related to acupressure points (without the needles, phew!).
We tapped as I repeated the affirmations she’d compose. Nothing about it felt cookie cutter. Each statement was tailored to my feelings about hair pulling and how it affects my life.
As sessions went on, I shared how I was scared to give up pulling my hair because it was so much of who I was. I was now even part of this trichotillomania community and wondered if I would no longer be accepted if I were to be “free” of it. I also shared how I use hair pulling as punishment for when I don’t feel like I’m enough. I give myself a physical reason to not feel “good enough.” There was that knowing smile again. She understood these complex and dueling emotions. She’d been there.
We talked about trichotillomania like an addiction rather than a disorder; a mind shift that fit for me. She gave me hope that it’s something that can be overcome.
But even things that are bad for us can be unnerving to give up when they’ve been part of who we are for as long as we can remember. There’s a sense of loss. We tapped about that. And slowly, that sense of loss decreased.
So What Happened?
For three weeks we tapped together for one hour per week via video calls and my hair pulling reduced by about 80%. After just the first session, I was driving and pulled at my eyebrow like I always do but this time, I put my hand down and thought, “That won’t be enjoyable.” What?! Of course that’s enjoyable! It was like I retrained my brain to know that pulling out my hair would no longer would serve me. I was astonished.
But then, after week three, I had a setback and thought, “Well, this isn’t working.” But I called big BS on what “not working” meant. I hadn’t used all the methods she taught me. There were times I could have tapped, but I chose to pull. It was on me. I chose for it not to work. I chose to not use the tools. So, after forgiving myself, I went back to what I learned and again, after tapping, my pulling reduced.
What’s it Like?
Tapping reminds me of a gentle combination of acupuncture and hypnotism—but not in the scary, not in control/falling asleep way. The statements retrain your brain to think another way, and in turn, behave another way.
What’s so great about it?
I like it because I always have to be doing something with my hands, so this gives me a healthy replacement behavior for pulling my hair. A mechanism that doesn’t leave my self-confidence shattered and my lashes or brows bare from pulling them out.
You can tap while sitting in traffic, studying, watching TV or even in public. There are certain tapping points that are discreet and you can say the statements inside your head.
Statements are things like, “Even though I’ve used to pull my hair to deal with uncomfortable feelings, that behavior no longer serves me.” Or, “Even though I normally pull my hair out while driving, instead I can tap until the urge passes.”
We also dove into hormonal shifts and their correlation to increases in pulling and she gave me statements like, “Even though my body is having hormonal changes like it does every month, my body is working exactly as it should and I am healthy. I am safe and I don’t need to pull out my eyelashes.”
Will it work for you?
Tapping may or may not cure or diminish your trichotillomania, I have no idea, but what I do know is that Liz is a true professional. She tailors each session to your own needs, beliefs and patterns and has a calm and sensitive demeanor. She was accessible even on days we didn’t have a session. She’d encourage me to text her when I had an urge. She’d reply with statements for me to tap with and tell me it was okay if I had a setback. This was a no judgement zone. She was constantly rooting for me. She was a friend. A friend who not only understood, but also had a real, permanent solution.
She is passionate about tapping as a way to clear stuck energy, beliefs and patterns and she is a walking ambassador for its effectiveness. She went from wearing a wig to cover her trichotillomania to now being pull free. She has been free from trich for 9 months and hasn’t had an urge since.
Liz seems free on so many other levels, too. I can tell in the way she speaks, the way she nods along with the frustration and shame of trichotillomania, and in the way she smiles, because in that smile, she knows you can be free too.
How can you try it?
If you’re interested in learning more about EFT or would like a free phone consultation with Liz, visit her website www.tapintohealth.net or email her with questions at: liz@tapintohealth.net
