Historical References to Trich

"In ancient works of literature there are numerous references to pulling and plucking of hair; but I could find only one reference that I thought was clearly a reference to Trich behaviour. Most references were in the context of grief, torture, fashion or vanity.

But Epictetus (c.60-c.117 AD) was more interesting. In one reference, men who plucked hair for fashion/vanity reasons apparently fell into habitual behavior:

"Indeed I think that the men who pluck out their hairs do what they do without knowing what they do."
["The Discourses" by Epictetus (101 AD), Book 3, Chapter 1]

And further on is a reference which appears to be Trich behaviour under stress. Agamemnon was legendary, rather than historical, but presumably the description reflects observations made in everyday life.

"But neither was Agamemnon happy, though he was a better man than Sardanapalus and Nero; but while others are snoring what is he doing? 'Much from his head he tore his rooted hair.' And what does he say himself? 'I am perplexed,' he says, 'and disturbed I am,' and 'my heart out of my bosom is leaping.'"
[Book 3, Chapter 22]

Homer, in The Iliad (c.750 BC), wrote of a hero's response to frustration:

"... even so oft in his breast groaned Agamemnon, from the very deep of his heart [,] and his spirits trembled with him. And whensoever he looked toward the Trojan plain, he marvelled at the many fires that blazed in front of Illios, and at the sound of flutes and pipes, and the noise of men; but whensoever to the ships he glanced and to the host of Achaians, then rent he many a clean lock forth from his head, to Zeus that is above, and gently moaned his noble heart." (Lang et al. 1945, pp. 165-166)

There is a biblical account of hair pulling, in the book of Ezra: "At this news I tore my garment and my cloak; I tore hair from my head and beard and sat down, quite overcome." (Ezra 9:3).
"

Source

Hair Reversal Training

"Habit Reversal Training (HRT) has the highest rate of success in treating trichotillomania.[3] HRT has been shown to be a successful adjunct to medication as a way to treat TTM.[1][19] With HRT, doctors train the individual to learn to recognize their impulse to pull and also teach them to redirect this impulse. "

Trichotillomania: Recognition and Treatment

Trichotillomania Case: Treated with Homeopathy

"Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies have demonstrated that some individuals with Trichotillomania have abnormalities of the lenticulate. Abnormal brain metabolism ,serotonin deficiency,: Positron emission tomography (PET) scans have revealed that some individuals with Trichotillomania have a high metabolic glucose rate in the global, bilateral, cerebellar, and right superior parietal areas."

Full story here

To all Trichsters

I encourage you to share your stories, your thoughts, your episodes, your experiences, your regrets, your shames, your frustrations, your progressions, your regressions, your triumphs, your advice, your struggles... and let us post them here for all Trichsters of any severity, age, gender, culture, status, sexuality, race or religion.

This is a fight we will fight together. You are not alone. You never were and you never will be.

In a Trichster

The urge.
The reach.
The grasp.
The pull.
The inspection.
The regret.
The self-loathing.

Repeat.

Another Episode

Things were going great until a recent event triggered another episode. Up until this point, I was able to refrain from pulling even in the most emotional of situations, including breakups. However, an unfortunate event having to do with work triggered the worst lash episode I have had in a long time. All the lashes from my right eye are gone...all within 10 minutes.

The wave of regret cannot be any heavier. It takes so little time to destroy something that takes months to grow. Now what?

Times like these create unnecessary anxieties and fears of stressful situations, and that's no way to live either. Sometimes I wish I could just live in an impenetrable bubble where money was coming in incessantly, relationships were never so stressful and the sun was always shining.

It doesn't seem fair that on top of the usual daily stress, we are burdened with a stress that stems from regular stress. I wonder what it's like to just worry about the problem...and not have to worry about my trich at the same time. The rest of the world seems so beautiful right now...at least they have eyelashes at the end of the day.