As many as one-fourth of all children experience the embarrassing annoyance of facial tics. This condition can most accurately be described as a repeatedly occurring spasm affecting both facial and eye muscles. The exact cause is often unknown, although research has demonstrated a strong link between stressors and an increase in severity of symptoms.
An alternate explanation for the manifestation of tics is a deficit in essential vitamins or minerals, such as magnesium. In certain instances, facial tics are manifestations of disorders of the nervous system, such as Tourette syndrome, a health condition resulting from a malfunction of the nervous system. This health condition is hypothesized to contain a hereditary component as well.
Some examples of a facial tic include rapid eye movements or eye blinking, squinting, mouth or nose wrinkling, twitching, grunting, mouth twitches, facial grimacing, facial twitches, and throat clearing. The condition often starts at an early stage of physical development, and may last for merely weeks, months, or even years. Sometimes, the disorder persists into adulthood.
Facial tics can perpetuate and increase anxious disorders in a child already experiencing significant stress as a result of the disorder itself. Children’s playmates are often incredibly cruel, making fun of the child’s problem. Worse, educators who fail to understand and are unable to aid fellow classmates to empathize and assist the child in overcoming his problem can can create a devastatingly negative effect on a child’s self image.
This issue, however, is not limited to the suffering child. Adults who find themselves dealing with a facial tic encounter significant challenges in managing this problem. These individuals often encounter overwhelming social difficulties. In some situations, a person can learn to recognize the onset and control the urge that causes the facial tic. Even this, however, can result in intense emotional and physical energy drains. Such individual often wrestle with self image problems as well.
Adults who obtain relief from the agonizing effects of facial grimaces and other tics can experience social rebirth. Their concept of themselves improves, and they no longer are afraid to experience life at its fullest. Youths who successfully this disorder can be freed from the overwhelming anxiety that impairs their social lives, and experience childhood with joy instead of emotional pain.
On occasion, medications, such as mildly sedating drugs, can help treat this condition. Even though the medications may lessen the incidence of these symptoms, the drugs themselves can often cause undesired side effects. Because of this, persons sometimes rely on alternative therapies to assist them in treating their problem.
Two alternative therapies that have shown promising potential in helping persons to successfully manage facial tics are hypnotherapy and NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming). These therapies take advantages of the strength of the individual’s unconscious mind to help them redirect the repetitive behavior. Since these therapies are concerned with the root of the problem through intervening in the unconscious where the problem originates, they are significantly more beneficial than traditional therapy approaches that merely attempt to control eye blinking, mouth twitches, squinting, facial grimacing, facial twitches, grunting, or other types of impulsive behavior.
Hypnosis allows the person being treated to reach a peaceful dreamlike state and accept suggestions that assist them to release anxiety. Since tics are a result of suppressed stress within a person’s body, release of the tension helps them to successfully manage this behavior. After several sessions, the client should be capable of experience the ability to handle tension successfully.
Those therapists who employ NLP assist the client to focus his or her conscious will to use thoughts that stress them as triggers for thoughts that will relax them. Additionally, the individual is taught to use an unrelated body part, like a toe, to rechannel the tension that would otherwise be expressed by the facial tic. This also allows individuals to manage tension without resorting to the embarrassing impulse.
Another positive effect of both these is that the client does not experience adverse effects from medication type therapies. In fact, both hypnotherapy and NLP are typically considered to be the treatment of choice for individuals who cope with tics, such as nose wrinkeling, or throat clearing, because these therapies do not have unwanted side effects. This relieves considerable pain and stress for the sufferer.
Summary: Facial tics are frequently socially devastating and can have serious consequences. Boys are more likely to exhibit this problem, which can continue into adulthood; however girls may also have difficulties with this. While several treatment approaches exist, hypnosis and NLP seem to be the safest options, because they do not cause problematic side effects and are very effective.
Alan B. Densky, CH offers a large range of popular titles for all stress related symptoms, including facial tics hypnotherapy CDs. For entertainment and education visit his Free hypnosis article library at his Neuro-VISION NLP website.
Click here to watch Hypnosis 101 The Basics Video Chaper 2.
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