subject: Facial Tics - Manifestation And Treatment [print this page] Facial tics are characterized by impulsive, apparently involuntary muscle contractions of entire muscle groups in the face. These contractions are habitually recurring in nature, and appear to have no valid purpose. Most tics are exaggerated eye blinking, squinting, nose wrinkling, facial grimacing or even vocalizations such as throat clearing or grunting. Tics often manifest themselves during childhood, and usually resolve as the child ages. This is not always the case, though, and many people continue to suffer from tics as they enter adulthood.
Tics often increase in frequency as a person feels stress or discomfort. People who suffer from tics report they are able to sense a tic as it approaches. It's often described as an overwhelming feeling of tension and the wish to perform the tic to break the tension; somewhat akin to the approaching urge to yawn or sneeze which relieves the person. Trying to control a tic can cause stress, which can lead to the trigger of another tic. Tics are often described as being unconscious but research and reports from sufferers indicates they are indeed voluntary motions that can be controlled by the sufferer.
A tic can manifest itself as a simple tic, as in facial grimaces, mouth twitches or grunting or it can be more complex such as is often seen in Tourette syndrome. Simple tics are more usual than complex tics, but they can be just as discomforting to the sufferer; while a facial tic does not cause physical pain to the sufferer, it can often cause social problems or mental distress.
Especially children, can have a hard time living with a tic due to mocking from other students, or teachers that don't fully know the hard situation the child is in. While tics are often described as not being totally involuntary, control of a tic is difficult to establish, especially in children. Children often do not establish the skills to recognize a tic onset as well as an adult.
Adults can also face grave trouble in their lives when living with a facial tic. Social problems are commonly experienced, and even when tics are generally controlled the adult can become very exhausted by the incessant need to identify the onset of and control the tic impulse. Adults and children alike may suffer from self-worth or self-esteem issues due to their constant suffering from a disease that often causes them to become social outcasts.
Relieving an individual from the distress of a facial tic can change that person's life. Self-worth usually improves, and social anxiety is no longer a strength holding a person back from experiencing a meaningful life. In children, relieving a tic may allow the child to develop with less anxiety while he/she has a happier childhood.
Over the years, many treatments for tics have been used with varying degrees of achievement. Counseling or psychotherapy can help uncover the emotional causes of a tic, and may help a person understand better how to combat the urge to do their tic. Sedatives and other forms of medication are sometimes successful in cases of simple tics. These medications often come saddled with negative side effects, so many people look for alternative treatments.
Hypnotherapy and NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) methods have been developed expressly for the purpose of dealing with tics. Since facial tics are not strictly involuntary in nature, these treatments aim to change the sufferer's unconscious response to the onset of a tic episode such as throat clearing or facial grimacing. In a large number of cases this can be accomplished by allowing the unconscious mind to avert the tic's onset. In some extreme cases, however, the victim's response will be redirected to some innocuous portion of the body such as twitching a toe instead of facial muscles.
Facial tics can be an uncomfortable life-affecting malady. Children and adults alike can suffer a lot from the presence of a facial tic such as eye blinking, squinting, mouth twitches, facial grimaces, nose wrinkling, or grunting. Eliminating a facial tic can prove very valuable to the sufferer on an emotional level.
Although many treatments have been developed to fight against facial tics, Neuro-Linguistic Programming and Hypnotherapy aim to utilize natural unconscious methods of redirecting the tic response. This type of help has great benefit over other methods such as psychotherapy, which may not treat the tic behavior at all, or attempt to modify the conscious feeling about tic behavior.
Neuro-Linguistic Programming and Hypnotherapy also do not experience the unwanted side effects of drugs. This beneficial method of treatment can also cut stress and worry in the victim's life, thereby both reducing the impulse to form a tic and proving an advantage in everyday life. Due to these factors, Neuro-Linguistic Programming and Hypnotherapy are often the safest, most preferred methods of treatment for tic sufferers.
by: Alan B. Densky, CH
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