Facial tics are repetitive, short, sporadic twitches of the facial muscles. They can be very varied, but the most common ones are facial grimacing, eye blinking, mouth twitches, nose wrinkling, squinting along with grunting and throat clearing. Those tics are usually symptomatic of neurological disorders such as Tourette syndrome. They most often happen during childhood and often fade away within a few weeks, but some can last indefinitely.



The causing factors of facial tics are still poorly understood, but some things are suspected of triggering or worsening the symptoms. Tics may be caused by some nutritional deficiencies such as a lack of magnesium, but they are also very often symptoms of other disorders such as Tourette syndrome, whose causes are most likely neurological, and, to a certain extent, genetic. Stress and anxiety have also been proven to provoke and considerably increase the tics' frequency.

Facial tics can be difficult to live with especially for children. Schoolmates, teachers and sometimes even parents, may not understand how hard it is to try to hold back tics, especially for a long period of time such as for instance a class. People will very often ask the child to "quit it", or may even mock him or her because of the tics.

From facial grimaces to eye blinking, tics usually feel embarrassing and inappropriate for both adults and children. It is also toilsome to have to try to control them constantly. This obsession can make you excessively self-critical and you can in turn start to lose confidence in yourself or to develop some sort of social anxiety.

It is nonetheless possible to eliminate this embarrassment and to avoid other people's awkward stares. There are ways to greatly diminish, and sometimes definitely cure, facial ticks, in order to regain your peace of mind and enjoy a fully normal life. You would never have to be concerned anymore about facial grimaces or controlling any irritating twitches.

Facial tics are rarely treated or, in some severe cases or if the tics are related to Tourette syndrome, patients may be prescribed neuroleptics which are also prescribed to treat disorders such as schizophrenia, attention deficit disorder or obsessive-compulsive disorders. Such drugs were not developed to treat facial tics specifically and may not always work.

Moreover, they are well known for their numerous undesirable side effects both in the short and long run. Depression, insomnia, sexual dysfunction, weight gain and anxiety are only a few of the many undesirable side effects which are associated with such drugs. Some of them can even aggravate tics in the long run! But there are however other ways of dealing with facial tics which are entirely natural and free of undesirable side effects.

Methods which utilize hypnosis and NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) have been developed particularly for the purpose of treating facial tics. They will help you reduce them over time. To understand how these methods work it is important to know that tics are not a totally physiological disorder and are not fully involuntary either. They are a response to an unconscious impulse to perform the movement of the tic. This urge unpleasantly builds up as you try to hold back from performing the movement. These impulses also increase in frequency and intensity alike when the patient is stressed or anxious or when he is placed in certain situations.

Facial tics are a way to relieve pressure when you are feeling anxious or are coping with a stressful environment. This unconscious association can be cured with hypnosis and NLP, as they are able to change the kind of behavior your unconscious triggers when facing certain situations. In severe cases, the therapist will eliminate the facial tic by suggesting the unconscious have you twitch your toe instead. When the toe twitches it is not visible or apparent to people around you. Hypnosis also makes you become a lot more relaxed in general, so it is a stress relieving experience. It will help you suppress both the anxiety and stress which make facial tics worse.

Facial tics come in many different forms: nose wrinkling, eye blinking, squinting, mouth twitches, grunting, facial grimacing or throat clearing. Although tics have physical causes, there are also as we have seen, very strong psychological factors. Stress and anxiety are without a doubt the most considerable of these factors. Tics have their roots in the unconscious mind as a response to states of anxiety and stress; with NLP and self-hypnosis you are able to alter this association. Stress and anxiety can also be effectively fought in the long run with the stress relieving and soothing methods of hypnotherapy, which will considerably diminish the occurrence of facial tics.