Facial tics are characterized by rapid, apparently involuntary muscle contractions of muscle groups in the face. These contractions are frequently recurring in nature, and appear to have no actual point. Common tics are overstated eye blinking, squinting, nose wrinkling, facial grimacing or even vocalizations such as throat clearing or grunting. Tics often show up during childhood, and often resolve as the child ages. This is not always the situation, though, and many people continue to experience tics as they enter adulthood.



Tics often increase in regularity as a person feels tension or discomfort. Victims 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 urge to perform the tic to eliminate the tension; somewhat akin to the approaching urge to yawn or sneeze which relieves the sufferer. Controlling a tic can trigger tension, which can lead to the trigger of another tic. Tics are often described as being involuntary but research and reports from victims indicates they are indeed voluntary motions that can be controlled by the victim.

A tic can manifest itself as a simple tic, as in mouth twitches, grunting or facial grimaces or can be more complex such as is seen very often in Tourette syndrome. Simple tics are more commonly seen than complex tics, but they can be just as discomforting to the individual; while a facial tic does not cause physical pain to the victim, it often triggers social problems or mental distress.

Especially children, can have a hard time living with a tic due to mocking from other children, or teachers who don't fully appreciate the tricky 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 become aware of a starting tic as well as an adult.

Adults often face serious problems 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 fatigued by the persistent need to identify the onset of and control the tic impulse. Adults and children alike may suffer from self-esteem or self-worth issues due to their continuous suffering from a disease that often causes them to become social outcasts.

Relieving a victim of the anxiety of a facial tic can be a life-changing experience. Self-esteem usually improves, and social anxiety is no longer a force holding an individual back from experiencing a meaningful life. In children, relieving a tic may permit the child to develop with less stress while he/sh 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 an individual better understand how to thwart the urge to do their tic. Mild sedatives and other forms of medication sometimes do well in cases of simple tics. These medications often come saddled with negative side effects, so many people seek alternative treatments.

Self-hypnosis and NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) methods have been created specifically for the purpose of dealing with tics. Since facial tics are not firmly unconscious in nature, these treatments aim to change the sufferer's unconscious response to the onset of a tic episode such as facial grimacing or throat clearing. In many cases this can be done by allowing the unconscious mind to abort 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 upsetting life-affecting woe. Children and adults alike can suffer greatly 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 helpful to the victim on an emotional level.

Although several treatments have been created to thwart 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 help the tic behavior at all, or attempt to modify the conscious reaction to tic behavior.

Neuro-Linguistic Programming and Hypnotherapy also do not suffer from the unwanted side effects of drugs. This beneficial method of treatment can also diminish stress and concern in the victim's life, thereby both reducing the impulse to form a tic and proving a benefit in everyday life.