What is urge surfing? Therapist sheds light

From accepting that we have the urges to understanding that they are temporary, here is what you can do in urge surfing. ...read more

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Published on Nov 05, 2023 02:11 PM IST

Trichotillomania is a type of disorder when a person gets obsessed with pulling out their own hair. Symptoms of this disorder include compulsive pulling of hair and having bad patches on the head. Urge surfing is a mindful technique to combat Trichotillomania. "Urge surfing is a mindfulness technique which can be used in the context of managing Trichotillomania, a disorder characterized by the urge to pull out one’s hair. It involves paying close attention to the sensations and thoughts associated with the hair-pulling urge without trying to act on it or make it go away," wrote therapist Maythal Eshaghian.(Unsplash)

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Explaining urge surfing, Maythal further added, "The idea is to ride out the urge like a surfer riding a wave. By observing the urge non-judgmentally and with curiosity, individuals with trichotillomania can gain a better understanding of their hair-pulling urges and develop healthier coping strategies to manage them. It’s a way of acknowledging that urges to pull hair are temporary and can be tolerated without giving in to them." (Unsplash)

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The first step is to understand and acknowledge that we have the urge to pull out the hair. Accepting it will help in combatting it. (Unsplash)

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The next step is to notice the feelings and the urges and know that we are having them, without trying to change them right away. (Unsplash)

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We should try to remind ourselves that just like other feelings, urges are also temporary, and they will eventually pass on their own. (Unsplash)

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We may feel uncomfortable for some time when the urges happen, but we should be calm and patient and let the urges pass away.  (Unsplash)