"I was suffering a truly debilitating anxiety related illness and had been for 13years when I decided there was no harm in trying yet another avenue to try and overcome it. From the age of 11 I had suffered from a condition known as trichotillomania, an almost Obsessive Compulsive Disorder brought on from several childhood traumas I had experienced. Because of this condition I would pull my hair strand at a time in an almost trance like state often not realising what I was doing until there was a visible scattering of hair around me. Over the years I came to realise it would happen most whenever my mind was left to wander and subconsciously think about the things I was having difficulty coping with, be it the past I was so desperate to lock out or the sometimes even trivial things of day to day life.

Realising and putting a name to this condition was not something that came early on for me. After years of denial, it was not until I had finished high school that I was finally brave enough to ask my GP about what was happening and have him research it to help me find an answer.  This condition had already taken control of my life by this stage. I had gone through years of ridicule at high school having other students point out the bald patches in my hair often in large group situations where my embarrassment and shame was obvious to all. Isolating myself from people emotionally so that it didn’t hurt so much and so that I didn’t have to decline an invitation to go out with friends out of the growing fear I had of being in public became my own personal reprieve.  Years went on and sometimes I could get on top of it, sometimes it got on top of me, it was a constant and draining battle. By the time I had decided to meet with Alison the condition had affected so many things in my life, so many things other people took for granted.  It affected my relationships with men I’d dated previously and my current partner (who didn’t even know I had the condition), the way I could play with my children, my friendships, my work and my social life.

In the last few years the patches had become so bad that I had resorted to wearing medical wigs to help give me some sense of courage. Wearing a wig of course come with its own barrel full of issues. Going swimming in public was something I avoided, and windy or rainy days where I knew I had to go outside with my wig on was a pure nightmare. I was in a constant state of paranoia about people touching my hair or standing above me where they might notice that my hair was in fact a wig. Worst of all, the wig cause my hair to fall out in the areas it would rub on my scalp.  The 1 thing that was giving me courage and confidence and some sort of life was now a double edge sword.

Enough was enough. Going to see Alison in itself was a challenge, knowing Alison on a personal level, meant telling someone whose opinion of me mattered to me, the possibility my partner might find out, or even other friends that we shared. Nonetheless I organised to go and see Alison and take that chance. Upon arriving to Alison’s home, I immediately felt at ease. I talked with Alison and her husband over a coffee and listened to their stories of how powerful the results of some of the techniques they had learnt had been. I still remember the feeling of my heart jumping with excitement at the prospect of spending time with Alison to see what she could achieve with me.

Our first session was extremely emotional, opening up and giving Alison a full image of how Trichotillomania had affected my life left me feeling quite vulnerable until she started working her magic. By the end of that very first session I left Alison’s home very red eyed but feeling extremely empowered.  Over the next week I started to feel the changes Alison and helped me make at my subconscious level. The way I looked at things started to change and the small things in life that would normally make me feel quite anxious were worrying me less and less. I knew deep down that a change had happened but that I wasn’t quite there. Welcomed again with open arms, I saw Alison for a second session. By the end of that visit I felt like I could take on the world. I finally knew I could win this fight, there wasn’t a single whisper of doubt in my mind about it.

By the time my partner came home 6 weeks  later from Duty overseas my hair had grown at amazingly healthy speed from a blade 2 cut to short fuzz cover and the best part was I was no longer wearing my wig and my patches were disappearing. I was no longer feeling the urge to pull out my hair and my worries were flowing straight off my back instead of seeping in and manifesting the way they had in the past.  Coming on 5 months now since my sessions with Alison and I have had 3 haircuts with my hairdresser (a personal record for number of visits to a hairdresser in 1 year since I was a little girl) and my hair is thick and healthy again. I finally have the confidence I never thought I would have and it’s showing in all aspects of my life. I’m now proud to be the face of the Company that I work for as their Receptionist instead of hiding away the way had until now. I’ve had the confidence to tell my partner and let him into the secret I’d hidden from him for 2 ½ years and I cannot wait to go swimming with my children at the beach this Christmas, no more fear of my wig washing away in the surf.

Alison has empowered me and helped give me my life back.  I cannot thank her enough or even imagine that she’ll ever understand everything she’s done for me, for the genuine care and compassion and the effortless professionalism I experienced with Alison in my session, words escape me for how grateful I am. Again thankyou!!"

Leah, Receptionist, Brisbane