Facial tics are characterized by impulsive, apparently uncontrolled muscle contractions of muscle groups in the face and neck region. These contractions are frequently repetitive in nature, and appear to have no actual purpose. Common tics are exaggerated eye blinking, squinting, nose wrinkling, facial grimacing or even vocalizations such as grunting or throat clearing. Tics often manifest themselves 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. People who suffer from tics report they are able to feel a tic approach. 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 victim. Controlling a tic can cause tension, which can lead to the onset 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 be seen as a simple tic, as mouth twitches, grunting or facial grimaces or it can be more complex such as is seen a lot in Tourette syndrome. Simple tics are more usual than complex tics, but they can be just as upsetting to the sufferer; while a facial tic does not cause physical pain to the victim, it can often cause mental distress or social problems. 

Children, in particular, can have a difficult time dealing with a tic because of mocking from other kids, or teachers that don't fully understand the tricky situation the child is in. While tics are often described as not being totally involuntary, control of a tic can be quite difficult to establish, especially for children. Children often do not establish the skills to recognize a tic onset as well as an adult.

Adults often face serious problems in their lives when dealing with a facial tic. Social problems are quite common, and even when tics are generally controlled the adult can become quite exhausted 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 person of the anxiety of a facial tic can change that person's life. Self-confidence 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 permit the child to develop with less stress 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 reveal the emotional causes of a tic, and may help an individual understand better how to fight the urge to give in to their tic. Mild 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 search for alternative treatments.

Self-hypnosis and NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming) methods have been created specifically for the purpose of overcoming tics. Since facial tics are not firmly 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 stop the onset of the tic. In some extreme cases, however, the sufferer'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 awkward life-affecting problem. Children and adults alike can suffer greatly from the existence of a facial tic such as grunting, nose wrinkling, facial grimaces, mouth twitches, squinting or eye blinking. Eliminating a facial tic can prove very advantageous to the victim on an emotional level. 

Although several treatments have been created to thwart facial tics, NLP and self-hypnosis aim to utilize natural unconscious methods of redirecting the tic response. This type of therapy has great benefit over other methods such as counseling, which may not treat the tic behavior at all, or attempt to modify the conscious feeling about tic behavior. 

NLP and self-hypnosis also do not suffer from the unwanted side effects of drugs. This beneficial method of treatment can also reduce stress and concern in the sufferer's life, thereby both reducing the impulse to form a tic and proving a benefit in everyday life. Due to these factors, NLP and self-hypnosis are often the safest, most preferred methods of treatment for tic sufferers.

Alan B. Densky, CH offers facial ticks hypnosis programs as well as a wide range of popular titles for all stress related symptoms. For delight and education visit his Free video hypnosis library at his MP3 hypnotherapy downloads website.

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