True or False
We don't need to pay attention to our body to manage our Tics.
False!
An important part of tic management is being able to pay attention to our body sensations before and during a Tic.
Rubbing your hands together for 20 minutes
Before you have to sneeze?
Maybe: urge to squint eyes.
tickle in my nose etc.
Premonitory urges are the sensations that your body gives you before a tic occurs.
True!
These can be short and sweet signals from your body or they can last a long time. For every tic, it may feel different. Kind of like detectives, we need to figure out what those urges are for each tic.
Gently tracing the lines on the palm of your hands.
What do you notice?
When you're body is tired
Maybe: slouched posture, yawning, hard time focusing, urge to tilt your head or lay down.
Only people with tics have urges in their body.
False!
Urges are a normal part of the body experience. We may notice urges when we:
need to sneeze,
have an itch we want to scratch
need to go to the bathroom or pass gas
want to say an answer to a question in class
Curl your toes really tight for 5 seconds then release them.
Does your body feel different when its tense or relaxed?
Before you itch a scratch?
Maybe:
tickle, discomfort in the area?
Competing responses (CRs) are things we can do with our bodies when we notice the urge to tic.
The CR is meant to be an opposite action a tic that is more controlled and subtle than the tic that bothers you.
We should try to do the CR for at least 1 minute or until the premonitory urges fades away.
True!
This is because we are re-training our brains.
Then jump up and down 10 times.
What do you notice?
Has your heartbeat gotten faster or slower?
You feel angry
Face gets hot, heart pounds, urge to hit/urge to yell