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People often tell me it happened out of nowhere. One week you're fine, and the next your eyes are blinking hard in meetings, your neck keeps pulling to one side, or a small sound escapes your throat that you never used to make. You're thirty-something, forty-something, a grown adult with a job and a life, and suddenly you have tics. The first thing most people feel is fear. The second is confusion: tics are supposed to be a childhood thing, so why is this happening to me now?

I get asked versions of this question every week. I lived with a motor tic for twenty years before I healed it, so I know how unsettling it is when your body starts doing something you didn't choose. Here is the honest answer as I understand it, from my own experience and from working with a lot of adults who felt exactly what you're feeling.

It usually isn't as sudden as it feels

The tic may have appeared suddenly, but what sits underneath it has usually been building for a long time. When adults tell me their...

If you are a parent, you have probably lived some version of this day. School reports a mostly fine morning. Maybe a few blinks. Maybe a cough the teacher barely noticed. Then the bag hits the floor at home and the volume jumps. Neck. Eyes. Sounds. Suddenly the child who "held it together" all day looks like a different body in your kitchen.

I get asked versions of this every week. A throat clear that stays quiet through lessons and fills the car ride home. Blinking that seems mild at pickup and takes over homework. A vocal sound that barely shows at school and then spends the evening with you. Sometimes the child is seven. Sometimes they are twelve and this pattern has been the family weather for years. The detail changes. The confusion underneath does not: why here, why now, and does that mean home is making it worse.

Here is the honest answer, without the sugar or the scare.

For a lot of children, after school is when the day finally lets go. They have been holding, focusing, wat...

If you are still ticcing in your twenties, thirties, forties, or later, you have probably heard a version of this: kids grow out of it. As if the calendar was the treatment plan. As if adulthood means you missed the window.

I get asked versions of this all the time. Fifteen years of a neck and jaw that will not quit. Twenty-one years of keeping focus while the body keeps interrupting. Twenty-four years of masking through work, driving, rooms full of people. Someone writes in as an adult and says, plainly, how do I rid of my tic — it developed over years of stress, and I am tired of carrying it. The detail changes. The hope underneath does not: please tell me this can still go away.

Here is the honest answer, without the sugar or the scare.

Some adults do find their tics soften with time. They wax and wane. A season is quieter. A holiday is quieter. A stretch of real rest and the urge drops enough that you almost forget how loud it used to be. That pattern is real.

And also: plenty ...

If you are a parent watching your child tic, this is probably the first question that lands and the one that keeps coming back at 2am. Will this pass. Will they grow out of it. Is this a phase, or is this becoming who they are in the world's eyes.

I get asked versions of this every week. A cough that will not quit. Blinking that used to be occasional and now fills whole evenings. A vocal sound that started small and has followed them into school, friends, confidence. Sometimes the child is five. Sometimes they are eleven and the tics have already been around for years. The detail changes. The hope underneath does not: please tell me this will go away.

Here is the honest answer, without the sugar or the scare.

For a lot of children, tics do ease. They wax and wane. Some tics do dissolve away in time. That is real, and it is why so many doctors say wait and watch when the tics are mild and the child is not distressed.

And also: some children's tics do not politely leave on schedule. Som...

Key Takeaways:

• Self-awareness through Inquiry
• Embracing emotional healing
• Practical Strategies for Coping

Today, I want to dive into something that many of us with ticks can relate to—the curious way our ticks seem to intensify when we're around other people. Have you noticed this pattern in your own life?

For me, it's been a constant observation. When I find myself in social gatherings or even just surrounded by a few friends, my ticks become more pronounced. It's not just a physical response; it's almost like my body tunes into a different frequency of movement, responding to the energy and dynamics of the people around me.

It raises a fundamental question: does this happen to everyone in all social contexts, or are there specific triggers? This self-inquiry is crucial because it leads us towards greater self-awareness. Understanding these triggers isn't about finding a quick fix but rather about becoming more attuned to the subtle urges and tensions within our bodies befor...

Over the years, I’ve explored various strategies to help manage tics, especially for those of us navigating the complexities of Tourette Syndrome. Today, I’d love to share how essential oils have become a key part of my toolkit, offering not just relief, but also a delightful sensory experience.

Living with tics is like having an unpredictable companion who occasionally takes the reins. Whether it’s involuntary motor movements or unexpected vocal sounds, tics can disrupt life in unexpected ways. My journey with tics began in childhood, and finding ways to coexist peacefully with them has been my mission ever since.

My first encounter with essential oils was at a wellness workshop that promised natural solutions for everyday health challenges. Skeptical but curious, I ventured into what I now consider one of the most transformative experiences of my life.

Through trial, research, and plenty of patience, I discovered three essential oils that significantly eased my tic episodes:

Lave...

 Key Takeaways:

• Motor Tics as Signals
• Self-Awareness and Healing
• Shift in Perspective

Now, you might be thinking, "How can a motor tic possibly be a compass?" Trust me, I used to think the same thing. But hear me out. Think of your motor tic as a signal—a signal that something isn't quite right in your environment, your thoughts, or your emotions. It's like an internal alarm system, guiding you to pay attention to what's happening within and around you.

I've found that tuning into my motor tic patterns has been instrumental in my healing process. By becoming more aware of when I tic more or less, I've gained valuable insights into my own inner workings. You see, motor tics are often just a symptom of deeper issues bubbling beneath the surface—issues that we may have been ignoring or suppressing for years.

In my case, I discovered that my motor tics were closely tied to my emotional state. The more I pushed down my feelings or avoided confronting difficult emotions, the more p...

Key Takeaways:

• Avoiding facing tics increased their shame/mystery; hiding didn't help
• Viewing video with self-compassion built acceptance of this long-rejected part   
• Facing discomfort brought unexpected healing after years fruitless fighting

As someone who has struggled with constant, embarrassing motor tics for over 20 years, the idea of videotaping my tics and watching them back fills me with dread. Like many dealing with Tourette's, I tend to avoid facing just how uncontrollable and pervasive my tics are on a daily basis. Out of sight, out of mind has been my coping mechanism.

But recently, I've realized that hiding from my tics has only increased my shame and isolation over the years. The more I pretend they aren't there, the more power and mystery they hold over me. I've decided it's finally time to turn towards this longtime foe with self-compassion as my tool.

So I set up my phone's camera, took a few deep breaths to calm my anxiety, and hit record. Watching back the...

Key Takeaways:

• Integration of Practices into Daily Life
• The Power of Breath
• The Continuous Journey Towards Peace

Today, I wanted to share something that touches on a common thread among many of us dealing with motor tics, chronic tics, or Tourette's. It's about the profound impact of our mindset and lifestyle on our condition and the real, tangible possibility of healing.

I received an email recently from a student of my course that struck a chord with me, and I believe her experiences and questions will resonate with many of you. She's been applying the techniques I share—finding peace and calm through yoga, meditation, and physical activity. Yet, she finds herself grappling with the resurgence of stress and, consequently, her facial tics, once the tranquility from those practices fades in the face of daily life's demands.

Her struggle is a vivid illustration of a challenge many of us face: maintaining a state of inner peace amidst the chaos of daily responsibilities and str...

Key Takeaways:

• Tics knot muscle tissue; massage slowly untwinds decades of accumulated tension 
• Self-massage is embodiment; tending rejected areas fosters integration
• Loving touch transforms cries for attention into healing invitations 

As someone who struggled with constant full-body motor tics for over 20 years, I know firsthand how much pent-up trauma gets locked in the muscles and fascia where the spasms occur thousands of times daily. The areas around my tics have been knotted up for so long, they feel like concrete.

I’ve found regularly massaging and pressing into these tense spots helps break up that accumulated tension in a way nothing else can. It’s painful yet profoundly healing - like wringing toxicity out of my own body.

I recently had a massage where the therapist skillfully found each knotted muscle group associated with my various tics. Using fingers and elbows, he patiently worked out the layers of tightness with the perfect amount of pressure. I visualized t...