The trich monster

Some of us older trichsters sometimes talk of a trich monster.  No, we don't actually believe that there is a monster living within us.... but personally, it makes it easier for me to cope with trich.  To me, the trich monster is that faulty gene, or chromosone, or the allergy or the brain hiccup or whatever you want to call it, but it is the reason for my pulling.   I - Amanda - it isn't me who wants to pull, because it is something I thought of doing one day when I had nothing else to do.  No, I believe I was born with something within me (a gene, chromosone, or something), that causes trich in my body,.  It is this trich monster who makes me want to do this.  Yes of course, I have to control it, I can't sit back and think:  Oh well, it isn't my fault, it is the trich monster making me do it.   So in that sense, I still have to take control of my body and mind (somehow) and fight the urges.  BUT I didn't cause it.  The trich monster causes this need in my body to pull out my hair.  I wrote the piece below to explain to someone how I experience the trich monster and the effect that the John Kender diet has on it.

Ok, let's imagine we do have a trich monster in our bodies. I think the diet is like a sleeping pill to
it... it keeps it out of action... it is still there, but it is dormant.... not really doing it's evil work. But now you eat a 'bad food'. This wakes up the monster, and it becomes like a hyperactive child, and it starts jumping up and down and talking to me. Hey, you have nice course and kinky hair... yes, there
right on top, oh, there is one that you'll love! If you stroke it, it will give you a real thrill.... go ahead, do it, you will love it! And if you pull it, you will even get a root... and bla bla bla - no futher details... you know
the story. Oh, and look at that grey hair on that person's eyebrow... surely it doesn't belong there? See how it stands out between the others? That really looks ugly... yukk.. who wants a grey hair inbetween the others? Go ahead, pull it out! Hey, you're actually doing that person a favour... surely he wouldn't want a grey eyebrow hair inbetween the black ones? Oh, and while you're at it.... don't you maybe have a grey hair or two? Go ahead, there is a mirror.... you know, grey is ugly! You would be doing yourself and the world a favour if you pull it out. Imagine how ugly a grey hair looks to you, you don't want to do that to the world, do you? You don't want other people to be bugged by your grey hair, do you? Oh, see, there is another one... and another one... and another one. Wow, you're doing good... you're getting rid of all the ugly stuff on your hair. Proud of you! And so on and so on. And you all know how the monster work, the more you feed him hair, (and roots) the more he wants! And he'll make sure he gets it. I found that if we starve the trich monster and don't feed him any hair and roots, he gets quieter. But boy, give him hair and roots... man, he goes crazy, he just wants more and more. Now, if we can keep the 'bad foods' away from him, those foods that make him hyperactive, then we can get him to go to sleep again...... maybe he can hybernate? Let's starve that monster, let's keep him in a coma, what do you
think? We may not have the solution to kill him yet, BUT we may have some help in keepin him in a coma