I think polyvagal theory provides not only validation of the "character armor" theory of hair loss, but also solutions. I won't go too in depth on polyvagal theory, but the idea is that the autonomic nervous system becomes dysregulated when we don't have a genuine sense of safety in a relationship with another person. This is often linked to trauma, developmental trauma, neglect, or just plain lack of connection with our parents in early life. This can result in a whole spectrum of health problems.
There are many videos of Stephen Porges explaining polyvagal theory, and he's written books if you prefer. Here's a video I personally found very insightful (though the main topic is misophonia):
So that's the first part...
The second part of this is that I suspect it's not so much muscle tension, but sympathetic mediated blood vessel constriction creating lack of circulation to the hair follicles (which I think can feel like muscle tension in the scalp... I have more thoughts on this). It is known that sympathetic arousal (i.e. fight or flight, which can become chronic) restricts blood flow to tissues which are less important in emergency situations (an obvious example of this is your fingers getting cold when you're nervous.) I'll admit that a big part of what's driving this theory for me is something I've experienced maybe 5 times in the past year: when I found myself in a really good state, relaxing and feeling good, and I began to feel really safe, I had a sudden feeling that was as if all the fine blood vessels in my skin relaxed and opened up. This feeling was like a sudden wave all over my body. And considering my chronic sympathetic activation, which has become very obvious to me, my history of trauma/developmental trauma, the character armor I have in probably every relationship, and all the health problems I've had which are linked to autonomic dysregulation, I think it all ties together in a coherent way.
So those are my thoughts. I couldn't tell you if my hair is going to stop falling out but what is clear is that my nervous system is not healed, it is going to take time, and that's a much bigger issue than my hair. (Not to imply that I suddenly care less about my hair). I might suggest looking at videos by Irene Lyon, who seems to have a thorough understanding of "the new traumatology" as she's called it (though she seems to be geared toward selling expensive courses, which I don't like), and also the work of Peter Levine, who created "Somatic Experiencing" therapy, and also has good videos on YouTube and books. I will tell you though, I personally like listening to Stephen Porges the most.
I've been doing SE which has really helped to deepen my understanding of this stuff and I might suggest looking for a practitioner, there are many of them around the world.
There are many videos of Stephen Porges explaining polyvagal theory, and he's written books if you prefer. Here's a video I personally found very insightful (though the main topic is misophonia):
So that's the first part...
The second part of this is that I suspect it's not so much muscle tension, but sympathetic mediated blood vessel constriction creating lack of circulation to the hair follicles (which I think can feel like muscle tension in the scalp... I have more thoughts on this). It is known that sympathetic arousal (i.e. fight or flight, which can become chronic) restricts blood flow to tissues which are less important in emergency situations (an obvious example of this is your fingers getting cold when you're nervous.) I'll admit that a big part of what's driving this theory for me is something I've experienced maybe 5 times in the past year: when I found myself in a really good state, relaxing and feeling good, and I began to feel really safe, I had a sudden feeling that was as if all the fine blood vessels in my skin relaxed and opened up. This feeling was like a sudden wave all over my body. And considering my chronic sympathetic activation, which has become very obvious to me, my history of trauma/developmental trauma, the character armor I have in probably every relationship, and all the health problems I've had which are linked to autonomic dysregulation, I think it all ties together in a coherent way.
So those are my thoughts. I couldn't tell you if my hair is going to stop falling out but what is clear is that my nervous system is not healed, it is going to take time, and that's a much bigger issue than my hair. (Not to imply that I suddenly care less about my hair). I might suggest looking at videos by Irene Lyon, who seems to have a thorough understanding of "the new traumatology" as she's called it (though she seems to be geared toward selling expensive courses, which I don't like), and also the work of Peter Levine, who created "Somatic Experiencing" therapy, and also has good videos on YouTube and books. I will tell you though, I personally like listening to Stephen Porges the most.
I've been doing SE which has really helped to deepen my understanding of this stuff and I might suggest looking for a practitioner, there are many of them around the world.