Do you, or those you care about, do things to harm themselves? Clark and Henslin wrote a book about cutting, from which I have only read excerpts. It seems a very insightful read. It is titled Inside a Cutter's Mind: Understanding and Helping Those Who Self-Injure. In it they write:
We have all experienced feelings that threaten to overwhelm us. This is true: The self injurer you love is more like you than you may imagine. You both fear. You both have felt helpless. You both have found some way to face life. All of us release tension in some way. We laugh. We cry. We may pound the pavement on a hard-core run. We may scream or lash out at others. Some people wound themselves. And whether a person heads to the gym or the casino; seeks relief in food, drug, or drink; works overtime; shops the time away; or cuts his or her own skin; any method of dealing with pain can become dangerously harmful....Every one of us has been and is continually tempted to protect the self, escape pain, and numb ourselves to that which could destroy us.
They share so many other insightful views into understanding why people cut as well as how and why all of us self-harm. These authors remind us that cutting is: 1) not a failed suicide attempt, 2) not only a girl's issue, 3) it is not merely a problem for teens, and 4) that pain is not the point of self-injury. How helpful to have so many of these myths debunked!
It is also a powerful read for those who might not realize how common self-harm really is. Whether it is cutting, burning, pricking, hitting, even tattooing or peircing, or any other form of self-injury, you are not alone in what you feel and experience. Knowing that you are not the only one who has every felt the way you do can sometimes take the isolation out the pain you feel. You still ache, and you may still feel ugly and unlovable, but at least you know others have been there too. No, you're not going crazy. You're not experiencing something so awful and atrocious that no one has ever been as far gone as you are. Instead, they have and are battling with the same things you are. They're fighting the good fight and need your companionship on the journey. It is hard, maybe impossible, to go it alone...so reach out and take the hand that is being offered. It's time to realize others out there are speaking the same words you are in the dark spaces.
If you or someone you love or care about wrestles with self-injury, and it would be helpful to speak with someone, then please pick up the phone and call someone for support. My contact information is available on this blog, and there are many others out there who can be of some support. Not everyone is educated in the area of self-harm, so be sure you ask specific questions and find someone who is able to connect with you in personal caring way.
