therapists don't always focus on self injury because alot of times focusing on those cravings and urges makes the person want to do it even more. what happens when a person is told for example don't look up whats their first instinct? to look up. Self injury works the same way the more a therapist tries to force a client to look at what they are doing to themselves the more they think about doing it if for anything else but to prove to the therapist "you can't tell me what to do attitude".

Therapists know that the reason most people have these problems of doing Self harm behavior is because they don't have other coping skills to use under stress and triggers so the therapist instead focuses on teaching the client how to manage their day to day problems which in turn takes care of the self injury behavior.

Also therapists gear their sessions based on what each client needs and brings in to them. if the client does not bring up their self harm behavior then the therapist figures everything is fine in that area. They are not mind readers. they leave it up to the client to let them know what they want to work on. So basically if you want to talk more about your self harm behaviors you are going to need to bring up the topic when you want to talk about it. Therapists doing things this way isn't because they don't care it is because that is how they are trained - to focus on what the client brings into the room.

So basically if you want to talk more about your self harm behaviors you are going to need to bring up the topic when you want to talk about it and what you want her to help you with on that topic - do you want a list of facilities that work with self harm? do you want her to help you come up with other activities you can do instead? Right now she is following your lead you don't bring it up very often and have not voiced what you want and need from her so she is keeping her replies and actions to the general acceptance and actions until she knows where YOU want to take the topic and your behaviors.

LL from time to time checks in with me about it because I have already told her that is ok. that she won't know with in 24 hour time frame of any self injury behaviors because I know that if she did know of my self injury within that 24 hour time period she would have grounds to approach her supervisor for starting involuntary commitment process to a mental health unit. And I know that this agency follows the nation wide and this states mental health guidelines that anyone that is a danger to themself and or others must be arrested or referred to the local ER for an evaluation for involuntary commitment.

But like today when she aksed how my fight against self harm was going I admitted to her that ytea I still have those urges and still have some forms of self injury in my life. I was a bit evasive as to how long ago the last action was by saying I haven't cut in a year and a half and thats all that matters. and the last other self injury was a month or two ago. (Well technically it wasn't a whole month ago but hey september and october ARE two different months. just my wierd logic kicking in today in therapy. its been one of those days where from the get go. LOL. She asked if what I do right now was less severe then the cutting and I admitted to a "yea slightly" and she said thats progress and we wnet on to other topics what though I don't know because the static in my head got loud and I floated off, I vaguely remember her bringing up the house project to that is probably what the trigger was.

Anyway LL would not have brought my self injury stuff up if I hadn't previously told her it was ok that she checks in with me about it from time to time.

Talk with your therapist and let her know you want to talk about it more and what you need and want from her and most likely she will help you more on this topic.