AngelGirl - First off, I think it's really admirable for you to want to be educated on this. Most people aren't, and it's sad considering what an epidemic it's becoming. However, if you are doing this because you are considering trying it or wish to know what its going to be like if/when you do - I'm going to tell you right now DON'T. Not even a little. Not even to test, or to see 'what its like'. Please let us know what your intentions were with these questions, so we don't feel as if we are helping you to begin SI'ing.

I'm going to answer your questions from my personal experiences...

1. Doesn't it hurt?
For me, yes. It does hurt, but the ends justifys the means. When I do it, the pain is something to focus on and have as real. When your mind is going a million different places at once, all you want to do it stop it and focus. Apparently pain does that pretty well. And the relief I get just from having that one thing to focus on...I don't know. It's always been really hard for me to explain. Sorry.

2. What do you do?
For the sake of others and myself, this isn't something to go into. However, if you think about it, it's pretty self explanatory.

3. Isn't it dangerous?
EXTREMELY. But like I said before, you aren't worried about the danger you're causing yourself, you're focused on stopping whatever it is thats so unbearable you can't function. The problem with SI is it gets worse over time, and the injuries become more severe either because the SI'er doesn't know just how badly they are hurting themselves, and to dissociated to feel the pain, or more injuries and/or blood are needed in order to give them the relief they crave.

4. Do you ever have to get stitches? If so, what do you tell them at the ER?
Never had to get stitches. Maybe should have once.

5. Is it done to kill emotional pain? If so, does it work?
For me that's what it's for, and yes, it does work. But it's so completely temporary that it might as well not work at all. The pain will always come back, and the cutter (in my case) will continue to do it until they figure out the real reasons they are doing it in the first place. I guess the easiest way to put it is 'emotional pain' but for the SI'er it's so much more than that. Everyone experiences emotional pain, but the severity combined with the fact that the SI'er simply hasn't learned appropriate coping skills were probably always a disaster in the making.

I hope I helped you, and again, please let us know what your intentions are with these answers. PM me if theres anything else you wish to know.

(P.S. One question you neglected to ask is how you feel afterwards. So I'll ask it and answer it. Immediately, it's relief. Then give it a while (in my case usually the next morning, or sometimes hours from the moment) and you experience shame, guilt, and a couple hard hits to your self esteem. And these feelings are probably just as intense as before you self injured, and that intensity was the reason you self injured. The cycle never ends, and it's horrible. Like I said, never ever ever experiment or try because it'll suck you up and swallow you hole my friend. Self injury giveth, and self injury taketh away.)