Welcome to the self injury room

Preslee.Denton · Mar 06, 2014, 11:58 PM

Thank you for creating this forum. I know that it is a touchy subject that people don't like to talk about and not many people understand.
My family doesn't get it. They don't understand why I do what I do. So, it's hard for me to talk to them when I want to engage. I try my best not to.
In a lot of ways, I think that it's not exactly something to be ashamed of. People need a way to cope, and that's what we do. We cope in the ways that we know how. Does that make it right? No. But we do what we need to so that we can get through whatever crisis we are in.
I have been a self harmer since I was 15. My first time wasn't an accident, and I got addicted to it. Now, I do it in beautiful ways: Tattoos, and piercings. My family doesn't understand that this is my way of coping. But I need the pain. I'm trying really hard to rewire my brain as to not think of engaging as a proper coping mechanism, but it's hard.
I have been "sober" for two months now. I engaged when I was at my mom's because I was mad. Everyone was mad at me, I was mad at me. So I engaged and I hid it for a while. Now I'm trying to make sure that I don't do it again. The urge is hard. But, I'm trying to fight it.
That's my peace. Thanks for adding the forum.

gpaypay · Nov 07, 2014, 01:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DocJohn

Hi folks,

I'm often a little wary or concerned when asked to create this forum, because I'm afraid that it will feed the self injury behavior rather than be a support or help to its members.

Having said that, I did create the room and hope that all of you make supportive, helpful, and as positive as possible use of it. I hope you find it helpful to talk to one another to find a way to reduce the self injury behavior, rather than just sharing it with one another.

Please take care of yourself and each other.

Best,
John

PS - Please use the trigger icon for your post if it has triggering material in it. This is new as of August, 2003. Thank you and take care.

I think the self harm room will help people struggling with the idea of hurting themselves.

Mar 24, 2015, 01:05 PM

I needed a place to go today and this is the place I went. I am grateful it was available to me.

frstevlwtch01 · 03:36 AM

Hi, I'm new to this forum and to Psych Central. I've been a self mutilator for 17 years.

Possible trigger:

I cut my left wrist usually with an exacto knife.

I've never been a part of a support system for this, so hopefully this will give me the support I need

iwillbecomeanauthor · Jun 17, 2015, 06:41 PM

I love the idea of this room. Talking to people who have never SH'd before can be like talking to a wall when it comes to the desire to cut. I'm looking forward to trying to use this resource.

mmja2004 · Jan 11, 2016, 12:30 AM

Hello. I was glad to find this thread as self injury has been an issue for me. Was able to manage for several years until recently hoping to find support as this behavior is my most embarrassing and most difficult to talk about.

Zulu_mx · Feb 18, 2016, 08:08 PM

Thanks for creating this forum.

I do have this behaviour, every now and then depending on how angry I'm with myself I hurt. Sometimes I even want to kill me. I just don't like myself. I felt myself poorly accepted in my own family and then my classmates didn't like me. I think that made me really angry about who I was, and my feelings, myself, etc. I started hating myself since then, I was 12. It's been really hard for me to understand myself and, find my own opinions, my vocation, my likes and dislikes. I tried to be someone else..., It's hard. This behavior is more common than we think. Thank you for creating this forum so we can express ourselves. Thanks !!

btladtf9890 · Mar 11, 2016, 01:28 PM

This is a tricky topic. I believe it is a symptom, not a cause. That said, I still feel the shame and stigma. I'm an adult; I mean, really, an adult, and I should have given up such behavior as a teenager. At least, I tell myself this, until I do something drastic; again. I use this as a means of coping with the anger, the anxiety, the hate, and the hopelessness. I find that once I see blood, I can take a few deep breaths, and function again. The problem is the tendency is engrained in my mind, and when I do something truly drastic, such as drinking, my actions of 'making blood' become much more detrimental. I am interested to know if this is a common occurrence amongst adults of advanced age (which group I have to place myself in, though I still think I'm twenty-one half the time). Perhaps I simply don't want to feel so alone.

Mar 11, 2016, 02:26 PM

I can't help but wonder how many of us started self-injuring by picking at wounds left on us after being beaten by our abusers?

I know that's when I started, and that was before I was even 5 or 6 years old.

I'm 56 years old now and engage in it very little now, but it's still a go to when I find myself under a lot of stress or anxiety.

I find it extremely difficult to undo something that became so deeply ingrained as a coping mechanism for all the @#$%! I was living in during my childhood, adolescence and early adulthood.

At any rate, however we came to be self-injurers, I'm hoping that by us being aware of it now that most of us are well on our way to finding healthier ways to cope and deal without adding more scars on top of all the scars we already have.

Not that those scars are anything to be ashamed of ... They have helped to tell our stories when we weren't allowed or couldn't find the words to!

Welcome to the self injury room

Sincerely,
Pfrog!

Grad0507 · Mar 11, 2016, 03:10 PM

I heard that there's a correlation between nailbiting and self-injury

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hd2t8z · Mar 20, 2016, 05:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DocJohn

Hi folks,

I'm often a little wary or concerned when asked to create this forum, because I'm afraid that it will feed the self injury behavior rather than be a support or help to its members.

Having said that, I did create the room and hope that all of you make supportive, helpful, and as positive as possible use of it. I hope you find it helpful to talk to one another to find a way to reduce the self injury behavior, rather than just sharing it with one another.

Please take care of yourself and each other.

Best,
John

PS - Please use the trigger icon for your post if it has triggering material in it. This is new as of August, 2003. Thank you and take care.

Hi John, I'm cutting today. Want to cry,but cutting is less painful.

wolfspun · Apr 09, 2016, 04:14 PM

I'm hoping this is the right place to post this. I started slicing my wrist a lot in the last 2 months. I've only did it in the last 20yrs about 12 times. I cut more when the voices get to loud to distract them. I don't really understand why now I feel this is the only way to stay alive.

Sep 29, 2016, 12:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DocJohn

Hi folks,

I'm often a little wary or concerned when asked to create this forum, because I'm afraid that it will feed the self injury behavior rather than be a support or help to its members.

Having said that, I did create the room and hope that all of you make supportive, helpful, and as positive as possible use of it. I hope you find it helpful to talk to one another to find a way to reduce the self injury behavior, rather than just sharing it with one another.

Please take care of yourself and each other.

Best,
John

PS - Please use the trigger icon for your post if it has triggering material in it. This is new as of August, 2003. Thank you and take care.

Hi. Like most people on here im afraid to admit to others that i self injure. Im 15 and this forum could possibly be a good outlet for my problems. But the main reason im scared to open up is because of what people will think of me. Ive already had someone tell me in person that they and nobody cares and another lerson not take me seriously and make a joke out of it. This wouldnt hurt me so bad if they were random people, but no they happen to be my family

Oct 04, 2016, 08:40 AM

I want to know... is self harm wrong?

notz · Oct 07, 2016, 02:18 PM

Hi DaX11,

You will get a better response from others if you create your own thread. Click on the Self Injury words at the top of the page and it will take you to the overall forum. On the upper left side of the page you will see "New Thread." Click on that and start your thread! If you have any problems, let me know!

Kuvira654 · Oct 28, 2016, 03:12 PM

I can't take this anymore. I want to cut myself. I hate my life and I hate this world.

PlainJaneDoe · Nov 25, 2016, 06:14 PM

I am 34 and I self-injure, nothing extreme, when I am angry with myself or frustrated, and especially when I feel helpless. I know it isn't healthy and I don't want to cause myself permanent damage. I don't know what to do. I am too ashamed to admit this to anyone because I feel like a child throwing a tantrum. I feel so frustrated and helpless. I need alternatives.

catlover21 · Apr 27, 2017, 09:13 PM

I just self injured for the first time in over a year. I feel ashamed but it did make me feel a lot better.

AmandaBroken · Apr 27, 2017, 09:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by catlover21

I just self injured for the first time in over a year. I feel ashamed but it did make me feel a lot better.

I am sorry you had this issue that made you cut but remember how long you went without cutting. That is a great accomplishment and you should be proud. I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers. I offer you a gentle hug

and a soft embrace. Please be Safe. I'm here if you need to talk...

Amanda

Buffy01 · Feb 17, 2018, 08:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DocJohn

Hi folks,

I'm often a little wary or concerned when asked to create this forum, because I'm afraid that it will feed the self injury behavior rather than be a support or help to its members.

Having said that, I did create the room and hope that all of you make supportive, helpful, and as positive as possible use of it. I hope you find it helpful to talk to one another to find a way to reduce the self injury behavior, rather than just sharing it with one another.

Please take care of yourself and each other.

Best,
John

PS - Please use the trigger icon for your post if it has triggering material in it. This is new as of August, 2003. Thank you and take care.

thanks for the advice

Jun 04, 2018, 09:21 AM

I want to stop it but I don't know how to.

oncetwicethreetimes · 12:25 AM

I HAVE DESCRIPTIONS AHEAD BUT I DON'T KNOW WHERE THE TRIGGER BUTTON IS, PLEASE TAKE CARE
-

Possible trigger:

I once tested out an exact-o knife on my thumb out of curiousity while I was working on a project. How well would it cut? How long would it take to heal? Would it hurt that much? There're lots of nerve endings in your fingers. Found out, not gonna try again.

Sometimes I used to shower in just hot water, and feel my body become cold and numb. There was one time where I was filled with angry, hateful emotions, so I bit into my arm- not a mouthful but like a pinch. Then I wondered if I could bite through- since humans are capable of biting through bone. It was a unique feel so I did it a few more times. Unfortunately, I was left with some tiny scars, but they aren't noticeable in the least.

I remember whenever I had paper, I would run it over myself to see if it would cut. School friends would laugh and shake their head. Kids do dumb things all the time. This was not so different- testing the limits.

When one of my metal snap hair clips snapped (ironically), one of the part was sharp. I ran it over my legs. It was fascinating really how a touch and a drag could incite a tingle throughout. I realized later on that I had red lines crossing the expanse of my thighs. It was dark so I didn't realize how much pressure I was putting.

-
There are just some I can think of right now. I never ever considered what I have done to be self-harm, but when I've read what others have said their definition of it included, I wondered to myself: Is it?
I've never done it to relieve myself or anything. Merely out of curiosity, experimenting. I think if you're counting by emotions, maybe the shower incident would fit.

Jul 10, 2020, 06:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ;13270

I have been on the net since almost before AOL started, so you might say I have seen/heard of and read of everything, but recently I am seeing more and more forums devoted to totally bizarre things I can't fathom, I mean tatoos were bad enough... Maybe Dr Grohol can type some kind of professional opinion as a mental health practitioner.

Without going into details, I am seeing forums like personal web sites, blogs, postings, photos, entire forums just like this one with dozens or hundreds of users, and that sort of thing describing the author's fettish/want for etc., torture, pain, serious permanent self surgery such as becoming a eunich or worse, piercing, mutilation, amputation, slavery, being severely spanked, being humiliated, being treated like a dog, and seriously disturbing things involving body waste, injections and so on.

I find this stuff and I just can't believe it, and over and over I can't help but ask myself what is wrong with these people????

To me I see some serious psychological problems that I am certain go to early childhood, especially the spanking to the point where there is actual skin damage!
I thought I saw everything and I'm real open minded but this kind of thing is absolutely something that cries out; HELP ME!!!!!

I can't possibly think of anything other than that- some severe childhood trauma the person may not even remember, and a cry for help coming out in adulthood manifesting itself with these kinds of self-defeating damaging activities.

I can sort of understand "cutting" as it applies to people who might be HERE, depressed etc, but that is not what I'm seeing, I'm seeing more of a boastfull "Hey, look what I did, isn't that cool!!"

I don't get it, anyone want to offer some insite from a professional perspective?

i think you may be describing me as one who is amongst the worst of what you are talking about. and i agree with you 100%. since you are a guest, i hope you return to see my reply. i don’t like any of the bad stuff i’ve done and for much of my life my sexuality as feminine desires has been a humiliating and haunting thing with sex with other men as torment and torture but here i am discovering that i can try to be a woman at least on this site and i’m actually finding comfort and thinking maybe all the other self harm stuff may fade away. i really feel good here about my feminine side and allowing it to take over. i’m hoping that there is still a chance to actually have a sex change. it seems very right. so maybe other people can also find ways that may not seem totally away from self harm or “bad” but actually turn out to be good and helpful.. i’ll be happy to become a woman if that stops my self harm and i just think i really want to be female too. it fits me right. maybe not being a woman is why i self harmed to begin with. what do you think?

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