thoughts?
opinions?

discuss

everyone should try it.

lol
how many times?

It sux. It exists.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tosca

lol
how many times?

at least once.

why does it suck?

always analyse on a case-by-case basis.
as with many things, nobody wins with generalisations here.

the concept has been so simultaneously romanticised and vilified that it is rarely clear how individuals personally experience self-harm and why they choose to use it.

what surprises me is a common reaction that the self-harmer is 'attention-seeking' in a dishonourable (unfashionable?) way, therefore they should be ignored.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tosca

why does it suck?

coz it hertz

iratei: some might say that the physical pain is good, that it stops the emotional pain, because that hurts so much more

arc7: in some ways, for some people, it might be less attention seeking, and more a cry for help

I totally agree, I have worked with a few self harmers and the origins of this activity usually runs very deep. To dismiss self harm as attention seeking is an unfortunate path to take.

Quote:

Originally Posted by arc7

always analyse on a case-by-case basis.
as with many things, nobody wins with generalisations here.

the concept has been so simultaneously romanticised and vilified that it is rarely clear how individuals personally experience self-harm and why they choose to use it.

what surprises me is a common reaction that the self-harmer is 'attention-seeking' in a dishonourable (unfashionable?) way, therefore they should be ignored.

I'm not proud to admit it but the very thought of it makes me queasy

in what capacity have you worked with selfharmers

i like that everyone is being all respectful and stuff. selfharmers tend to get alot of hate for what is essentially just a coping mechanism like drinking alot of alcohol, or taking alot of drugs

how does it make you queasy cami?
why?

stomach churns and fingers tingle like they do before you faint. It is strange. I cut into people on a daily basis as part of my work.... but the thought of them doing a bit of DIY really makes me feel strange.

Quote:

Originally Posted by camiseta

I'm not proud to admit it but the very thought of it makes me queasy

i'd say that's a pretty acceptable response. it's not like you're offending anyone, you're just reacting to it as you naturally would.
it turns my blood to ice when i find out someone i know is hurting themselves.
i think many people would feel the same. it's frightening.

what do you do as work cami?

yeah its frightening because you didnt know that they were feeling like that and you couldnt do anything to help. makes you feel useless i guess

It can be an artform if done correctly

very very true.

hard to tell if you were being serious.
were you?

if you have to think about it, you're not gonna do it
it's a compulsion, like anorexia or updating your facebook status

how do you mean?
further explanation required

bored at work Tosca?

bored at home actually. i have not the job, unless you count learning lines as work.
:/

im not into that

good for you. selfharmers get alot of hate

im very chatty today arent i?

I was a self harmer when I was younger.

I would have been what many of you would refer to as a " cutter".
I didn't cut for attention. Infact the very opposite. Most people would have never suspected I was one.

I would wear two jumpers in the summer time and long pants to school, to hide what I had done.

Over the years- I have thought alot about what I used to do as a child and a teen.
To me, cutting myself, was a form of self control.
I couldnt control the outside world and it's demands, but I could control my body and my reaction to pain.
Also- having a physical pain, I could focus on- made me feel that I was feeling something "real", as opposed to the confusion and uncertainty brought about by emotional pain.

right, much like anorexia - and facebook

Have been there before and I still have a nasty permanent scar on my left shoulder/upper arm from a smilie gone wrong...had a stove lighter and let the flame burn then pressed the hot metal onto my skin, the marks used to go in a day or so but this one time I held the flame on too much and it really burned badly....that was in 2003. Even if I get a tattoo over it, the scar will still show.

Then again, I also smoked tobacco for 6 years and a bit of pot every so often and used to drink a lot so as long as we are talking about self-harming behaviour....lol

Yes.

Anorexia is the favoured eating disorder for people who wish to maintain control.
Bulimia- is often favoured by people who feel that their lives are chaotic and out of control.

Anorexics often experience a "spiritual" high from their self denial.