2 of 9

Write now Article Tools

For those who have never been inclined towards self harm, it is difficult to understand self injury. While this article will in no way be complete, it is intended to provide information about what self injury is not as well as about what self injury is.

Self injury is not:
Self injury is not often an attempt to take one's own life.

Self injury is, among other things, scratching, burning, bruising, cutting the skin, an insulin-dependent diabetic not injecting insulin and - to a lesser extent - smoking, drinking or engaging in other behaviors that are known to cause harm to the body.

Self injury is not:
Self injury is not a one time occurrence.

Self injury is repetitive and is coming to be recognized as an addictive behavior.

Understanding self injury is difficult even for those who engage in the behavior. It is hard to understand why someone would intentionally do something that could cause harm.

However there are a number of reasons why individuals choose to self injure. For some, it brings them back to a place where they feel that they can focus. For some, self injury allows them to take the pain and frustration that they are feeling and to place it outside of them, on the surface.

Those who self injure may do so in order to stop feeling. They may do so as a way of dissociating from an experience or even a memory. They may do so as a way of coping or as a means of communicating that they are somehow feeling badly or wrong.

What is important to understand is that those who self injure need to be supported and efforts need to be made to break the habit of self injury. These efforts include:
1. Helping the individual to understand what he or she is feeling;
2. Helping the individual to become comfortable with his or her feelings;
3. Being supportive, let the individual know that you are there and that you care;
4. Focusing on the person, not their behaviors; and
5. Allowing him or her to feel that you are not taking away his or her control.

Learn more about this author, loveinvented.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

Add your voice

Know something about Comprehending self injury?
We want to hear your view. Write now!