Posted by geekUK on July 1, 2001, at 4:46:26
In reply to cutting, posted by josiejo on June 30, 2001, at 18:25:43
I was going to start with 'once apon a time', but that will take to long. hell its about me. I may not be a typical self harmer as well as am male, (in 'about' 1 1/2 year cutting remition ).
coping mechanism yes, I think of it like crying. I dont think there is any reson to regard it any different. Think the lows of depression and pain, then think adrenaline and endorphins. its a little more complex than that, all cutters have there own tack. but during the act you cant focus on anything but the act- so no raceing bad thoughts. you see damage/ blood- you look a bit closer to how you feel, afterward there is an endorphin effect- a state of relaxation and freedom for 20ish seconds, tipcaly the time when i tryed to sleep. I never show anyone the scars I where long sleeves all year even in summer, have done so for 6 odd years, nobody noticed!
summary
a method of transfering mental pain to physical pain.
You should look beyond the self harm in your freind, its very confusing to read anything about how things are underneath from quantity or depth of cuts, just look at the other symptoms and monitor for increases in s.h. behaviour-tied to mood changes
poster:geekUK
thread:68525
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010701/msgs/68591.html