All about self injury, self-mutilation. What is self-injury? Why do people self injure, self-harm? How to stop.

Every night I burn
Every night I call your name
Every night I burn
Every night I fall again
Burn - The Cure

If you Self Injure, you are not the only one!

What is Self-Injury?

Self Injury (SI) is a coping mechanism, just like smoking cigarettes, alcoholism, drug abuse, overeating, anorexia, bulimia, over-exercising, etc.

"Self-injury is a self-preservation technique for many cutters; the self-mutilation relieves anxiety and/or depersonalization symptoms which could lead to psychosis or suicide if not alleviated. Self-harm can be focusing, calming. It can give a person a feeling of control over their lives and their bodies which they have experienced no other way. People trying to help cutters should not try to take this coping mechanism away from the cutters without helping them first come to terms with things that trigger incidents and learning new, healthier coping mechanisms with which to replace the old ones."

"For many self-injurers, self-mutilation seems the only appropriate response to the state of the world and to how they're feeling about it and about themselves. Many self-injurers are extremely intelligent, sensitive, and creative people who have a hypersensitivity to the world around them."

next: My Story