Obsession

If you have already stopped self-injuring, you may be shocked that you are still obsessed with the idea of self-injuring. Despite the fact that you no longer harm yourself, hurting yourself has been a huge part of your life and it was your primary coping mechanism. It's only natural that you will still think of it. You have to give yourself permission to think about it. Once you realize that it is okay for you to think about, you will no longer feel bad for thinking about it, and you will no longer obsess over self-injuring.

Getting Over It

Make sure you have someone that you can call immediately if you need to. Be sure the person understands your history with SI. Understand that under no circumstances are you going to injure yourself.

Now, designate two 15-minute time per day when you will be alone and able to think without being interrupted. Be sure that you are in a safe place. Set a timer for the designated amount of time and allow yourself to obsess about self-injury. Think about what the pain would feel like and how you would feel afterwards. Allow yourself to think about how much you want to cut -- all those thoughts you've been trying to suppress. Allow yourself to get as distressed as possible while remaining focused on the topic of injuring yourself. After the first few sessions of this you will probably find that you get really bored toward the end of your time period. That's a good sign! It means you're becoming habituated.

Don't think about SI after the time has expired. Acknowledge your thoughts, but also remind yourself that you can think about them later, when the time you've set aside to think about SI comes. Don't ignore your thoughts, just remind yourself they will have their own time later, and let go. After about a week you will notice an improvement. Your obsession with self-injuring will lessen greatly. You have to get through the exposure without resorting to the old behavior. Use distraction and substitution for SI (ritual) prevention.

next: Talk