Request for help
Hey guys!
I’ve posted this in several other places across the web and I hope this is allowed here. I'm just trying to get this out to as many different people as possible.
I’m a self-harmer; specifically a cutter. Technically in recovery now, after seven years. A few weeks ago, there was an incident in my life where someone I believed was a close friend told some other people about my cutting. I was, and still am, very upset and angry, because it isn’t something I like people outside of my family to know. It also didn’t really help that one of these people was very judgmental. She pretty much told me that I was being very silly and that no one would ever love me if I didn’t stop.
But it did make me stop and think. Why do people judge people like me for what we can’t help doing? Why do they think we are silly for turning our emotional pain on ourselves? Why do they believe that we should just be able to stop?
Because most of them don’t know or understand anything about the issue of self-injury. It is not a commonly talked about subject, and there aren’t that many books written about it. Looking in bookstores, even big ones, I have found many books about eating disorders, depression in general and drug and alcohol abuse, but very few about self-injury.
So what can be done about it?
I think we need a book that does what a lot of other books don’t. A book that expresses how people like me feel about our own self-injury, in our own words. As an aspiring writer, I intend to try and put together that book. But I do need help.
If you are, or have been, involved in the act of self-injury, at any point in your life, I am asking you to share your experiences - completely anonymously, of course - with the aim of making our voices heard and maybe helping people to understand why we do what we do. I don’t have any particular questions in mind - anything anyone wants to share is absolutely fine, whether it is a true story or poetry or even a journal entry. Anything that you feel might help other people understand even just a little more.
I am also interested in hearing from the people who don’t harm themselves, but have been exposed to it in some other way - like through a friend or relative. Even if you haven’t been directly exposed but would still like to share your thoughts on the subject, I would like to hear from you.
The only personal details I require are a name - a first name, a made up name, a pen name, just something non-identifying that I can use to refer to you - and your age, or at least a rough idea of what age group you are in.
I would be incredibly grateful to anyone who wishes to help out. Please send any contributions to me at silver15@ntlworld.com. Before January 31st if possible. If you have any more questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.
Thank you for reading.
I’ve posted this in several other places across the web and I hope this is allowed here. I'm just trying to get this out to as many different people as possible.
I’m a self-harmer; specifically a cutter. Technically in recovery now, after seven years. A few weeks ago, there was an incident in my life where someone I believed was a close friend told some other people about my cutting. I was, and still am, very upset and angry, because it isn’t something I like people outside of my family to know. It also didn’t really help that one of these people was very judgmental. She pretty much told me that I was being very silly and that no one would ever love me if I didn’t stop.
But it did make me stop and think. Why do people judge people like me for what we can’t help doing? Why do they think we are silly for turning our emotional pain on ourselves? Why do they believe that we should just be able to stop?
Because most of them don’t know or understand anything about the issue of self-injury. It is not a commonly talked about subject, and there aren’t that many books written about it. Looking in bookstores, even big ones, I have found many books about eating disorders, depression in general and drug and alcohol abuse, but very few about self-injury.
So what can be done about it?
I think we need a book that does what a lot of other books don’t. A book that expresses how people like me feel about our own self-injury, in our own words. As an aspiring writer, I intend to try and put together that book. But I do need help.
If you are, or have been, involved in the act of self-injury, at any point in your life, I am asking you to share your experiences - completely anonymously, of course - with the aim of making our voices heard and maybe helping people to understand why we do what we do. I don’t have any particular questions in mind - anything anyone wants to share is absolutely fine, whether it is a true story or poetry or even a journal entry. Anything that you feel might help other people understand even just a little more.
I am also interested in hearing from the people who don’t harm themselves, but have been exposed to it in some other way - like through a friend or relative. Even if you haven’t been directly exposed but would still like to share your thoughts on the subject, I would like to hear from you.
The only personal details I require are a name - a first name, a made up name, a pen name, just something non-identifying that I can use to refer to you - and your age, or at least a rough idea of what age group you are in.
I would be incredibly grateful to anyone who wishes to help out. Please send any contributions to me at silver15@ntlworld.com. Before January 31st if possible. If you have any more questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.
Thank you for reading.