I think everyone needs to know this...
snagged from tumblrs:
mypeterpancomplex:
longlivethequeen:thingsgohazy:thelovelybones:funeral:
A Cry for Help | Psychology Today »
Self-mutilation is “the opposite of suicide,” insists Armando Favazza, M.D., professor and vice chairman of psychiatry at the University of Missouri, author of Bodies Under Siege: Self-Mutilation in Psychiatry and Culture and a leading authority on the subject. “Those who do it want to live. They do it to feel better. It’s an impulsive act done to regulate mood.”
It is an extremely effective treatment for anxiety, he points out. People who do it report it’s “like popping a balloon.” There’s an immediate release of tension.
It serves “an important defense-distraction,” adds Federman. “In the midst of emotional turmoil, physical pain helps people disconnect from intense emotional turmoil.” But the effect lasts only hours.
Further, “it is the only action that can effectively stop dissociative episodes,” says Favazza. “That makes it especially common among girls who were sexually abused.”
Too, self-mutilation has to do with self-punishment. Not to be overlooked is the sense of power it confers. “It allows students to take control of painful processes they feel are out of control, especially chaotic relationships,” says Federman.
Also related- In a 1995 BBC television interview Diana revealed to the world that she was a self-injurer. She said that she had cut her arms and legs, explaining, "You have so much pain inside yourself that you try and hurt yourself on the outside because you want help." http://self-injury.net/media/famous-self-injurers
mypeterpancomplex:
longlivethequeen:thingsgohazy:thelovelybones:funeral:
A Cry for Help | Psychology Today »
Self-mutilation is “the opposite of suicide,” insists Armando Favazza, M.D., professor and vice chairman of psychiatry at the University of Missouri, author of Bodies Under Siege: Self-Mutilation in Psychiatry and Culture and a leading authority on the subject. “Those who do it want to live. They do it to feel better. It’s an impulsive act done to regulate mood.”
It is an extremely effective treatment for anxiety, he points out. People who do it report it’s “like popping a balloon.” There’s an immediate release of tension.
It serves “an important defense-distraction,” adds Federman. “In the midst of emotional turmoil, physical pain helps people disconnect from intense emotional turmoil.” But the effect lasts only hours.
Further, “it is the only action that can effectively stop dissociative episodes,” says Favazza. “That makes it especially common among girls who were sexually abused.”
Too, self-mutilation has to do with self-punishment. Not to be overlooked is the sense of power it confers. “It allows students to take control of painful processes they feel are out of control, especially chaotic relationships,” says Federman.
Also related- In a 1995 BBC television interview Diana revealed to the world that she was a self-injurer. She said that she had cut her arms and legs, explaining, "You have so much pain inside yourself that you try and hurt yourself on the outside because you want help." http://self-injury.net/media/famous-self-injurers