Replace The Blade

NEW FORUM! I had a forum but Ive just begun moving it all onto this new forum. Still "healing from within" but a new address

http://healingfromwithin.heavenforum.com/

Healing from within~ One Day At A time
From Connie xxxx

Sadly my home page at the moment is my evidence against someone who has copied and pasted most of my information onto his/her website. Freewebs have been contacted and have told me they are going to investigate *thank you so much*.

**those who need support, please don't take support from someone who claims to still be in need of support themselves. People who are not ready to support someone else can help to cause more damage then to help heal.**

 

So here is my homepage returned to how it was. *will keep the above up as a warning to those who might consider seaking help from someone who isnt ready to deal with something like that.

 

Welcome to my self harm support page

My name is Connie. I have decided to create this website after finding out that the SHA who provided a lot of support for self harmers has had to close down. Its such a shame to leave so many people alone without support. I want to help people to stop self harming and to replace the blade with something positive, even if it only means talking to someone about how they feel....also here are some other little, rules shall we say...

• When sending me poems, I will not put them up until you tell me I can put them up. If sending me poems, if you put your name and age also let me know if i can include that. For the time being, i will only put up positive poems
• Please do NOT send me spam email. Yes I am a "Friend" but im not interested in forwarded emails such as "What kinda person are you" or quiz emails. Please see me as a professional.
• The idea of me being here to help, is to help you give up harming, If you have no intention please dont contact me so that I can give my attention to those who want to give up. 

DONT SEND ME PICTURES OF YOUR SELF HARM!!!

THIS WEBSITE AND ITS CONTENTS IN ANY SHAPE OR FORM IS NOT TO BE COPIED BY ANYONE.

But, first things first....

What Is Self Harm?

Self harm is a behaviour that has many forms. It basically is a means of coping with intense emotion pain and distress by causing intended injury to one's own body. It can affect anyone at any time in their life but studies have shown that it is most common among young people such as teenagers.

• More then 24,000 teenagers are admitted into hospital in the UK anually after deliberatly harming themselves (Sumaritans & centre for suicide, University of Oxford, 2002)
• 1 in 10 teenagers self-harm (Sumaritans & centre for suicide, University of Oxford 2002)
• Rates of self-harm in the UK have increased over the past decade and are among the highest in Europe (National Institute for the Clinical Excellence, 2002)

Statistices on self-harm are unreliable due to the fact that many incidents are treated at home and don't come to the attention of people in the health services.

There are various terms used for self-harm, here are some of them listed.

• Deliberate self-harm
• Self-injury
• Self-abuse
• Self-mutilation
• Self-wounding
• Para suicide
• Non-fatal act
• Wrist cutting

All the above terms and more are the names given to these listed below and there are many more not listed

• Cutting
• Burning
• Scratching
• hair pulling (also known as trichotillomania)
• Punching, kicking or hitting objects
• Biting
• Bone braking
• Overdosing
• Wound interference (preventing wounds from healing)
• Insertion of foreign objects
• Restricting blood flow

Cutting and burning are the most common forms of self-harm. Eating disorders are also forms of self-harm such as anorexia, binge eating and self-induced vomiting. These require specialist treatment.

What Are The Causes?

There are many reasons as to why someone would start harming themselves, such as:

• Physical abuse (such as domestic violence)
• Sexual abuse (rape or child abuse)
• Verbal abuse (bullying)
• Loss of a loved one
• Loss of employment
• Loss of freedom (prison)
• Divorce or relationship problems
• Miscarriage
• Unwanted pregnancy
• Any other trauma or distressing event

The link between trauma and self-harm are very close especially if the person experiencing the emotional pain feels unable to talk about the problem. Any distressing situation can create many different kinds of emotions that are often very intense and confusing. Someone who is self-harming may feel emotions such as:

• Anger
• Bitterness
• Grief
• Sadness
• Loneliness
• Anxiety
• Guilt
• Inferiority
• Worthlessness

Self-harm is more then just someone seeking to hurt themselves, in a way it is their own way of dealing with an intese emotional pain that otherwise they wouldnt have any other outlet for it. it becomes their "Survival tactic"

What Are the Effects?

When someone performs an act of self-harm they usually experience a great sence of relief, release and wellbeing. This is thought because the biochemical substance in the brain called endorphins is released as a way to combat the pain. The sense of wellbeing and calm created can result in the self-harming behaviour to become addictive because the endorphins brings "Comfort" for only a little while, so it can be very hard to break the addiction.

The release that individuals receive after an act of self-harm is very intence an this release can bring feelings such as:

• Comfort
• Control
• Pain
• Pleasure
• Release of tension
• Punishment
• Control
• Reassurance of being alive (such as done by "Dawn" in Buffy)
• Satisfaction

What Happens Next?

Self-harm unlike popular belief is not a failed suicide attempt. The majority of people who self harm do it in order to keep themselves alive, because its the only way they think is possible. Sometimes a person may begin to have suicidal thoughts when the act of self-harm stops working and helping them to cope with their emotional pain. Any suicides from people who self-harm of often mistakes due to too much medication abuse or a misplaced cut.

People who self-harm are trying to communicate to the outside world what they are feeling inside, and they feel its something they cant express. Self-harming can only begin to be "cured" if the problem provoking the emotion pain is adressed and worked though, if not the circle will continue.

Most people who self-harm are not "attention seekers" they only want to seek something that they think they can have such as:

• Love
• Acceptance
• Support
• Trust
• Understanding
• Kindness

Those are all the things would all want for ourselves. This is why people who self-harm require support, care, patience and understanding in order to teach them new ways of coping.

You can contact me on Replacetheblade@yahoo.com