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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 2 of 2. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by anniiK on June 9, 2006, at 4:05:20
A local newspaper ran an AP article on a recent survey of the occurrence of "self-abuse" at two Ivy-League universities. According to the study, 17% of those surveyed admit to self abuse. Pardon the awful pun, this article cut me deep as I myself is someone that would be considered a "cutter" (hence the subject heading). I have never really considered this habit of mine to be as serious as the article implied. While I do concede that this behavior is an irrational means to deal with problems, it does sincerely make me feel better. One unfortunate side-effect is the concern it generates in those who see the scars. I doubt I have been successful in convincing my friends that I was viciously mauled by a pride of ill-tempered cats, so I thought maybe I should get some advice from others on breaking my habit. I apologize for the length of this post and welcome any advice on the proper board for future postings on this subject.
Posted by cloudydaze on June 10, 2006, at 18:29:46
In reply to Self-help for the one out of five, posted by anniiK on June 9, 2006, at 4:05:20
> A local newspaper ran an AP article on a recent survey of the occurrence of "self-abuse" at two Ivy-League universities. According to the study, 17% of those surveyed admit to self abuse. Pardon the awful pun, this article cut me deep as I myself is someone that would be considered a "cutter" (hence the subject heading). I have never really considered this habit of mine to be as serious as the article implied. While I do concede that this behavior is an irrational means to deal with problems, it does sincerely make me feel better. One unfortunate side-effect is the concern it generates in those who see the scars. I doubt I have been successful in convincing my friends that I was viciously mauled by a pride of ill-tempered cats, so I thought maybe I should get some advice from others on breaking my habit. I apologize for the length of this post and welcome any advice on the proper board for future postings on this subject.
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I used to be a self-abuser too. Not only did I cause physical harm to myself, I punished myself emotionally, and put myself in bad/dangerous situations because of my lack of love for myself.This is a very serious problem. I used to think I could release the pain inside by inflicting pain on my body. You may feel better temporarily, but in reality, you are making things worse. The fact that you are harming yourself means you have little respect for yourself. You wouldn't hurt someone you love intentionally, would you? Loving yourself is just as important as loving others.
At first, I treated my abusive habit like any other bad habit. I challenged myself to quit, and with the support of my boyfriend, I did. Get support from someone you trust, who will be there to talk whenever you feel like hurting yourself. If you are able to stop the habit long enough, you will find other, healthier ways to deal with your pain. Writing was always my outlet, it kept my hands busy as well as my mind. I even used visualization techniques along with the writing. I visualized the pain flowing out of my body and through my pen.
The benefits of breaking abusive habits: you feel like you've accomplished something, you are no longer scarring yourself physically,and you will find better, more productive ways of dealing with your pain.
It's too bad that people don't realize how serious self-abuse really is. It hurts you (in more ways than one) and those around you. You don't have to hurt yourself - there are other ways.
This is just friendly advise from someone who's been there. I can't guarantee my methods will work for anyone else, but who knows - maybe someone else can benefit from my experiences!
This is the end of the thread.
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