Posted by Libby on July 7, 2000, at 10:27:21
In reply to Re: Cutting episodes, posted by Vesper on July 7, 2000, at 2:33:34
>No matter what the reason or reasons for me, none of them can be helped, so I just keep on cutting. Sigh.<
Knowing the whys helped me find alternate coping strategies. I cut to soothe my nerves after experiences I found too emotionally intense. Once I figured that much out, I was able to get help recognizing situations that were getting too intense for me and escape BEFORE I freaked out.
I didn't walk into my therapist's office asking him to help me stop cutting. I really didn't WANT to stop. When I finally "confessed" the cutting, I asked him to promise not to ask me to stop. He said he wouldn't if I promised I wouldn't cut to the point where it became life-threatening.
From there, we were able to explore the whys of my behavior. Once I saw them - and I was convinced that he understood why they worked for me - I was able to explore some of his suggestions for coping in different ways. He never once asked me to quit cutting and I still have made no promise never to cut again. That's important to me because for me, cutting was a secret source of calm in the event of an unbearable storm. I can't say I'll never do it again, but I can say that I haven't done it in many years...and that's not because I haven't had problems. It's just that I've found other alternatives that make me feel better in the long run. Tenormin and Prozac helped a lot with this process, but I think therapy made most of the difference.
L.
poster:Libby
thread:39211
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000630/msgs/39665.html