Posted by Taylor123 on May 16, 2003, at 2:12:02
In reply to Cutting, looking for answers....Re: SCARS, posted by McPac on May 15, 2003, at 22:00:00
> Can someone here explain WHY you cut? Does it release tension or depression? Thanks.
Hey McPac,
hope all is well for you.
The theory behind it (in some texts) is that it provides momentary relief from the pain that you are feeling inside.
However, in reality, I guess it's quite different. I don't really get relief from cutting. I guess initially it was a way of making my pain tangible. If you have a broken arm, it is outwardly visible, and people can see you're in pain. It's not like I wanted people to know, because I hid them for 6 months without anyone seeing. But it was a way of justifying my mental anguish, to MYSELF, by turning it into something physical. ( I guess maybe something easier to understand?)
It was also an attempt at cutting my arteries on some occassions.
There is perhaps also an obsessive component. I have OCD, and perhaps for me, once I had started it became VERY hard to stop. A coping mechanism, I guess. Especially in stressful times.
I can only speak for myself, because I think that everyone has different thought processes, and would not want to comment on behalf of anyone else.
So, that's my experience.
I will say that any slight relief I got was fleeting, and then the vicious circle would start again, and I would hate myself for having another big ugly scar.
That's the best explanation i can give.Hope to hear back from anyone regarding this, because it would help immensly to hear other people's thought processes.
Good luck all,
Stay well.
Taylor
poster:Taylor123
thread:225431
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030514/msgs/227002.html