Self-Injury
Self-Injury
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A person who uses self-harm may not see it as a problem since it forms a way of coping with emotional pain. Others may find this difficult to understand.
Inflicting physical pain may bring some emotional relief:
Our bodies release natural, opiate-like endorphins in response to physical pain that temporarily relieve emotional pain and distress
Making the preparations to inflict self-injury can provide some distraction from distressing thoughts and feelings ( a type of ritual)
Self-harm offers a way of expressing emotional pain and distress to oneself and/or to others. Some people may wish to attract help and others will hide their injuries
Some people feel emotionally numb or dead inside and so may inflict pain in order to ‘feel’
Self-harm is often associated with low self-worth and can be an expression of anger and self-loathing. Any sense of relief is temporary and is often followed by fear or anxiety about the injuries inflicted and shame or guilt about the act or its consequences.
Self-harm is usually a hidden activity which young people feel ashamed of; the last thing they want is attention. They often don’t tell friends or family what’s happening and are unlikely to actively seek help, because of low self-esteem and stigma.
Despite its appearance as self destructive, direct research with young people tells us that not only are they not attempting suicide when they self harm, they are doing it to avoid it. It’s a way of keeping alive, of managing feelings – actually more a sign of hope than despair. In that way they experience it as therapeutic.
NEW BOOK!
Autoethnography in Therapy:
Exploring Therapist Emotions in Work with Self Injury
This evocative autoethnography offers an intimate exploration of the emotional life of therapists working with clients who self-injure. Blending personal narrative with theory, it confronts the often-hidden world of therapeutic practice – fear, shame, anger, voyeuristic impulses, and a persistent undercurrent of existential anxiety.
Through vivid storytelling, the author traces a journey shaped by moments of rupture, disorientation, and self-confrontation. Early encounters marked by perceived incompetence give way to deeper reflections on what it means to witness another’s pain while becoming implicated in it. The work reveals how therapeutic space can feel both connective and disjointed – mirroring the fractured, layered nature of inner experience itself.
Engaging critically with existing literature, the book explores the limited attention given to therapists' lived, embodied, and ethically complex emotional responses.
Written for counsellors, psychotherapists, trainees, researchers, and those who are experts by experience, and their families, this book does not offer resolution. Instead, it invites readers into a raw, reflective space - one that acknowledges the discomfort, uncertainty, and the pull to look closer.