Question about cutting?

Question

self mutilation, self injury, whatever you want to call it.

i was cutting periodically (almost every day) for at least 6 months. after one huge episode, it died down to about once or twice a week, and then to less than once a month for about another 6 months. after people found out and i went to a therapist, i stopped for a while though i still had urges.

i have cut a few times since i "stopped." i've done it in places where nobody could see, and i still considered myself "done" until the other day when i was at the beach and my friend asked me what the scabs on my thigh were and i made up a story. i realized that i was doing the same thing that i did when i was cutting periodically.

am i still a cutter? some say once a cutter, always a cutter. some say otherwise.

have you ever been a cutter or self-harmer? what motivated you? and if you stopped, how?

Answer 1

I used to be a self-harmer and I did it because it made me feel better.  Unfortunately it is a very short-term fix.  Even though you feel better afterwards you have to do it again and again and again.  I knew I had to address the intolerable feelings that lead to the self-harm.

I found Dialectical Behavioral Training  here is the Wikipedia definition:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dialectical...

Basically it is a westernized version of the Buddhist concept of mindfulness.  When the class in DBT I was taking was canceled I simply started studying meditation at a Buddhist center.  I have not had the urge to hurt myself for many years and I don't think I ever will again. I am very peaceful and happy.  For decades I did not believe that I could ever be as content as I am now.  I am so glad that I did not give up.  Hang in there because if I could get better anyone can!

Answer 2

I'm only 13 but i have been cutting myself since i was 12.

It was caused mostly by family problems and things happening at school. My family never found out about this but my closest friends have.

I have stopped but the only reason i did was from the support of friends. When i was cutting so was my friend, and because i wanted her to stop, i stopped myself.

Hope this helps

Answer 3

i think you are still a cutter even though you have done well to see a therapist. But you are just hiding it better now, so i would suggest going back.

i have been self harming since i was 14 and i can't imagine stopping.

I have started doing it a lot less since my boyfriend found out because he looked so disgusted and i felt really ashamed of myself. I still do it now and then, we just don't talk about it.

try talking to a therapist about the things that make you self harm and come up with other ways to deal with those feelings.

Answer 4

I am an adult and find it hard to still stop cutting. I started when I was a teenager and it didn't even start as cutting it started with hitting myself punching my leg or arm and as I started to get older it got rarer but of course as I got even more older and found myself dealing with adult issues such as bills,children, marriage and all the stress that started coming with it It started to come back but with more aggression, it has to be the weirdest addiction to me but in all reality most addictions are because some how it puts you at ease even if it's pain...I find myself so hurt inside that the pain on the outside isn't even there it feels like it releases it....I find myself crying in a ball then when i cut the pain inside is gone I'm calmed and somehow feel better. I seek help through a close friend yet being she doesn't exactly know what I'm going through or feel exactly how I feel it's hard, because a lot of people will tell you well talk about it and then stop but for some reason you can't seem to....I got on here today because I felt pain & anger and started feeling that aggression again and believe me it does feel good not to have done it and rather listen or read of others stories when you know there is no judgment but understanding of where your coming from. I wish the best for you and if there are any adults who find themselves in the same place please feel free to e-mail me because to be honest some times I feel alone thinking mostly teens are doing this rather than many adults.

Answer 5

first of all well done!! you have done great if you were cutting everyday and then basically stopped... i was actually the exact same, i used to be a bad cutter.. it was like an addiction i did it before i got out of bed in the morning!!... i used to cut all over my body and didnt care who seen it.. i was in self harm therapy and it helped and through time it basically stopped... but then whenever i got upset or something its the first thing i do... it takes time to get over this, even now im still doing it when i dont want to anymore.. my therapist says because its how we cope its hard to learn another method.. the main thing is that we WANT to stop.. thats the first step, next we have to find something else that gives us the same relief that cutting does.. have you tried waiting 10 mins before cutting, sometimes its an impulse things, just tell yourself  that if you really wanna do it, you will still want to in 10 mins time...

i wouldnt label you a cutter.. i wouldnt label myself one either.. id say we are in recovery and slips are normal!!....

good luck and always remember that if your gonna cut be clean and take care of yourself afterwards, dont want any nasty infections.. x

Answer 6

I used to cut at least once a day, when I got stressed or pent up, or when I felt numb, embarrassed lonely or suicidal. I would find somewhere quiet and alone to get that release. I hid razors in the back of my phone, sellotaped inside the covers of notebooks, and inside my tie. It was expensive too, because i spent a large proportion of my wages on stain removal for my clothes, antiseptic, bandages, and sleeved jumpers. My quitting was pretty much an accidental shock treatment, when a close friend of mine attempted suicide. I was with another friend who also cut, and we caught her about to throw herself off a cliff. We then frogmarched her back to her parents and she was sectioned. It really made me realise that I couldn't go on cutting or I would end up in the same position, and I might not be so fortunate. My other friend has also quit. I have been cut free for 68 days, and I'm slowly learning that there are other ways of dealing with emotions. People notice my scars all the time, and I hate it, friends watch me like a hawk, and ill be in sleeves for the rest of my life, but I feel so much better already. There are slips along the way, but your recognising that you are getting back into old habits, and wanting to change is half the battle. I don't believe that you are a cutter forever once you start. Smokers stop smoking, and don't regard themselves as such forever. Bio-oil is fantastic at getting rid of scarring, as is talking to people who understand about it. I didnt realise I needed to cut for a long long time, you realise now. Try replacing cutting with something else like runnung, painting or singing. I got through it, I know you can. You are strong. The Very Best Of Luck!

Answer 7

i self harmed for a long time. up until the day i attempted suicide. i was involuntarily admitted to apsych hospital and it was a real eye opener. someone there had aids and was taking thousands of dollars worth of pills each day just to stay alive, and here i was cutting ,overdosing, drinking myself to death. it made me feel very bad, and ive stopped and dont plan on any self destructive behaviour from now on. i was diagnosed with haveing rapid cycling bipolar disorder with psychotic features, but were all responsible for our own actions. and that is what got me to stop cutting. please dont cut anymore, and if you keep doing it, let someone know asap

Answer 8

I stopped when i met my bf, he helped me a lot without realizing...

Answer 9

i seek help and i forgave myself

Answer 10

I don't think the whole "once a cutter always a cutter thing is true"

I cut for years when I was younger. I guess what made me stop was the inconvenience of it all. It was so embarrassing when people asked about it or when I caught people staring. So this is how I stopped:

I cut when I became extremely angry. The blood and the pain made me focus on the wounds, rather than the anger. I noticed though that if I just waited, the anger would fade to a point when I didn't NEED to cut to make it better. So now whenever I get angry, I write about it or type about it. It ends up taking up enough time in which my anger fades.

I have been cut-free for years. I hope this helps.