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Home / Advice 101 / Self Injury

Self Injury


We want you to know that you are not alone and that we would be happy to talk to you on the phone, in person or through e-mail. Please feel free to contact us! We are not professional counsellors but are able to listen and direct you to professional agencies. We walk along side you during your tough times.

Self injury is defined as the deliberate harming or alteration of one's body tissue without the conscious intent to commit suicide. Self injury serves as an extreme coping method.

Self injury is very different than attempting suicide. Many individuals who self injure have described the act as life-sustaining rather than life-threatening. It is important to note that some self injurers may die accidentally by increasing the extent of their self injury.

Self injury takes several forms. It is important to note that nearly 75% of self injurers will use more than one method.

Common forms of self injury include:

Cutting skin, including carving words or symbols into the skin, Hitting oneself, Pulling out hair to excess, Head banging, Scratching to excess, Biting oneself, Burning oneself, Interfering with the healing of wounds, Breaking bones, Chewing lips, tongue or fingers, Mutilation of breasts or genitals, Facial skinning, Ingesting sharp or toxic objects There are numerous reasons why people self injure.

Some of the more common reasons include:

Seeking relief from overwhelming emotions
People who self injure have not developed the ability to feel and express emotions as others do. In many cases, they have grown up in homes where they have not been allowed to show their true feelings. The feelings exist, regardless of whether or not they are expressed. Self injury is a rapid way for a person who is overwhelmed with emotions to experience relief.

Physical Expression of Emotional Pain
Self injury speaks loudly of overwhelming emotional pain. By physically expressing their pain, individuals who self injure are given physical evidence of confusing, and intangible emotions. The wounds that are caused and the scars that remain are a vivid picture of the intense psychological suffering.

Numbness and Dissociation
Often, individuals who self injure are emotionally numb. By injuring themselves, they give validation to the fact that they are indeed alive and can feel pain.