Hypnotherapy Birmingham, UK with

Ian Evans Hypnotist and Therapist.

Retrac Hypnotherapy Centre 23 Broad Rd, Acocks Green, Birmingham B27 7UX  Tel: 0121 707 3588

Self-Harm

Self-harm is the deliberate act of causing injury to one's body. It can have many other names, including self-injury, self-mutilation, self-abuse, wrist cutting and para-suicide. Self-harm is indicative of deeper psychological issues that need to be dealt with. Broadly speaking, self-harm is the act of attempting to alter a mood state by inflicting physical harm serious enough to cause tissue damage to one's body. It is a maladaptive coping mechanism. 

Typical methods of self-harm include:

·         Cutting – usually with razor blades, but any sharp implement can be used

·         Scratching with the finger nails, safety pins or drawing tacks

·         Burning – either with physical heat, or causing chemical burns with caustic substances

·         Hitting with the fists, often to the legs or chest

·         Pinching with the fingers, either repeatedly or until bruising occurs

·         Gnawing at flesh; biting until blood is drawn or bruising occurs

·         Head banging

·         Poisoning by ingesting small amounts of toxic substances, enough to cause some pain and discomfort

·         Wound interference, preventing cuts from healing

·         Medication abuse, without intending to die

Self-harming is nothing to do with seeking attention. Indeed, it is something usually done in private and the person feels ashamed on their actions. Like starving or purging, self-harm is a way of regaining some control in the individual's life, even if only for a brief period of time.

People who inflict physical harm on themselves are often doing it in an attempt to maintain psychological integrity. Studies have suggested that when people who self-injure get emotionally overwhelmed, an act of self-harm brings their levels of psychological and physiological tension and arousal back to a bearable baseline level almost immediately. In other words, they feel a strong uncomfortable emotion, don't know how to handle it (indeed, often do not have a name for it), and know that hurting themselves will reduce the emotional discomfort extremely quickly. They may still feel bad (or not), but they don't have that panicky, jittery, trapped feeling; it's a calm, bad feeling. Someone who self-harms is usually under a lot of stress and tension. It is not always done out of self-hatred, but is a way of relieving the stress. Other people, particularly those with depression, say that self-harming is the only way they can feel more alive because they are so numb inside.

This tendency toward impulsive aggression – combined with a belief that their feelings are bad or wrong – can lead to the aggression being turned on the self. Of course, once this happens, the person harming themselves learns that self-injury reduces their level of distress, and the cycle begins. Nail-biting and trichotillomania (defined as the irresistible urge to pull out one's hair) often seem to be related to self-comfort, in that people have a tendency to indulge in them when they are experiencing either anxiety or a lowering of their moods.

Eating disorders themselves can be a method of self-harming. This is not usually the case at the onset of the eating disorder, but as time goes by, the individual becomes caught up in a cycle of negativity and low self-esteem. Many bulimics deliberately make time in their day for binging and purging because, like self-harm, it offers them a release mechanism. Similarly, anorexics may punish themselves by refusing to eat or drink for a certain length of time, or by over-exercising.

What is the treatment?

Hypnotherapy aims to get to the root of the problem by exploring the possible cause(s) behind the person's feelings. Remember, self-harm is merely an expression of inner depression, anxiety and turmoil. There are usually reasons for these feelings and – like all psychological problems – they can be worked through with a good therapist.

For Hypnotherapy Birmingham and help with Self-Harm, ring me on 0121 707 3588.

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