Noelle

I don't know if it's appropriate or anything but it's been a thing on my mind.
Just wanted to see if anyone else has been exposed to it... and how. Any questions, feel free to ask.

Edit: I'm glad I made this post.. I'll just say I've done it before. Never saw it as a 'problem' per-se but I've burned with a number of things, cut and carved and punched/bruised pretty bad and I have a scratching thing too (My lower legs/feet. Looks like I "took a hike through some woods"). That sounds like a lot but I don't do it in every situation and usually they're years or months apart from eachother.. or circumstantial.

I think it occurs when I feel intense emotion or lack of emotion and I want to express the pain through physical injury. I want the intensity I have on the inside to be obvious because I don't feel anything else does it justice.
I've also done it just being bored or decorating myself. I have 2 intentional brands. One on my hip, one on my arm.

I have a high pain tolerance in general and pain, regardless, has never been too much of an issue for me in the ways that I have been hurt. I've never broken a bone or fractured anything.

I hide my injuries mainly from my family.
I branded my arm recently and know I'll have to bring it up to my parents and older sister since they'll end up noticing it. I'm nervous about the judgement and general conversation I don't want to have with them about it incase I get emotional- though it was not done under direct emotional reasons.

Merkabah

Used to be a cutter...and I gave myself a few cigarette burns. Still have the scars. And I was on my way to being an alcoholic.

Turns out all I needed was to be introduced to weed to get over all that.

The idea is the emotional pain is more intolerable than physical. When you're emotionally distressed, inflicting pain on yourself releases endorphins which make you feel better. Also, there's something about focusing all your emotional pain into something physical that you can deal with and heal. Turning the non-physical emotions into physical wounds that can mend. Thus, you never really mend the real wounds, but just make superficial ones to take their place. In this way, temporary moods and feelings end up being permanent scars.

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To find truth you must first find confusion. The path to truth is one of questions not answers. Arrogance is a blindfold.

Plaidheart

I hate to say it, but I do have a bit of a mutilation problem but it has more to do with my mild OCD.

I chew my nails. And not just the nails, the cuticles also. Till they bleed sometimes, and I instantly regret it. I only do it when I'm nervous. I never do it high, and what makes me feel this is a part of my OCD, is I have to make sure my left nails look like my right nail or I will chew on it until it does.

I can stop whenever I want but 2 weeks later...

It's not as dangerous as cutting, but I don't want this to lead to other things, so I just picked habit on the poll. I've already had help for ocd btw.

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"Nobody gives you a hard time when you SMOKE the competition away..."

(Samuel L Jackson to Michael Phelps @ 2009 Espys)

xchoicex

(possibly) the most horrible, sadistic, masochistic post u can read on this forum...

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Plaidheart

How so? Explain in details. How is it a horrible, sadistic, masochistic post? Because of my problem or the quitting part?

xchoicex

It just inducted images of blood dripping hands in my head...
I'm sorry... I didn't mean to be rude or anything..
I used to clip them short as well when I was a kid and it did give me satisfaction after I was done..
that was a long time ago... Then, as I grew, blood and nails combined together became a HORRIBLE idea...
I think this goes to the day where my friend got his finger hammered, literally...

joshpackr

I've done the same thing for quite a few years (I clip instead of bite). Probably since adolescents if memory serves. I always had this thing about getting dirt/debris under my fingernails. I can't stand it. It drives me nuts. In an effort to keep this from occurring I always clipped my fingernails very short, too short. My fingers are usually sore for a day or two after I clip them because I go too deep.

It all started because I didn't like dirt under my nails. However, I do receive a satisfied feeling after I clip.

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"Imagination disposes of everything; it creates beauty, justice, and happiness, which are everything in this world."
-Blaise Pascal

Frenchie

in junior high, scratched back of legs until they bled, couldnt stop, even did it in my sleep, the itch was so intense. by high school, got over that without treatment.

20 some years go by. 18 years of horrific exposure to other peoples trauma, death of good friend and then best friend, divorce, sold home, career change, under employed, no medical insurance for relief.

intolerable emotional pain is an understatement.

it took years to recover. its one day at a time. never all goes away. but becomes tolerable inch by inch. i now understand what others go thru.

i can offer nothing more than hope and understanding. it too will pass, eventually.

Noelle

That's what I do with my legs too! It wasn't out of nowhere they itched like a mother. I couldn't help but to scratch until they bled sometimes. Sometimes with my toenails in bed too

MXM

xchoicex is was more an I agree :P

I dont want to be unrespectful to any1 who suffers from this, but please guys get some help, cuttin yourself for no reason is acceptable or healthy.

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I say: Evolve... and let the chips fall where they may.