
                         Quotes from personal stories
                                       
     [I'm] female, almost 19, first cutting at 16, just finished
     freshman year of college. And I have everything in the world except
     my self, if that makes sense.
     from a respondent to the survey.
     
   I posted a survey about self-injury to mailing lists for depressives
   and manic-depressives. The following quotes and statistics are drawn
   from this informal survey and the questionnaire attached to this page.
   
   Periodically, I go through the questionnaires I've collected. I spend
   several hours extracting data and quotes from these questionnaires,
   losing myself in tales of overwhelming pain, courage, fear, humor,
   relief. I want to find the boy whose stepfather makes his life
   miserable and just hold him quietly for a long time. I want to dull
   the edges of the blades, take the heat out of the metal, soften the
   walls and the wood. I want a sink for the rage and pain, a safe place
   to dump all the despair and depression and sometimes abuse and horror
   all these people have carried around for years.
   
   The courage in these answers astounds me. As you read their words, I
   ask that you bear witness to their hope and strength of spirit as well
   as their pain.
   
   WARNING: Some of this material is very intense and difficult to read.
   The feelings that accompany self-injury can be hard to read about, as
   can the descriptions of how it's done. This section remains here
   because I hear from so many people who were relieved to find thoughts
   they'd thought bizarre and crazy and weird expressed by other people
   -- not just one or two, but dozens. When I read a letter that begins,
   "I read your page and found myself crying because I finally know I'm
   not alone," any doubts I have about the advisability of publishing
   this stuff are assuaged. Please be careful about how and when you read
   this section, though, and please realize that I'm presenting this for
   informational purposes only. Do not do any of these things to
   yourself.
   
Updated 19 January 01

   More updates to follow throughout January 2001.
   [INLINE] = new entries 1/19/01.
     * [INLINE] [1]Why do you SI? How does it make you feel?
     * [2]How do you usually injure yourself?
     * [INLINE] [3]What have been the consequences of your SI?
     * [INLINE] [4]Do you have rituals for SI?
     * [INLINE] [5]Does it hurt? How can you bear the pain?
     * [6]Are you out about your self-injury?
     * [7]How did people react when you came out as a self-injurer?
     * [8]What kinds of attitudes have you encountered from therapists?
     * [9]What kinds of attitudes have you encountered when seeking
       medical help?
     * [10]Have you been hospitalized for SI? Did it help?
     * [11]How do you feel about stopping, either a session or forever?
       
   Tell your story by filling out the [12]questionnaire.
   
   [INLINE]
   
  next section: [13]References
  return to [14]SI main page

References

   1. file://localhost/usr/home/llama/Web/psych/qwhy.html
   2. file://localhost/usr/home/llama/Web/psych/qhow.html
   3. file://localhost/usr/home/llama/Web/psych/qcons.html
   4. file://localhost/usr/home/llama/Web/psych/qrit.html
   5. file://localhost/usr/home/llama/Web/psych/qpain.html
   6. file://localhost/usr/home/llama/Web/psych/qout.html
   7. file://localhost/usr/home/llama/Web/psych/qcout.html
   8. file://localhost/usr/home/llama/Web/psych/qt.html
   9. file://localhost/usr/home/llama/Web/psych/qmd.html
  10. file://localhost/usr/home/llama/Web/psych/qhosp.html
  11. file://localhost/usr/home/llama/Web/psych/qstop.html
  12. file://localhost/usr/home/llama/Web/psych/qnaire.html
  13. file://localhost/usr/home/llama/Web/psych/refs.html
  14. file://localhost/usr/home/llama/Web/psych/injury.html
