Self-harm - how it functions

So what role does self-harm play in people’s lives? It tends to function in one of 4 ways:

• Punishment
  Sometimes people feel guilt or shame. They’re overwhelmed either by the fact that they have done something terrible or the feeling that they have (even though they haven’t). Hurting yourself can lessen the feelings of guilt because it gives the impression that ‘justice is being done’ as punishment is meted out.
• Cleansing
  Other people may feel dirty inside. They have a swell of negative emotions within them that they can’t seem to get rid of. By putting a hole in their skin, the bad stuff can, symbolically, be allowed to escape and, for a while at least, the pressure of negative thoughts subsides.
• Control
  At times, life can feel completely out of control. Other people – be they family, teachers, employers or even God seem to dictate how each moment is spent and how each emotion is expressed. Some people use self-harm to reclaim control … they may not be able to control their diaries but they can control what happens to a small patch of their skin.
• Sensation creation or depression
  Sometimes people struggle with the pain of life. They try to suppress it through ingesting an excess of painkillers to literally numb sensations… Other people feel numb, such people may cause themselves pain just so they can feel something. No-one wants to go through life feeling nothing at all …

All these techniques help people keep on living in a world full of pain. But they are notgood solutions or long-term solutions to the effects on a fallen world. As Christians we have the awesome gospel message of the Son of God who took the punishment we deserve, to wash us whiter than snow so we can follow the loving, sovereign King of the universe and enjoy life and life in all its fullness. Over the next few posts we are going to explore how we can better understand those who self-harm and support them with these truths as they recover.