Silent Screams

This past Sunday, March 1st was National Self-Injury Awareness Day. Studies have found that approximately 4% of the general population admitted having self-injured. Self-injury has a very high stigma attached to it therefore many never come forward in fear of how other people may view them.

Self-injury is a copping mechanism not a conscious attempt at suicide; most people who cope this way are looking for a way out of their pain. It’s the act of attempting to alter a mood state to deliberately cause harm to one’s own body. Here are some ways people self-injure: cutting, burning objects into their flesh, hitting or beating on ones self, extreme hair pulling and nail biting are just a few of the more popular ways to self-abuse.

This copping mechanism is running ramped within our youth, but it is not just with our teens, there are plenty of adult men and women who self-abuse as well. They come from all walks of life and all economic brackets and ages ranging from early teens to early sixties, maybe younger and older. In fact, the incidence of self-injury is about the same as that of eating disorders but because it’s so highly stigmatized, most people hide their scars.

Most people who self-injure are unable to handle intense feelings and unable to express their emotions verbally. We aren’t born knowing how to express and cope with our emotions, we learn from the people around us. One factor common to most people who self-injure is invalidation! They were taught at an early age that their interpretations of and feelings about the things around them were bad and/or wrong and they had no good role models for coping. How could you learn to cook if you’d never seen anyone work in a kitchen?

Self-injury has been around for centuries and is growing rapidly as a way to cope. Many people are likely to know someone who does this and probably goes to great lengths to hide it. Some may say that we all have struggles that we face from time to time, but when a person lacks healthy coping skills and relationships, he or she may resort to destructive behavior as self-injury seeing it as the only way to cope.

This topic is close to my heart because I personally have used self-injury as a copping mechanism. I have learned there are defiantly healthier ways to cope with life’s struggles. There is a way out of this cycle! If you self-injure and need someone to talk with feel free to contact me. And if you know someone who self-injures and you need to understand this copping mechanism better and are looking for more detailed information, please contact me and I will be more than happy to share more with you.

Check out our local Daily Republic Newspaper this coming Sunday, March 8th for a special article on self-injury.

March Special: March 8th through March 21st to recognize National Self-injury Awareness we are offering…

1 hour facial $40.00 (normally $85.00)
1 hour massage $40.00 (normally $65.00)
$5.00 from each service will go towards Mercy Ministries to help other young women learn healthy coping skills.

Don’t forget to grab an orange ribbon to bring awareness to self-injury when you come in for your service.

We are by appointment only, so give us a call to book your appointment: 707-425-6511