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health advisory Hospital Mental Health 2007-11-15 18:59:35

help, do you know of any techniques that might be able to stop her from cutting? she doesnt do it all the time, just when she gets really upset, she then gets sudden urges to... help?

Answer:

First off, that listed 'theory' is ridiculous. I have 16 years cutting personal experience and have studied it for years. Besides maybe that freak, I have not found one cutter that would say, my arm was burning (before the cutting) ....

check out secret shame website for advice on how to help your friend www.palace.net/~llama/psych/in...

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Talk to someone that cares about her and that you trust. Talk to an adult if you are not one. Do not let it lie in your hands... Talk to a councelor

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There is no simple answer to this one. This is tricky and the good news is she realizes her triggers so she is that much ahead of the game. She has to have a trigger to combat the trigger if you know what I mean. Music is great for such triggers so is cany or something sour.

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It is really hard to break the compulsion to cut without professional intervention- especially if she does it spontaneously without time to think of more appropriate coping methods. The book "Bodily Harm" really helped me. It really hit home and helped me to recognize the reasons why I cut and the warning signs leading up to situations that would encourage me to cut. There are a lot of techniques out there- but basically you have to replace the negative, unhealthy coping skill of cutting, with a much healthier one. Some people say to use a marker to draw on your body where you would cut instead of cutting- or draw on paper. But in the heat of the moment, who thinks about grabbing a mrker when you want to do self harm. It is really more psychological than that- especially because most cutters derive pleasure (release of emotional pain) from cutting. Short of professional therapy, I really recommend the book, at least as a starting point to try to understand the underlying issues and motivations and warning signs. Good luck.

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I have a theory and it comes from my own experiences...certain foods have caused a reaction in me that my arms burn and itch to where I have wanted to cut them open. I have asked myself if this is why cutters cut. My gut instinct is the liver is overloaded with fats, oils, meats, sugars and chemicals. I think it's more of a food chemical reaction... they are PoiSoning us. I can be clean of food chemicals and eat some and depression sets in along with other symptoms like migraines, itching, burning, tingling, head feels like it has a brain cloud. Have her keep a food dairy for ___ days, weeks and see if the same chemical shows up. Hope this will give you a direction.

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You need to get her to start building up her self esteem and in believing in herself. These are just a few reasons why women cut. When a woman has been abused or hurt the take it out on themselves such as cutting. Men get hurt they tend to take it out on other people such as their kids and famlies.