Discussion Why do people cut themselves?

[God_Emperor_of_Rome]

I don't understand the psyche. I mean I've been suicidal before but too pussy to go through with it. But cutting yourself and going through pain without the intention to actually die just doesn't make sense. Isn't the pain and blood scary? Do you guys simply feel less pain?

 

[saddestbunny]

distracts from the mental pain, offers relief and the adrenaline feles good

 

[God_Emperor_of_Rome]

distracts from the mental pain,

Replacing it with literal physical pain?

offers relief

I don't get it

adrenaline feles good

Engage in online fights and roasting. Lots of adrenaline to be had

 

[saddestbunny]

unsure if troll or not but I'll bite

Replacing it with literal physical pain?

yea, it distracts :) if you have bad enough mental pain you'd get it

I don't get it

that's because you've never been in the physical mindset to do it, so of course you wouldn't understand the mindset people have

Engage in online fights and roasting. Lots of adrenaline to be had

nah, I'm good, I'm not 12 anymore

 

[God_Emperor_of_Rome]

yea, it distracts :)

What of distractions that do not involve literally cutting your skin and shedding blood. Like media or something else? What I can't wrap my head around is how can literal pain make it better. Might as well as say bashing your head on a wall is a distraction. One of my subordinates at work has cut marks and I just don't get it.

nah, I'm good, I'm not 12 anymore

It never stops being fun. But if you're not into it then there are other adrenaline junkie stuff you can try. Sometimes I take calculated risks and deliberately put myself physicaly in harm's way. Like climbing to places you aren't supposes to climb

 

[saddestbunny]

well you might have to do some opening of your mind here, if someone is telling you that causing physical pain distracts from the mental pain to provide relief and control and seeing as many people do the same, perhaps there's a perspective there you can't see, Hm?

and yes I have also experienced hitting myself or slamming body parts into something as frustration, you're right :)

 

[LifeHasNoMeaning]

i dont draw blood when im "cutting", i just run over the skin and i think the stinging helps me get the mental pain off my mind. just my opinion, tho.

 

[alonely]

sort of a gate control theory idea for me

the sharp/immediate pain from self harm overrides the mental pain.

i would get to a point where i was in so much emotional pain, and crying from it has given me the worst headache of my life.

then i would self harm to override the pain, because the brain will focus on the more immediate physical threat rather than feelings. it would calm my thoughts and stop me from crying.

 

[jonghyun]

I like the blood and the sting. Idk

feeling bad or dissociating -> cutting makes you feel better because the injury causes some brain rush of adrenaline which both numbs the bad feelings and grounds you if you are dissociating. This is why people get addicted because they get used to the adrenaline rush. Seeing the blood is an added perk because we end up conditioning ourselves to think more blood = deeper cut = your suffering is valid since you hurt bad enough to inflict a deeper wound

 

[spøgelse]

because it feels good

 

[Baron]

I feel like I'm high, I forget everything that's going on, I don't feel anything or think about anything. The only thing is the pain of the cut, nothing else. It's just so satisfying and relieving. Everytime I look at my scars I feel good as well, probably because they remind me of that time I felt good.

 

[S u i c i d e]

Cutting yourself is better than having an orgasm.

 

[MrDarkness]

I cut due to shame

 

[kovu]

It's soothing. It captures the entirety of your mind, forcing it to occupy itself with the immediate sensation of pain (the blood's just a bonus) instead of the depressing thoughts in your head. It was the first thing I did when I received news of my cat's death a day ago—hadn't even seen the rascal in a while because I'm living elsewhere right now. The pain's better than the thoughts for some people.

 

[bedhead_baby]

Anger. I never have the urge to hurt anyone or break anything, just to hurt myself. Whether that be cutting, hitting, starving, or depriving myself of sleep. It used to be because I thought I was ugly and I deserved it, but I don't feel that way anymore. I'm just very angry, and it always directs itself at me. There may be a lingering feeling of worthiness, that the pain makes my problems real in a way other people can see and I've "earned" happiness in a way. But I don't show off any injuries. It tends to be very contradictive.

 

[willitpass]

There's an endorphin release to it, as well as I've done it on and off for most of my life so it's simply habit. I do multiple forms of self harm, cutting, hitting, pinching, starving, etc. Sometimes I also feel I deserve it.

 

[crimsonpool]

idk about other people but for me its a good distraction it makes my head go quiet & this is weird but i like seeing the blood i guess. it doesnt really make me feel better though i wish i was one of those people who it does

 

[Wyldfyre4948]

Think of it like having a kink. What one person enjoys may be odd to you. Kinda like how nobody I know understands why I want to end my life. It's difficult to explain what is going on in me that drives this desire so that others who are "normal" would understand.

Cutting may be the release they need to relieve pent up pain and anguish. Personally I've been more of a puncher when I need something to feel. So I'd punch my leg because it's fleshy and soft enough to take a good hit. Self harm comes in many forms. Some people even enjoy burning themselves. Most people I believe do it in places that aren't visible to people because it would arouse suspicion.

 

[Shaylla1998]

I have engaged in self-harming behaviors like cutting my wrists and later my tummy. My wrists are now marked with scars, and there are also some scars on my tummy. I engaged in these behaviors due to a preference for pain and a lack of fear when it comes to blood. The sight of my hands and arms covered in blood gave me a sense of satisfaction. I believed that I deserved to suffer and found enjoyment in the physical pain it brought.

 

[pinkribbonscars]

I began cutting at thirteen, burned for the first time at 14. Didn't burn again until I was 15. Did both up until I was 25. I self harmed for a long ass time. On the day of my last relapse, I hadn't self harmed in a year.

Endorphins end all pain, including the emotional. Replace that pain with emotional pain and it goes away much quicker than your emotional pain would, and that emotional pain is gone because you cancelled it out. Self hated and the belief you deserve it helps fuel it. If you can't feel from anything else (especially if you struggle with anhedonia or feeling numb/empty), pain wakes you up. It becomes addicting, that release. You feel bad ass and rebellious and cool for being able to withstand the pain. Rinse repeat.

Those emotions getting stronger and stronger because you're avoiding them, not facing them. As a result, you cut more and more.

I quit because it just doesn't do what it used to do for me in the past. I didn't try to stop. I just did. I'd rather get drunk these days

Sometimes people would rather feel physical pain than emotional pain. That's where I was at.
Also I think self harmers prefer to take their frustration out on themselves rather than others. That was another motivation for me when I was young.

 

[MiMif]

I don't understand the psyche. I mean I've been suicidal before but too pussy to go through with it. But cutting yourself and going through pain without the intention to actually die just doesn't make sense. Isn't the pain and blood scary? Do you guys simply feel less pain?

U do it cause I hate myself....I mean I guess it makes me feel better to do something to myself idk....or maybe it helps me feel like I can atleast do something like that right.

 

[golden_triforce3]

The poster seems a bit of a troll, but I'm also here because I never really understood the reason and was really curious.
After reading the responses, I can't say I fully get it it, but I do understand a lot better where people are coming from now.

 

[snowcloud9]

I don't understand the psyche. I mean I've been suicidal before but too pussy to go through with it. But cutting yourself and going through pain without the intention to actually die just doesn't make sense. Isn't the pain and blood scary? Do you guys simply feel less pain?

I'm a simple human. I like carving straight little cuts in my skin and watching the wounds bleed. The straightness of the cuts is satisfying.

 

[daft]

I did it to stop my thoughts and to try be present again. My head felt like a roaring crowd. I didn't expect the adrenaline and calm to be addictive though.

 

[LucifersIntrovert]

People have different reasons, like when I went to rehab most of the people I met did it to distract themselves from the world. Or they did it to feel something other than being numb. Personally I do it because it's a form of self punishment for me.

 

[backtoearth]

It forces my mind to only focus on that one feeling, it's almost meditative for me. The feeling of it is addictive, that one calm moment is worth the pain of it and scars for me. It's also much easier than CBT so is more accessible on the days I can't even get out of bed

 

[Baldwin IV]

I haven't done it myself but from what I've gathered from people that have is that, it's helps them manage the pain and suffering they're going through. It gives them control over it, and they feel that pain go away eventually.

 

[Dying Knight]

What of distractions that do not involve literally cutting your skin and shedding blood. Like media or something else?

While media may improve your mood, it doesn't give a sufficient help in some situations, because negative feelings and positive emotions are not mutually exclusive. You can experience a hard stress and positive emotions simultaneously, even though this may seem impossible at the first glance. And once those emotions last, you immediately return back to your solely stressful state.

Trying to increase the amount of adrenaline in order to fight the stress is actually a stupid idea, because adrenaline and cortisol are the reason of the stressful state, which often leads to the specific feeling of pressure in your chest and the feeling of deep sadness.

The reason why people cut themselves is that they don't see alternative efficient methods. In particular, they probably don't know that physical exercises help to reduce the amount of adrenaline and cortisol greatly and may make you more healthy instead of causing a harm. Another possible reason is a lack of dopamine resulting in extreme laziness, when the person has no stimulus for making non-trivial efforts (such as physical exercises) that would reduce the stressful feelings, so they choose the easiest available method, which may be cutting in their case.

 

[b1ackstar]

for me its like a releaf thing, cus i cant really be screaming out load in my house since i live with so many people, so i can do it quietly this way instead. also sometimes i use it as a punishment if i feel like i deserve it, which sounds so cringe when i word it that way but its my way of coping i guess?

 

[Meditation guide]

In a psychology class they said that it is a sign someone has Borderline Personality Disorder.