Discussion Why do people SH?

[CynicalCyanide]

Hey!

I am really curious why people SH. I understand it in a couple different ways. One is to forget or distract you from the pain inside. Another is that in some weird way you think you get what you deserve and thats why the urge is there. As someone who doesn't SH, I would like to know: how would you describe it? Is it addictive?

(I'm not trying to be disrespectful in any way btw <3)

 

[evanescent_eva]

Only speaking for myself - I've SH'd for different reasons at different times (and sometimes different reasons at the same time). Sometimes it's been to distract myself from other pain I've been experiencing - both emotional and physical. Sometimes it's because I've felt like I'm a wretched thing who deserves to suffer. Sometimes it's been to feel like I have any control at all over my body and/or my experience. Sometimes it's been to see if other people would notice. And sometimes it's been to feel just a little bit closer to death.

Depending on how you SH, it can release endorphins in the body that not only distract, but actually take the pain away. Depending on how you SH, it can literally feel euphoric. And depending on how you SH, it can just feel like more pain.

Wouldn't call it addictive, any more than I'd call band-aids addictive, at least for me. Haven't really done SH in a while, as nothing feels like anything anymore.

 

[Average Joe]

For me, I self harm to get a relief. Like a smoker, yearning for a cigarette.
It distracts me from my thoughts.
I enjoy seeing and doing the damage.

I suppose it could be addictive, depending on your perspective and the self harm method.
Taking drugs as a form of self harm is addictive, cutting may be addictive too but I find that it's not the method of self harm that's addicting, but the outcome. I.e the pain, or getting those chemicals.

I don't know what I'm trying to say, I haven't had an intellectual thought in quite some time. (The lights are on but nobody is home) kinda thing.

 

[gooblet]

Hey!

I am really curious why people SH. I understand it in a couple different ways. One is to forget or distract you from the pain inside. Another is that in some weird way you think you get what you deserve and thats why the urge is there. As someone who doesn't SH, I would like to know: how would you describe it? Is it addictive?

(I'm not trying to be disrespectful in any way btw <3)

i'm just speaking for myself here, but because of having to act like a man and stuff i have never really felt emotions since a kid so it's my way of reacting to different things happening. It means i can feel something instead of being an npc.

The rest of the time i sh is because it's like a drug. Once you start I find it hard to stop. I need to see red and am not used to having no cuts on my wrists and legs. I need at least 50 cuts to feel something.

 

[lonesomedefeat]

I've been SHing for around a year now and have got a couple reasons for it. Sometimes its to provide some comfort and relief from emotional pain when it gets overwhelming, other times its to prove to myself that whatever I've been feeling is real and that I'm not just faking it all, and to feel some semblance of control over my body is a part of it too. Also, seeing the blood specifically is euphoric for me.

For me, I wouldn't say that it has been all that addictive (so far at least). But for some people, it can be addictive, whether that's because of the emotional relief or your body releasing endorphins in reaction to it, or both.

 

[bleeding_heart_show]

It is a temporary distraction.

 

[cactusflower]

I literally just do it because I have nothing else to do

 

[6lackstar]

Similar reasons to what people have already mentioned but another contributing factor for me for a long time was the fact that I couldn't bring myself to ctb because I didn't want to hurt my mother so sh was kind of the next best thing I guess

 

[other-ghost]

What you said is basically true for me. A distraction and a form of punishment for myself. But sometimes i just think i'm not me when i'm not covered in SH. I think a human as defective as me needs to look defective (even if i ended up covering it, i just feel the need to be like that, even if i'm the only one who knowsabout it). Maybe it's an addiction.

 

[DeeDog]

I can only really speak from my experience, but it really helps me relieve stress. It comes from a place of self-hatred, and helps me feel better about how much rage and contempt I feel to myself. It's like a punishment. After a while, I grew to kinda like the pain and just looking at the cuts and scars, and especially the blood. When I cut to the dermis layer for the first layer (the white stuff below your first layer of skin) I felt a crazy rush, I can't explain it. I read somewhere that it also releases a small amount of endorphins so there's a biological reason that people literally get addicted to it after doing it for a while.

 

[Forveleth]

This topic has been asked many, many times on this site. A search found some threads that may be helpful:

So why do y'all Self Harm

U don't have to read all of this post to respond just the next paragraph. So I'm curious as to why other people self harm. Doesn't matter how u do it. Burn Cut Punch Scratch or bang your head into walls. Why do u do it and how did it start? Me personally I'm not suicidal any more. I have...

sanctionedsuicide.site

Why self harm feels like a drug?

Before I started I said to myself just a few scratches I wont even make myself bleed just to see how it feels and that's what I did. The next time I decided to make myself bleed and just like that I continued going harder and harder every single time and here I am now having to clean of the...

sanctionedsuicide.site

Why does self harm feel better than anything else as a method of coping?

I've tried so many methods of coping. I've tried drinking, smoking, sex and masturbation, reading, video games, talking with friends and medication. None of it helps me but self harm stuff like cutting and really bruising myself. It's the closest thing to therapeutic in my life. Does anyone feel...

sanctionedsuicide.site

Do you struggle with self harm? Why do you do it?

I have my own issues with self harm, partly cutting, although it is quite harmless, with the only issue being scars as long as I don't accidentally get a wound infected(which is always a risk ig). I'm not sure why I tend to do this when stressed out. I know it helps me calm down but I feel like...

sanctionedsuicide.site

When and why did you start self harming?

I started with 12 and it was out of hatred for myself and my friends. I just needed to let energy out.

sanctionedsuicide.site

To the other people that self harm, why?

I cut myself when I feel empty, bored, or overwhelmed with negative emotion. However I'm curious if there are other people who do it for other reasons or even the same reasons. If you don't that's probably for the better, but if you do, how do you do it and why?

sanctionedsuicide.site

Why do people Self Harm?

I just don't get it to be honest. Why would you inflict pain on yourself to take pain away from you? Why do people do this if they're not suicidal?

sanctionedsuicide.site

Why do people self harm

I'm sorry if the question is insensitive and it's my first time posting.

sanctionedsuicide.site

 

[deadfaery]

i used to SH pretty much everyday for a good couple years, recently I only do it every few months now if at all. It can definitely become an addiction, I used it as a way to distract myself from the emotional pain and also kind of as a way to punish myself because I felt so out of control with not being able to regulate my emotions properly. After a while it just became a part of my routine and I enjoyed seeing the blood and scars that came from it. It started to become an OCD routine for me in the way that if something went wrong or I didn't accomplish what I wanted to I would cut myself to ease the anxiety. It was also just extremely satisfying to watch myself bleed and if the scars started to fade I would feel extremely anxious and have to cut again. In the last year or so I've calmed down a lot with it because it started to get exhausting and I just don't have the energy to do the clean up anymore. I've turned to tattoos now to kind of replace the feeling of cutting.

 

[cemeteryismyhome]

For me, it just seems like the normal thing to do. I don't get relief or distraction. I simply don't want to exist, I hate myself, I wish I could kill myself, and it seems right to treat myself badly. I don't realize I'm doing it most of the time. It's just how I am. I guess you could say it's instinctive.

 

[YandereMikuMistress]

This seems to be a reoccurring question here I've also noticed.
Id go with @Forveleth reply.

It's easier then explaining how it feels for me personally.