Self harm that isn't cutting...

[Vision Thing]

I know a lot of people tend towards cutting, and I have tried it but it's never helped me. I just feel like the knife is doing all the work for me and I'm not really hurting myself at all.

Personally I tend to pinch myself until I bruise or break the skin and bleed. Or I scratch off all my arms until they bleed.

Does anyone else do things like that?

[stretto]

I never cut, I knew that if I did it would be to obvious so I had to find other ways to do it. I used to do the scratching thing a lot. Not to the point of bleeding, but enough to raise welts. Or I'd dig my fingernails into my skin enough to leave bruises, so it's sort of similar.

[Ugly Duckling]

Well i cut,,
But i pinch and try to bruise myself but i don't feel the same way towards it
xx

[bellefolie]

I sometimes try and scratch lumps of myself,that sounds weird but I have a need for smooth skin ,so for example I have whiteheads on my face and I'll constantly be scratching at them or if I find little lumps/spots on my arm I'll scratch at them .I even ended up trying to get some off my shoulder last week to the point were they bled,which is a feet for me since I probably have the world's shortest nails but that's not to purposley self injure
more because they just annoy me.

I'm trying to stop cutting, Haven't done it in about 2/3 months now :)
but sometimes if I'm pissed off now,I'll bite or pinch myself instead...to the point where it hurts but not enought to leave any marks.

[CryOutLove]

Most of the time I cut,
but when I don't I slap my face alot.
Or then I bruise my arm up and everything.
it sucks.

[Jacklinger]

Have you considered traditional S & M torture? It's much less harmful but hurts a lot. I can't believe I'm suggesting that to someone but if it helps you channel your anxiety while sparing your flesh better, then, it would be for the best wouldn't it?

You could also search out people who do piercings as a hobby. Not like the ears or tongue but major piercings, such as the chest, shoulders, and legs. If you learn to do it right you can cause yourself quite a lot of pain without doing too much damage.

There are expert self-injury practitioners all over the world. Just go google torture.

[thel]

the above post is actually a pretty good idea. i can relate to many of the previous posts. while cutting seems like a temporary answer at the time, the results last a lot longer. personally a physical cut, at least to me, provides only slight relief through the biological rush of endorphins. i think the sight of it is what calms my mind. a physical answer to a mental problem.

when i recognize the need, as a sort of fury seems to assimilate the cells in my body, i feel as if i have to destroy something beautiful. not just break something. smash it. obliterate it. destroy it entirely. throwing things doesnt seem to work either. its the feeling of the personal force in the throw that helps, not the effect of the object hitting something else, because its not me. i have to feel it, be a part of the destruction. not the one holding the razor blade, but being the blade itself.

[Vision Thing]

I sometimes try and scratch lumps of myself,that sounds weird but I have a need for smooth skin ,so for example I have whiteheads on my face and I'll constantly be scratching at them or if I find little lumps/spots on my arm I'll scratch at them .I even ended up trying to get some off my shoulder last week to the point were they bled,which is a feet for me since I probably have the world's shortest nails but that's not to purposley self injure
more because they just annoy me.

I'm trying to stop cutting, Haven't done it in about 2/3 months now :)
but sometimes if I'm pissed off now,I'll bite or pinch myself instead...to the point where it hurts but not enought to leave any marks.

pretty much this :)


Have you considered traditional S & M torture? It's much less harmful but hurts a lot. I can't believe I'm suggesting that to someone but if it helps you channel your anxiety while sparing your flesh better, then, it would be for the best wouldn't it?

You could also search out people who do piercings as a hobby. Not like the ears or tongue but major piercings, such as the chest, shoulders, and legs. If you learn to do it right you can cause yourself quite a lot of pain without doing too much damage.

There are expert self-injury practitioners all over the world. Just go google torture.

S&M is designed for stable people, as much as you wanna think it's all sensless hedonism, it's actually pretty stictly controlled and you'd never get a partner to do it with you if you weren't stable....an s&m relationship requires a bunch of trust, and doesnt necessarily spare the skin

I self harm because im angry with myself, not cause I want to feel pain

[Wallflower]

I used to be a cutter, but I buried myself in other addictions to get away from it. I still have the tendency to self-harm, however. Last week I had a meltdown and started punching myself in the face. I got excited when I saw blood from my lip so I kept doing it. I ended up with a fat, bruised lip and a bruised jaw. Looked like someone beat the shit out of me :/
I really scared myself that I did that and I don't want to do it ever again.

[siany]

when i get angry with my self i tend to slap or punch myself in the face.. or bite myself really hard, i didnt think this was a way of self harming untill i read this thread, i thaught it was just normal and everyone done it, you may wander why im looking at the self harm posts if i didnt think i was a self harmer, i was curious, now im shocked as i guess i sort of am a self harmer? :S
but isnt mia in a way kind of self harm?
im very confused now..

[SarahXu]

I feel the same way- the knife is getting all the jollies. But scratching doesn't leave that much of a mark (in a sick, warped way, I like the scarring), so I still cut- about a hundred times in the same place so I can see my hands working too, doing something. I'm even specific enough to count. OCD much? Perhaps...

[Self_Control]

According to some psych I talked to online I exhibit self harm and drug addict behaviors. I get a low feeling or start having an anxiety attack so I head straight to the pill cabinet and OD. I intentionally overdose because of that feeling of whether or not you will make it through. I end up puking for hours, shaking, losing oxygen, passing out, you name it. But I enjoy it just as much as I hate it. I haven't done this in awhile but I used to wrap a belt around my neck and hang my head down off of my bed backwards. I'd pull on the belt tighter until it felt like I would pass out. It'd leave a perfect imprint of the belt around my neck. I quit that after I started sleeping on the couch though.

[tracy cutter]

I feel the same way- the knife is getting all the jollies. But scratching doesn't leave that much of a mark (in a sick, warped way, I like the scarring), so I still cut- about a hundred times in the same place so I can see my hands working too, doing something. I'm even specific enough to count. OCD much? Perhaps...

i love to cut with my special purple scissors i cut on my legs arms wrist and with my tweezers i cut my bottom lip the part that doesnt show like if you were to have your lips closed on that line i cut. and then when it tries to heal i peel off the skin and bleeds again.. that is a great spot for me to cut. no one can see it unless you stare. best spot ever!! besides my wrist.

[FightingTemptation]

i usually only scratch (we have a never ending supply of sewing pins), i'm too scared i might accidently cut too deep with a knife. i just really want to feel the raised skin that comes after a few minutes. i do have some scars from when i've stuck it in and ended up with lovely lines, i had to do it again to coincide with my love of four.

i used to do gymnastics and i almost always came home injured. i'd ignore anything during class, and feel elated as i came home bruised and battered. i've completely messed up my ankles and elbows though. its nice to have them give out though (overelasticed to begin with) its a bit of a ripling shock, walk it off. rips (from the bars) on the palm of my hands were the best as i have an almost ocd habit to pick at anything reachable (pimples, scratches, cuts, dry lips, etc.) almost unfortunatly, the callouses never left any scars...

[silver_elf]

An eating disorder is a form of self-harm, as is taking unnecessary risks.

[Marialise]

I'm not sure if this relates, but when I'm upset with myself a lot of times I do things ed related... binge, purge, overexercise, starve, do drugs... Um... when i was a drug addict it wasn't fun for me... most people use drugs to party... for me its like every time I would do a line I would be telling myself I was a stupid, filthy, whore who deserved the awful life of an addict. Like my parents always put me on a pedestal and thought/expected me to be perfect... so whatever i do to hurt myself is like punishing myself for never being what they want/expect from me... Does that make any sense?

[Vision Thing]

i used to do gymnastics and i almost always came home injured. i'd ignore anything during class, and feel elated as i came home bruised and battered. i've completely messed up my ankles and elbows though. its nice to have them give out though (overelasticed to begin with) its a bit of a ripling shock, walk it off. rips (from the bars) on the palm of my hands were the best as i have an almost ocd habit to pick at anything reachable (pimples, scratches, cuts, dry lips, etc.) almost unfortunatly, the callouses never left any scars...

Yeah, definately this. I'm full of scar tissue though, it looks awful although I guess I'm somewhat proud of it being there



An eating disorder is a form of self-harm, as is taking unnecessary risks.

I never thought of it like that at the meoment, but that's really true

[amalthea]

Have you considered traditional S & M torture? It's much less harmful but hurts a lot. I can't believe I'm suggesting that to someone but if it helps you channel your anxiety while sparing your flesh better, then, it would be for the best wouldn't it?

You could also search out people who do piercings as a hobby. Not like the ears or tongue but major piercings, such as the chest, shoulders, and legs. If you learn to do it right you can cause yourself quite a lot of pain without doing too much damage.

There are expert self-injury practitioners all over the world. Just go google torture.


That's what I was thinking. Body piercing isn't really permanent. (I've pierced so much and barely any scars unless you know about them). A good documentary is called Modify. I's suggest it.

Anyways, for girls just wear painful clothing. High heels (especially fetish ones) are great and sexy, as are REAL corsets. (I've tightlaced to 18 inches) so try these tips out. Besides, when wearing a corset you cant eat much :) nor do you want to. a less extreme and expensive option is a true girdle too.

[amazon2]

I personally find it funny that so many people think that the only way you can harm yourself is if you are a cutter. I mean I know it is because so much awareness has been raised about the issue but still. And then, there are the people that oddly think that you aren't a "cutter" if you don't cut your wrists...? Swear, I actually read a friend's blog post about that recently. She came out to a friend because she wanted his help and he ridiculed her for being a fake, saying that she wasn't a cutter because she cut her thighs, not her wrists....? The ignorance of some people.

Personally, I love the feeling of cutting but I have been trying to give it up. I hadn't really given it any thought until then but it is REALLY easy to self-harm. Picking is a big and constant one for me: my finger nails, cuticles, scratches, cuts, pimples, lips..... so easy. I have also found myself scratching my skin til it's raw and bleeding. Once I had a mini breakdown and in a state of depersonalization I started biting my knees..... And then there was the time when I went roller skating at the skating rink...... man falling was "fun".