Self-injury can be as addictive as any drug, and the secrecy and shame many sufferers feel about this behavior can keep them feeling trapped. But if you're ready to replace self-harm with a set of healthy coping skills, this compassionate and practical book can help. This complete guide to stopping self-injury gives you the facts about self-harm, corrects common myths about this behavior, and provides self-soothing techniques you can begin using right away for regulating difficult or overwhelming emotions. Freedom from Self-Harm also includes self-assessment worksheets, guidance for seeking professional help, and information about the most effective therapies and medications. Drawn from treatments such as dialectical behavior therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy, the tools in this book can help you cope with your emotions whenever you feel the urge to self-harm. This book has been awarded The Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies Self-Help Seal of Merit — an award bestowed on outstanding self-help books that are consistent with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) principles and that incorporate scientifically tested strategies for overcoming mental health difficulties. Used alone or in conjunction with therapy, our books offer powerful tools readers can use to jump-start changes in their lives.

Help for cutting and other forms of self-harm.

You canÂ’t hide your scars anymore, and you realize that you are out of control. Hurting yourself does not erase the pain you feel inside, and you are finally ready to reach out for help. After reading Cut: Mercy for Self-Harm, you know that there is hope for breaking free! In Beyond Cut: Real Stories, Real Freedom, Nancy Alcorn, founder and president of Mercy Ministries, presents personal stories from girls who have found freedom from self-harm and guides readers through practical steps to break free from this self-destructive behavior. There is Mercy for self-harm!

Put an end to self-harming behaviors—once and for all. Do you cut or self-harm? Do you feel like it gives you a sense of control in a world where you so often feel helpless and powerless? Do you do it to distract from emotional pain, or just feel something other than total numbness? There's a long list of reasons why you may self-harm. But regardless of the reason or the method, the truth is that self-harm is a destructive—and potentially deadly—way to deal with emotional pain. Fortunately, there are healthier and safer ways to manage your emotions. In The DBT Skills Workbook for Teen Self-Harm, dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) expert Sheri Van Dijk offers powerful skills to help you manage your emotions, so you won't have to rely on self-destructive behaviors. Whether you're actively engaging in self-harm by injuring your body, or participating in other self-destructive behaviors such as substance abuse or disordered eating, this workbook will help you create your own action plan for change. This workbook will guide you through four essential DBT skills: Mindfulness shows you how to experience emotion without having to act on it Distress tolerance teaches you how to deal with the urge to self-harm Emotional regulation allows you to understand and control painful feelings Interpersonal effectiveness helps you build self-respect and minimize feelings of worthlessness and hopelessness Life can be painful, but you don’t need to face this pain all on your own. With support, and the skills outlined in this workbook, you’ll gain the tools you need to manage difficult thoughts and feelings in safer, healthier ways.

Self-harm is increasingly prevalent in our society. But few of us understand why, or know what to do to help ourselves, friends or family in such situations. It can be very isolating. Understanding and Responding to Self-Harm aims to fill this gap, providing practical information and advice for anyone who has an experience of self-harm. Showing the various forms self-harm can take, this book explores the reasons behind it, and offers advice on self-management, support to others, and what services are available. Full of clear, thoughtful advice for those who may be thinking of harming themselves, or have already done so, as well as guidance for families and friends on helpful strategies and responses - and ones to avoid - it uses evidence from research and direct experience to provide an essential resource.

"Parents who discover a teen's self-injurious behavior are gripped by uncertainty and flooded with questions - Why is my child doing this? Is this a suicide attempt? What did I do wrong? What can I do to stop it? And yet basic educational resources for parents with self-injuring children are sorely lacking. Healing after Self-Injury provides desperately-needed guidance to parents and others who love a young person struggling with self-injury"--

Bloodletting/ - , letting/ n. 1. Phlebotomy, the act or process of letting blood or bleeding, as by opening a vein or artery. 2. Outmoded medical practice used as a cure for illnesses ranging from fevers to hysteria. Bloodletting is a frank, compelling and at times darkly humorous memoir boldly challenging the silence surrounding one of mental health's last taboos. A close relative of bulimia and anorexia, it is estimated that up to 1 per cent of the population has intentionally harmed itself - yet for the most part it is a behaviour that goes unspoken, dismissed as the attention-seeking actions of prison in-mates or delinquent teenagers. If you had run into Victoria on the street during her darkest days you would never have known the torment she endured. Confident, polite and articulate she could have been your sister, your workmate, your friend, your lover. Yet from her late teens and throughout her twenties Victoria Leatham struggled with the overwhelming desire to hurt herself, a desire that was all-consuming and shaped every aspect of her life. And while not everyone who feels stressed, insecure or depressed will physically turn upon themselves, anyone who has ever felt out of control will recognise the logic that drove her. Today Victoria is a happy, successful 30-something professional who only occasionally glances sideways at the bathroom cabinet.