Self Injury

When Jessica told me that I would be in charge of writing the Self-Injury part of One Life, I did not know where to begin. Actually, I still am not sure exactly where I should begin. How does one include all of the hardships and causes and outcomes, etc. associated with such a thing? Self-Injury is a complicated subject; it sometimes accompanies eating disorders, abuse, or trauma, or sometimes it seems to come up out of nowhere.

My journey in self-injury started when I was 15 years old (over 5 years ago). To this day, I can not tell you why I picked up that knife the first time. It started as a release from overwhelming emotions and as a way to 'punish' myself for the self-hate that was going on inside of me. From that day in December 2001, knives, razor blades, and other sharp objects became my greatest solace in times when I felt I had nothing else. I cut because I didn't want to feel; I wanted to numb away all of the "bad" in life.

It continued for years, and my body became a battlefield of pain too deep to bear. That is truly how it felt, and I know that I was not alone in thinking that. However, I have discovered hope. I have discovered love, and I have discovered freedom from a life of self-injury. It is possible!

I encourage you to use this site and this page for encouragement. Post on the message board; talk. I am here to answer questions, to listen, or to help in any way that I can. You are not alone!

I feel burdened to tell you that self-injury does NOT mean you aren't a good Christian or that you don't know God; self-injury is a struggle and something that can be overcome. We all have struggles----even those of us who seem to be "perfect" and have it all together.

Be patient with me, please, as I continually try to offer the best I can for this section of the site.

Regina