tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6451967208270832502.post2045104764904268729..comments2024-03-27T03:22:41.073-07:00Comments on Psych Your Mind: Why do we hurt ourselves?Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08931064542755278772noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6451967208270832502.post-86225914685863510712011-12-24T14:36:18.975-08:002011-12-24T14:36:18.975-08:00Sherrie, I'm so sorry to hear about what you&#...Sherrie, I'm so sorry to hear about what you've been going through. The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) has a resource page that may be helpful if you want to explore other treatment options: http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/getting-help-locate-services/index.shtml You could also try calling the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) during their business hours: http://www.nami.org/template.cfm?section=helpline<br /><br />If you need to speak with someone immediately about self-injury concerns, you could try the following numbers:<br />1-800-334-HELP, 1-800-273-8255 (National Crisis Hotlines)<br />1-800-366-8288 (S.A.F.E. Alternatives - Self-Injury)<br />1-800-784-2433 (Suicide Hotline)<br /><br />Best wishes,<br />JuliJulihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11680528427434926352noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6451967208270832502.post-15678772797040844392011-12-23T22:10:33.181-08:002011-12-23T22:10:33.181-08:0050 yrs of depression, anxiety, panic attacks, phob...50 yrs of depression, anxiety, panic attacks, phobias and since 2008 I "black out" ( no alcohol or drug use)and only know it has happened when i find the results of what I was doing. Example picking up my open journal from the table, closing it and placing it a shelf on my way to my bedroom. No memory of being in my bedroom but when I came out my journal was open and back on the table. Therapy is not helping at all. I always do something that will be hurt full to me never to any one else. Sherrie MalikAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6451967208270832502.post-87456618843319273182011-10-12T23:43:17.122-07:002011-10-12T23:43:17.122-07:00Thanks for your comment, London. I do think some o...Thanks for your comment, London. I do think some of these behaviors are learned. Self-punishment, for example, may be learned through cultural or religious beliefs about appropriate responses to wrongdoing, or by internalizing others' treatment, even well-meaning disciplinary actions. Some of the other behaviors listed above, like self-handicapping, face work, and choking under pressure, may be reinforced in highly evaluative environments where success or acceptance are contingent on rigid standards. One antidote may be to remind ourselves that it's okay to make mistakes and mess up sometimes. Actually, people often like us better for it!Julihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11680528427434926352noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6451967208270832502.post-36565257894022128212011-10-10T14:29:06.501-07:002011-10-10T14:29:06.501-07:00It is amazing that there are so many ways to sabot...It is amazing that there are so many ways to sabotage yourself. That many of them are learned behaviors are horrible. It sure doesn't say much for the way children are raised and socialized. But if we take a harder look at these, and see it in themselves they can work to counteract these behaviors.London Counsellinghttp://www.sessionaltherapy.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6451967208270832502.post-3099496189046009532011-09-21T11:30:41.762-07:002011-09-21T11:30:41.762-07:00Thank you for your thoughtful comment! That's ...Thank you for your thoughtful comment! That's such an important point -it's not even just that self-destructive behaviors can have rational functions, but at times they may feel or be necessary for survival and self-preservation itself.Julihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11680528427434926352noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6451967208270832502.post-63631435821747187962011-09-21T09:19:46.215-07:002011-09-21T09:19:46.215-07:00Juli,
As usual, excellent post!
There is anoth...Juli,<br /><br /> As usual, excellent post!<br /><br /> There is another aspect of self-harm I have recently been studying that does not seem to fit into the categories above:<br /><br /> I work with youth and some of them are subject to the conditions of a citywide gang injunction. Coming from a totally different background than many of these kids, I've struggled to understand how they so easily accept a lifestyle that includes risks of death and/or incarceration. From my perspective, the choices they make are self-destructive. However, I found an interesting article by Albert Arfarniarromo which suggests that<br /><br /> "the Latino Gang member orientation and motivation towards the achievement of delinquent behavior, largely perceived as deviant by mainstream society, is actually an alternative response to repellent conditions. This response, often seen as abnormal by society as a whole, is a perception of achievement from within a diverted context that is misunderstood by many within mainstream society, a perception of abnormal or delinquent achievement behavior, such as dropping out of school or committing crime, as the norm or standard to attain" (Arfaniarromo, 2001).<br /><br />In other words, when a gang member runs headfirst into a crowd of rival gang members, willing to fight, knowing he or she is outnumbered and risking severe injury or death, their behavior is only abnormal or self-destructive from an outsider's perspective. In the context of their environment, this is a logical response to a threat.<br /><br /> In simple terms, acting "crazy" or "self-destructive" in an environment dominated by gang influence actually serves to increase status within the gang's hierarchy, ensure others fear you, and decrease the chances that you will be challenged in the future. That is actually a very sane and reasonable way to act under the circumstances. It's a behavior that is motivated by a desire for self-preservation. However, from the outside, by those of us foreign to the conditions of that particular environment, it seems like abnormal, self-destructive behavior.<br /> <br />I thought you'd appreciate this take on your thought-provoking post.<br /><br />Daniel<br /><br />Arfaniarromo, A. (2001). Toward a Psychosocial and Sociocultural Understanding of Achievement Motivation Among Latino Gang Members in U.S. Schools. Journal of Instructional Psychology, 28(3), 123. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.Daniel K. Moody, MS, LMFThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11908112622529025785noreply@blogger.com