THERAPY SERVICESTRAINING SCHOOL
LOCATIONS
TOOTINGCLAPHAMMARYLEBONE
CALL US TODAY 020 8673 4545[email protected]
Product has been added to your basket.
  • HOME
  • ABOUT
    • THE AWARENESS CENTRE
      • About The Awareness Centre
      • The Team
      • Centre News
      • Media
      • Collaborative Partners & External Agencies
    • OUR PRACTICES
      • TAC Clapham
      • TAC Tooting
      • TAC Marylebone
      • How to Find Us
    • THE DIRECTOR
      • Michaela McCarthy
  • THERAPY SERVICES
    • NHS THERAPY SERVICES
      • NHS Lambeth
      • NHS Wandsworth
      • NHS Sutton
      • Our NHS Therapists
      • NHS Multilingual Counselling
    • PRIVATE THERAPY SERVICES
      • Online Counselling & Telephone Therapy
      • Low Cost Counselling, Psychotherapy & Counselling Psychology
      • Counselling
      • Psychotherapy
      • Psychology
      • Our Low Cost Therapists
      • Our Private Therapists
      • Private Healthcare Providers
    • SPECIALIST THERAPY SERVICES
      • Addiction Counselling
      • Anger Management Therapy
      • Bereavement Counselling
      • Child & Adolescent Counselling
      • Couples Counselling
      • Eating Disorders Therapy
      • Family Therapy
      • LGBTQ+ Counselling
      • Multilingual Counselling
      • Sex & Relationship Therapy
      • Trauma Counselling & Psychotherapy
    • FURTHER INFORMATION
      • Types of Issues
        • Abuse
        • Addiction
        • ADHD
        • Anger
        • Anxiety Disorders
        • Asperger’s Syndrome
        • Attachment Disorder
        • Bereavement and Loss
        • Body Dysmorphic Disorder
        • Bullying
        • Cancer
        • Carer Support
        • Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
        • Communication
        • Dementia
        • Depression
        • Disability
        • Dissociation
        • Eating Disorders
        • Family and Relationships
        • Gender & Identity
        • Guilt and Shame
        • Hearing Voices
        • HIV/AIDS
        • Illness
        • Infertility
        • Isolation & Loneliness
        • Learning Difficulties
        • Life Transitions
        • Low Self-Esteem
        • Mental Health
        • Paranoia
        • Passive Aggressive Behaviour
        • Personality Disorders
        • Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
        • Pregnancy & Childbirth
        • Psychosis
        • Rape
        • Redundancy
        • Schizophrenia
        • Self-Harm
        • Sex and Relationships
        • Sexuality
        • Spirituality
        • Stress
        • Suicidal Thoughts
        • Tourette’s Syndrome
        • Trauma (Child & Adult)
        • Trichotillomania
        • Workplace Issues
      • Frequently Asked Questions
      • Resources
      • Approaches to Therapy
      • Client Testimonials
      • Book an Appointment
  • FEES
  • TAC TRAINING SCHOOL
    • Meet the Faculty
    • Foundation Certificate in Counselling
    • Diploma in Integrative Counselling
    • Diploma in Clinical Supervision
    • Diploma in Working with Couples
    • Diploma in Executive Coaching
    • Corporate Mental Health Workshops
    • Testimonials for the Foundation Certificate
    • Testimonials for the Diplomas
  • PRIVATE PRACTICE
    • Private Practice
    • Hire A Room
    • Wimpole Street Practice
    • Join TAC Directory
    • Therapist Testimonials
  • BLOG
  • WORK AT TAC
  • COUNSELLING PLACEMENT
    • Counselling Placement
    • Counselling Placement Testimonials
    • Placement Training Testimonials
  • CONTACT
    • Appointment Request
    • Contact Us
What We All Need to Know About Self-Harm

What We All Need to Know About Self-Harm

There are a lot of myths and misunderstandings around self-harm. This is perhaps understandable because self-harm or self-injury are so seldom discussed openly and there are a lot of negative stereotypes around these behaviours. But March the First is Self-Injury Awareness Day, which is a day to challenge the myths so that people feel better able to talk about the issues and ask for help.

Myth 1. Self-harm is a cry for attention

One of the most common stereotypes about self-harm is that it is ‘attention seeking’ but this is not the case and, in fact, most incidents of self-harm are not reported and most people who self-harm go through it alone for months, even years, before they feel able to talk to anyone about it or ask for help.

Myth 2. Self-harm is a partial or trial suicide attempt

People often make a link between self-harm and suicide, but they are quite separate behaviours. Most people who self-harm do it to help them to cope with overwhelming feelings or thoughts and it should be taken seriously whatever the reason behind it. They would describe it as a way of coping with life and staying alive.

Myth 3. Self-harm is a youth subculture thing

It is true that it feels as though self-harming behaviour arrived with modern times and is the preserve of young people — particularly those who identify as ‘goth’ or ‘emo’ — but research shows it occurs in children as young as four and can manifest itself in those in their 60s. So it can happen to anyone at any stage of their lives. Having said that, most of the research on self-harm has been conducted with young people and the most recent stats show that self-harm affects 13% of under-25s but that there is no evidence that it is part of any particular genre or subculture.

Myth 4. Self-harm is a form of masochism

Some people believe that when people self-harm they take pleasure in the pain or risk. This is not the case. Everybody – whether you self-harm or not – has a different pain threshold. Some people can endure the most extraordinary levels of pain, while others may have a hypersensitivity to even the slightest injury or ache. When someone has the urge to harm themself, they may feel as though they are numb and not able to feel pain; this is because of the emotional intensity they are experiencing in that moment. In most cases, the pain of the self-harm replaces emotional pain.

The most important things to know about self-harm are:

  • It is possible to live without it.
  • You won’t always feel the way you do now.
  • With the right help and support most people recover.

Why does it happen?

Self-harm is normally part of a cycle and most commonly starts as a way of relieving the pressure of distressing thoughts and feelings that have built up to what feels like an intolerable level. The self-harm gives temporary relief from the emotional pain, but the relief is fleeting and does not address the underlying reasons for the build-up of emotional pain. And then, once the relief has faded, feelings of guilt and shame can come in which set off the cycle again.

What to do if you self-harm:

  • Recognise the triggers. For many people there are certain situations (a break-up for example), times (usually night) or behaviours (such as taking drugs or drinking) that make the cycle of self-harm more likely. It is important to learn to recognise these.
  • Inform yourself about first aid. If you self-harm, it is important that you know how to look after your injuries and that you have a stock of the particular first aid equipment you need.
  • Talk to someone you trust. Most impulses to self-harm come with a strong urge for privacy and secrecy around them, which is why it is so important that you are able to talk to someone about it whether that is a friend, a family, member, a GP or other medical professional.

If you feel you need to talk to a qualified professional in a safe, non-judgmental environment, call 020 8673 4545 or email [email protected] and the Front of House team will book an appointment with one of our therapists. We have centres in Clapham and Tooting.

Bridget Freer
Bridget Freer first trained as a print journalist and worked for many years as a freelance features writer for publications including The Sunday Times, The Times, The Observer, The Telegraph, Hello, People, Rolling Stone, Marie Claire and Psychologies. She is also the author of several books on careers and travel. Bridget is a qualified psychotherapist with an MsC in psychodynamic psychotherapy from Birkbeck, University of London.
Being In Therapy: How Do You Know if You Need Short-Term Or Open-Ended Therapy?
Why Clearing Your Clutter Is Good For Your Mental Health

Related Posts

Lockdown in Winter: How To Look After Your Mental Health

Winter Lockdown: How To Look After Your Mental Health

Is it possible to be depressed and not know it?

Can You Be Depressed Without Knowing It?

How Simple Living Can Improve Your Mental Health

How Simple Living Can Improve Your Mental Health

Resiliency and Learned Helplessness

Resiliency and Learned Helplessness

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Fill out this field
Fill out this field
Please enter a valid email address.

Subscribe to our newsletter



    Please add me to the list

    Categories

    • Abortion
    • Abuse
    • Acute Stress Disorder
    • Addiction
    • ADHD
    • Agoraphobia
    • Alcoholism
    • Anger Management
    • Anxiety
    • Ask Michaela
    • Attachment
    • Bereavement & Loss
    • Bipolar
    • Borderline Personality Disorder
    • Bullying
    • Children and Adolescents
    • Co-Dependency
    • Coaching
    • Coronavirus
    • Counselling
    • Counselling Placements
    • Couples
    • Dementia
    • Depression
    • Divorce
    • Domestic Violence
    • Dreams
    • Eating Disorders
    • Echoism
    • Ecopsychology
    • Empty Nest Syndrome
    • Family
    • Guilt
    • Health
    • Imposter Syndrome
    • Infertility
    • Insomnia
    • LGBTQ
    • Life Stories
    • Loneliness
    • Masochism
    • Meditation
    • Menopause
    • Mental Health
    • Mindfulness
    • Narcissism
    • News
    • OCD
    • Panic Attacks
    • Parenting
    • Personal Development
    • Personality Disorders
    • Porn
    • Postnatal Depression
    • Pregnancy
    • Psychology
    • Psychosexual
    • Psychotherapy
    • PTSD
    • Relationships
    • Sadness
    • Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
    • Self Esteem
    • Self-Care
    • Self-Harm
    • Sex
    • Sexual Harassment
    • Sleep
    • Social Anxiety Disorder
    • Stress
    • Suicide
    • The Awareness Centre
    • Therapy
    • Training School
    • Trauma
    • Uncategorized
    • Workplace Issues

    TAC Brochure

    DOWNLOAD

    TAC has BACP Membership

    TAC Clapham

    41 Abbeville Road
    London SW4 9JX
    [email protected]
    020 8673 4545

    Available Services

    check_circle
    Low Cost Therapy
    check_circle
    Private Therapy

    Appointments

    Monday – Thursday:
    7.00am – 10.00pm

    Friday:
    7.00am – 9.00pm

    Saturday:
    9.00am – 5.30pm

    Sunday:
    10.00am – 2.00pm

    TAC Tooting

    74-80 Upper Tooting Road
    London SW17 7PB
    [email protected]
    020 8673 4545

    Available Services

    check_circle
    Private Therapy

    Appointments

    Monday – Thursday:
    7.00am – 10.00pm

    Friday:
    7.00am – 5.30pm

    Saturday:
    9.00am – 5.30pm

    TAC Marylebone

    85 Wimpole Street
    London W1G 9RJ
    [email protected]
    020 8079 0708

    Available Services

    check_circle
    Private Therapy

    Appointments

    Tuesday and Thursday:
    8.00am – 12.00pm

    Email
    Facebook
    Twitter
    LinkedIn
    YouTube
    Instagram
    Pinterest

    © 2023 The Awareness Centre Ltd.

    • DISCLAIMER
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • COOKIE POLICY
    • TAC POLICIES
    • TERMS

    The Awareness Centre Limited. A company registered in England and Wales, Number: 06194423. Registered Office: 74-80 Upper Tooting Road, London, England, SW17 7PB.  Trading as The Awareness Centre.

    This site uses cookies and data collection for personalised advertising. Your data may be shared with third parties for this purpose. Learn more about how we collect data and use cookies, and check that you consent. Manage PreferencesI Consent Learn more
    Privacy & Cookies Policy

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
    Necessary
    Always Enabled
    Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
    Non-necessary
    Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
    SAVE & ACCEPT