01/04/2022
I think for many people who don't have big, loud, emotions, things like self-harm and substance use make very little sense and can be bewildering, upsetting, or even infuriating.
The problem is, they work. They're a terrible, terrible idea because you need to do more harm to yourself over time to achieve the same relief, but they do offer that when nothing else seems to. And that's why people keep using them. And that is also why any treatment needs to both improve the person's quality of life so they don't need to keep escaping emotional pain in this way, and teach them better ways of managing their emotions.
It is possible (and a much better idea!) to learn new, healthy strategies for painfully loud emotions, but most people need help to do this.
Does this make sense to you? I'd be interested to hear your thoughts.
