Comments on: searching for hope

By: Lynse_Leanne

Lynse_Leanne — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 00:02:10 +0000

Hannah,

I am so proud of you!! That is HUGE! It took me a while to stop injuring and those milestones are huge and feel amazing!!

You are so right. I find the more i see/talk about or hear about self injury the more i think about it. I think what scripture says about taking every thought captive is where that comes in!

By: hannah

hannah — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 22:23:15 +0000

I have to coment that while twloha may be awesome for some people, it is not good for everybody. I used to hurt myself (haven't for 190 days though!!! Praise God!!!). When I ran across the twloha site it was actually very tempting. It sparked an idea in me to take a knife or something to actually carve a heart into my arms(I have never used cutting as a method of self-injury). For months after I initially saw the site, I really really wanted to cut myself in that heart. I somehow managed to keep myself from doing it, but I just want to let anyone know who might be thinking of showing it to a girl who hurts herself to make sure it will not be a temptation to her as it was to me.

By: tam

tam — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 04:56:16 +0000

you are one strong woman. i am so proud of you! tam’s last blog post..pimp my post

By: Chris

Chris — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 18:07:28 +0000

Thanks for sharing your story. It is something I truly appreciate. Hopefully this will help remove the stigma.

By: Annie

Annie — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 22:17:50 +0000

I admire your courage in sharing this! What a difference you’re making!

By: Darcie

Darcie — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 19:40:42 +0000

“For those of you who know people that are struggling, please don’t focus on their cutting. It’s not even about the cutting. It’s so much larger than that.”

This is so right, but so often missed. I’ve talked myself out of asking for help or sharing my story many times because I was afraid people would get too caught up on the cutting and fail to recognize it as just a symptom of the real issue.

Thank you for sharing your story.

By: Lisa

Lisa — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 16:39:21 +0000

Thank you for sharing! Although I have never struggled myself, I have often talked to student that do. I’m sure many times I have been the one looking at them loving but now knowing what to say. Just listening. Again thank you for sharing your story. Keep it up, you never know how the pain you have walked through is going to help someone else!!!

By: Becca

Becca — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 05:15:37 +0000

Twloha (www.twloha.com) really is doing great things for the church. Cutting is something people don’t wanna talk about. Counselors are calling it the “new anorexia”. Eating disorder talk was taboo, but now it has been out in the open enough where girls can get help, and it’s not as “startling” as cutting is. Cutting is a very complicated addiction.

To those seeking advice on how to deal with someone who cuts: find referrals. Depending on the severity of how much they cut, always have a referral in the back of your mind if things get more complicated than you realistically know you’re qualified to handle.

Someone who cuts is not attempting suicide- in fact, quite the opposite. Do not ask to look at a cutters arms (or wherever they may cut- could be the thighs, the stomach, the upper arms, wrists, legs, ankles- places that can be concealed by clothing).
Try to ask pointed questions that get to the problem- as people have mentioned, it’s not cutting that is the issue, that just happens to be the outlet.
The reason could me a myriad of things:
1. sexual abuse.
2. Inability to express emotions, especially anger at home
3. Depression in general
4. bi-polar disorder
5. never learned how to adequately deal with situations, particularly dealing with others’ disappointment/ need for perfection

and a hundred other things.
What you may think is a very trivial trigger for a cutter is the exact opposite: it is proof that they’ve not learned how to cope with seemingly “simple” things in life.

Be encouraging. Hug them if they’ll let you. Affirm their abilities.
If you are in an accountability relationship with a cutter and they cut- never say “I’m disappointed with you that you did it again.” that will re-enforce their negative inner dialogue.

Hope this helps you some.

if anybody has specific questions, I’m free to answer them:
african_emo@hotmail.com

By: wanita

wanita — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 15:38:46 +0000

bless you sweetie for sharing! i know it can be an emotional event to share a part of yourself like this even while it’s empowering and freeing. you are in my thoughts and prayers!

By: bradruggles

bradruggles — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 14:49:52 +0000

Thank you for the honesty and transparency of that post. People need to read stuff like that to be reminded that we all have our struggles and none is worse than the next. Thank God for the victory to overcome.