Posted by emmanuel98 on January 2, 2010, at 21:46:37
In reply to coping methods question (TRIGGER), posted by roslynn on January 2, 2010, at 19:24:35
I don't self harm, but I used to get profoundly dysregulated and have obsessive suicidal thoughts. I found that therapy helped and DBT helps a lot with this. DBT therapists are hard to find, but there are on-line DBT resources (Dialectical Behavioral Therapy). DBT was developed precisely to help people who get dysregulated and self-harm. CBT therapist are also helpful and very easy to find. If you have insurance, go to your insurance company's website and search by specialty, entering DBT or CBT as a specialty.
Basically, a DBT therapist (and most CBT therapists) would urge you to distract yourself, learn to do things mindfully -- like washing the dishes or taking a bath and focusing only on what you are doing, letting negative thoughts come and go but not getting stuck in them.
Good luck! Self-harming behaviors might not be life-threatening, but they are dangerous and can become obsessive and destroy your ability to enjoy life. If you're not in therapy already, get some help. If you are in therapy, call your therapist.
poster:emmanuel98
thread:932183
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/psycho/20091212/msgs/932214.html