SELF-HARM PROGRAMMES

Self-harming tends to be a behaviour pattern for people who don’t have a healthy repertoire of ways to release emotions and deal with pain. Self harm or self injury, is frequently referred to as an addiction, and as an addiction it is characterised by obsession, compulsion and extreme self-centredness, which keeps people hooked into a ceaseless, downward spiral of self-loathing, shame and chaos.

Someone who self-harms engages in a behaviour that is habit forming, and that takes on an obsessional quality, with repetitive incidents of increasing frequency and severity. Research evidence by a team of Harvard psychiatrists shows that self-harm causes a release of chemicals in the brain that are similar to opioids.

This is why it may be difficult, once ‘hooked’, to stop self-harming.

There is a strong correlation between self-injury and other addictive behaviours. Many who self-harm, also have significant problems with alcohol, drugs, and/or eating disorders. Studies show that 41% of bulimics and 35% of anorexics also self-harm. It is also known that repetitive acts of vomiting (as in bulimia) cause the release of endorphins in the brain and may trigger a physiologically addictive process.

With self-harm, the same type of high or physiological release is sought, although this may at times be on a subconscious level.

At Oasis we work through the different stages of the Cycle of Self-harm so that we can see what happens in the build up to the whole experience of self-harming.

The emotions escalate and the person quickly becomes overwhelmed, not knowing how to handle their intensity. Self-harming has become something that they have learned to do and garnishes them with feeling of being numb, powerless or relieved. We look at where our clients adopted this coping mechanism, and show them how to deal with their emotions in a more grounded and control manner.

Our 24 hour nursing have been trained to observe, contain and coach our clients on healthy coping mechanisms, and clients work through a specific Oasis Self-harm workbook and complete the Self-Harmers Anonymous Step One.




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