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Okay..Theres been a good bit of talk recently about cutting, so I figured I would gather some info from different posts, and threads, and post it on here...If you have any questions, I will answer any for you.. 
I hope this helps, if you or someone you know, is struggling with cutting, or the temptation to cut!
yeah, when i went thru it i was pretty caught up in myself. but at the same time my friends were going thru things and i couldnt help them, and when i tried to they ignored me, so i hurt for them as well and i felt awful about myself cuz i couldnt help them out and i felt alone cuz they ignored me! so it is diff with everyone. but yes, it does get pretty selfish sometimes.
well what helped me stop cutting was realizing that it didnt do any good I mean i had problems so i hurt myself, and after i hurt myself they were still there. and i just felt even worse about myself and life. so it just hurt more than it helped. also i talked to my youth pastors wife and close friends about it. and sometimes when i wanted to cut I would draw a cross on my left wrist in ink to remind me that i dont need to cut cuz God is there to take care of me. [thats the reason behind my tattoo] he already shed his blood to save me so there is no need to shed my own trying yo save myself. also i realized suicide was very selfish. i mean you just take away a gift that God gave the world. by doing that you tell God that he didnt do a good job and that the world he made isnt good enough for you. and you dont know who you could have helped and shared God with.
so yeah... thats basically what i thought during my dark times... i hope it helps. oh! and a verse that helped me out a lot is 1 Corinthians 10:13.
Cutting is nothing new, it goes way back to the Old Testament. The priest and worishippers of Baal used to cut themselves. There is a very real spirit of eveil behind it. But, actually helping someone who cuts is a lot harder than it would first apear. My daughter cuts and it does go back to a tragic situation in her life. Finding the root of the pain that caused it is very important for the person, but finding better ways to deal with that pain may be even harder. The person needs a lot of support and love. Tons of prayer and also time. There is no quick fix to this problem, but with God it can be overcome!!!
If someone is cutting themselves, or burning, or hurting themselves in any form, that is a huge cry for help (NOT necessarily attention, as some people may believe, though it does happen sometimes-just don't assume that you know the reasoning behind it right off the bat).
I've known a lot of people who have done one form or another, myself included for a short time.
The worst thing about it is that it's so much an inner battle, giving help is often really difficult. People can't just tell a cutter, "Knock it off or I'm never speaking to you again", or "I'll do this and this if only you'll stop hurting yourself".
A lot of times, the person has to find something else that releases that negative energy. But again, it can't be a forced issue; like, a parent would probably be really disappointed if they made a child who cuts go out and join some activity that would help them direct negative energy in a positive way, because the child would most likely resent that and become all the more secretive about hurting themselves. For instance, forcing them to join a sport or a club that you think they'd enjoy; unfortunately, it's really easy to completely miss your mark by guessing at what they'd like.
The thing is, when a person hurts themselves that way, they are generally mentally trapped by something horrible that's happened to them/loved ones. Counseling can be a big help for some (make sure it is a Christian counselor). Also, things like writing or painting, things that require the imagination and express emotion, can help.
It took me a combination of things to realize that I wasn't doing myself any good. It's different for everybody.
Most importantly, never stop praying for people who hurt themselves, never stop loving them or being there for them. Tell them you're concerned, tell them you are praying for them to stop hurting inside. Try to avoid losing patience with them or telling them that everyone goes through hard times and they are weak because of what they are doing.
This really isn't a case where scriptures and leaving it up to God work best. But it WILL take faith in the Lord, and Christ-like love, to help someone heal.
most people do not cut to get attention. most people cut because they do not know how to express some of the stuff that they are dealing with. I cut for about a year and a half. I cut because i did not know how to handle some of the stuff that was going on at home. My dad is an alcoholic, and my mom has bipolar, and has had many suicide attempts. I have now been free of cutting, for 8 months, since i got saved back in september. I also have a friend who used to cut..i had a lot to do with her getting help. I found out that she cut, and i noticed it was getting worse, so about three months ago, i went to my counselor. Now my friend has gotten the help she needs, and has been free of cutting for almost 3 months. But she cut because she also didn't know how to handle the stuff that went on at her house. Her dad physically and verbally abused her mom in front of her, and he also sexually abused her mom. But I, to this day, still struggle with the temptation to cut, but i know that if i give that temptation to god, he will give me the strength to beat it.
But my advice is to not be mad at the person who cuts. Because if you go in screaming and yelling, it is likely to make the situation worse. My parents did not find out till about five months after I got saved, and thats because I needed them to be there for me when i was struggling, sort of as a support group. But go to the person out of love and concern. If someone tells you they are struggling with the temptation to cut, do something to help them get their mind off of it..whether it be talking, going out to lunch, or something like that, but #1 thing to never do, and that is to take the knife away. Its just like what VAZ said..it acts as a comfort blanket almost...well i hope this helped
I used to cut...and no one, to this day, knows. I have scars on my legs (i don't wear shorts or capris), scars on my stomach, shoulders, everywhere. And you know what? I haven't cut in so long. No one has ever known that I have cut but I actually used to self-mutilate myself maybe 5 times a day just because the pain that I had inside was too much to bear.
But then I got this amazing idea. I don't need to bleed ANYMORE. Why? Because Jesus already bled for us. He's already taken the pain, he's already set us free. Jesus doesn't want you to cut. One day, I remember sitting on the bathroom floor late one night. It was after everyone went to bed and I had a horrible day, so I went into the bathroom, sat on the floor, and cried. I grabbed one of my razors and started cutting. All of a sudden, I saw an imagine of Jesus sitting next to me. He was squatting next to me and hugging me as tight as possible. And I saw Him crying. It was such a powerful image that I just dropped the razor and cried and cried. I still had that image in my mind. Jesus was there in that bathroom with me. He didn't want me to cut and he was crying because I was.
Well I know this was a lot to read, but I hope it has helped someone out there reading it. And sorry if there is something out of order, I just copy and pasted some posts/threads...
I hope this helps, if you or someone you know, is struggling with cutting, or the temptation to cut! yeah, when i went thru it i was pretty caught up in myself. but at the same time my friends were going thru things and i couldnt help them, and when i tried to they ignored me, so i hurt for them as well and i felt awful about myself cuz i couldnt help them out and i felt alone cuz they ignored me! so it is diff with everyone. but yes, it does get pretty selfish sometimes.
well what helped me stop cutting was realizing that it didnt do any good I mean i had problems so i hurt myself, and after i hurt myself they were still there. and i just felt even worse about myself and life. so it just hurt more than it helped. also i talked to my youth pastors wife and close friends about it. and sometimes when i wanted to cut I would draw a cross on my left wrist in ink to remind me that i dont need to cut cuz God is there to take care of me. [thats the reason behind my tattoo] he already shed his blood to save me so there is no need to shed my own trying yo save myself. also i realized suicide was very selfish. i mean you just take away a gift that God gave the world. by doing that you tell God that he didnt do a good job and that the world he made isnt good enough for you. and you dont know who you could have helped and shared God with.
so yeah... thats basically what i thought during my dark times... i hope it helps. oh! and a verse that helped me out a lot is 1 Corinthians 10:13.
Cutting is nothing new, it goes way back to the Old Testament. The priest and worishippers of Baal used to cut themselves. There is a very real spirit of eveil behind it. But, actually helping someone who cuts is a lot harder than it would first apear. My daughter cuts and it does go back to a tragic situation in her life. Finding the root of the pain that caused it is very important for the person, but finding better ways to deal with that pain may be even harder. The person needs a lot of support and love. Tons of prayer and also time. There is no quick fix to this problem, but with God it can be overcome!!!
If someone is cutting themselves, or burning, or hurting themselves in any form, that is a huge cry for help (NOT necessarily attention, as some people may believe, though it does happen sometimes-just don't assume that you know the reasoning behind it right off the bat).
I've known a lot of people who have done one form or another, myself included for a short time.
The worst thing about it is that it's so much an inner battle, giving help is often really difficult. People can't just tell a cutter, "Knock it off or I'm never speaking to you again", or "I'll do this and this if only you'll stop hurting yourself".
A lot of times, the person has to find something else that releases that negative energy. But again, it can't be a forced issue; like, a parent would probably be really disappointed if they made a child who cuts go out and join some activity that would help them direct negative energy in a positive way, because the child would most likely resent that and become all the more secretive about hurting themselves. For instance, forcing them to join a sport or a club that you think they'd enjoy; unfortunately, it's really easy to completely miss your mark by guessing at what they'd like.
The thing is, when a person hurts themselves that way, they are generally mentally trapped by something horrible that's happened to them/loved ones. Counseling can be a big help for some (make sure it is a Christian counselor). Also, things like writing or painting, things that require the imagination and express emotion, can help.
It took me a combination of things to realize that I wasn't doing myself any good. It's different for everybody.
Most importantly, never stop praying for people who hurt themselves, never stop loving them or being there for them. Tell them you're concerned, tell them you are praying for them to stop hurting inside. Try to avoid losing patience with them or telling them that everyone goes through hard times and they are weak because of what they are doing.
This really isn't a case where scriptures and leaving it up to God work best. But it WILL take faith in the Lord, and Christ-like love, to help someone heal.
most people do not cut to get attention. most people cut because they do not know how to express some of the stuff that they are dealing with. I cut for about a year and a half. I cut because i did not know how to handle some of the stuff that was going on at home. My dad is an alcoholic, and my mom has bipolar, and has had many suicide attempts. I have now been free of cutting, for 8 months, since i got saved back in september. I also have a friend who used to cut..i had a lot to do with her getting help. I found out that she cut, and i noticed it was getting worse, so about three months ago, i went to my counselor. Now my friend has gotten the help she needs, and has been free of cutting for almost 3 months. But she cut because she also didn't know how to handle the stuff that went on at her house. Her dad physically and verbally abused her mom in front of her, and he also sexually abused her mom. But I, to this day, still struggle with the temptation to cut, but i know that if i give that temptation to god, he will give me the strength to beat it.
But my advice is to not be mad at the person who cuts. Because if you go in screaming and yelling, it is likely to make the situation worse. My parents did not find out till about five months after I got saved, and thats because I needed them to be there for me when i was struggling, sort of as a support group. But go to the person out of love and concern. If someone tells you they are struggling with the temptation to cut, do something to help them get their mind off of it..whether it be talking, going out to lunch, or something like that, but #1 thing to never do, and that is to take the knife away. Its just like what VAZ said..it acts as a comfort blanket almost...well i hope this helped
I used to cut...and no one, to this day, knows. I have scars on my legs (i don't wear shorts or capris), scars on my stomach, shoulders, everywhere. And you know what? I haven't cut in so long. No one has ever known that I have cut but I actually used to self-mutilate myself maybe 5 times a day just because the pain that I had inside was too much to bear.
But then I got this amazing idea. I don't need to bleed ANYMORE. Why? Because Jesus already bled for us. He's already taken the pain, he's already set us free. Jesus doesn't want you to cut. One day, I remember sitting on the bathroom floor late one night. It was after everyone went to bed and I had a horrible day, so I went into the bathroom, sat on the floor, and cried. I grabbed one of my razors and started cutting. All of a sudden, I saw an imagine of Jesus sitting next to me. He was squatting next to me and hugging me as tight as possible. And I saw Him crying. It was such a powerful image that I just dropped the razor and cried and cried. I still had that image in my mind. Jesus was there in that bathroom with me. He didn't want me to cut and he was crying because I was.
Well I know this was a lot to read, but I hope it has helped someone out there reading it. And sorry if there is something out of order, I just copy and pasted some posts/threads...