Recent Posts

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Survivor Room / Re: Biological self-harm. Another perspective of self-harm using sex to inflict.
« Last post by Vermilion on Today at 01:19:03 PM »
Not sself harm as such but I've certainly done the risky behaviour by having 'dangerous' sex. I suppose that it was a mixture of motivations; believing that it was all I was good for (after SA), not caring what happened to me because I planned to die anyway, as a way of distracting myself from feelings that i didn't understand. The latter was, I suppose, due to a misguided belief that by having sex in a 'risky' way that those who assaulted me had no control anymore, but it was affecting me afterall. I guess that it was more of a self destructive behaviour rather than self harm, a distinction that can be blurry, but I do think it's slightly different.
It seems to be a very common behaviour amongst SA survivors.

Quote
10 years after that diagnosis,  I’m going through counselling to learn that what I did wasn’t wrong, it was just my coping strategy at the time for all the pain that ate at my core that I didn’t know how to process.

Absolutely. I feel like sexual behaviour is stigmatised more than other form of coping. If someone used alcohol to cope and had liver cirrhosis (sp?) they wouldn't made to feel the same shame and there would be less of the 'it's your own fault' mentality. I was fortunate enough not to contract anything and my current bloke is understanding, I figured that it's better to be honest about it and I made sure to get a sexual health screening and whatnot. That could easily have not been the case though. Honestly, I think that the stigma is, at least partly, down to (especially the British) society's prudish attitude towards sex in general which just makes things worse for people.

These things absoloutely need to be talked about more openly, so I'm glad this was posted.  :emot-thumbsup11:
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Research Topics / Exploring Young Adults' Experiences of Peer Support Networks
« Last post by CL on April 25, 2024, 10:51:19 AM »
Hi everyone!

This post, and research topic, may be triggering for some people. Please consider your wellbeing before choosing to read. It contains reference to suicidal thoughts and non-suicidal self-injury. If this may cause you distress, please navigate away from this post, and you might want to seek support if you feel this would be helpful. 

I'm Charlotte, a trainee clinical psychologist at Lancaster University, currently recruiting for my thesis project. I am recruiting jointly with another trainee, Sophie.

Our projects are exploring young adults' experiences of peer support networks for suicidal thoughts and non-suicidal self-injury (Sophie's project is focusing on suicidal thoughts, and mine is focusing on non-suicidal self-injury).
We understand that for many people these experiences can come alongside each other, which is why we decided to recruit together. You don't have to have experienced both to take part. We want to do this research to give a voice to young adults experiences, and help shape support in a meaningful way.

We would ask that you have experience of using peer support (receiving or providing) for suicidal thoughts and/or non-suicidal self-injury, are aged between 18 and 35 and are based in the UK to take part. You will be asked some questions about your experiences, either through an online survey, or an interview, whichever you would prefer.

Ethical approval has been granted for both projects from the Faculty of Health and Medicine Research Ethics Committee at Lancaster - Sophie's project approval code is FHM-2024-4024-RECR-3, and mine is FHM-2024-4009-RECR-4.

If you would like to find out a bit more information, the link to our information sheet is here. You can also continue to participate if this is something you choose to do after reading and consenting.
https://lancasteruni.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5nxMne950xj2Kpg

For any questions, or to arrange an online interview if you'd prefer this, please feel free to email us at [email protected] or [email protected]

Hope you have a lovely day, and thank you for reading and contributing if you do so :)

 :icon_arrow:
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Survivor Room / Biological self-harm. Another perspective of self-harm using sex to inflict.
« Last post by GlennUK on March 27, 2024, 06:44:27 PM »
 :maytrigger:

As a male survivor of sexual abuse at the age of 15, that abuse caught up with me in my late 30s/40s and I began to have risky casual sex that ended up getting me repeatedly involved in high risk sexual activity that used recreational drugs and unprotected sex. In 2014, that chaotic behaviour left me diagnosed hiv+ve. 

10 years after that diagnosis,  I’m going through counselling to learn that what I did wasn’t wrong, it was just my coping strategy at the time for all the pain that ate at my core that I didn’t know how to process.

I’m now in a much safer and better place and so grateful to be here today.

It doesn’t matter how you self-harm, cutting oneself or biologically self-harming oneself, I believe we share a similar pain.

Whatever you’re going through and whatever your method, please believe you’re not alone and there’s love and light in the tunnel ahead.

Glenn x

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Survivor Room / Baby loss certificates *Trigger Baby loss*
« Last post by Axia on March 13, 2024, 06:10:22 PM »
Hi. I'm not sure if this is in the correct room but I just wanted to share that if anyone has lost a baby for any reason under 24 weeks gestation there are now baby loss certificates you can get from gov.uk if you live in England and lost your baby on or after 1st September 2018.

I lost my angel in 2020 and I have a memory box for him and the baby loss certificate, which is official but not legal has helped a little bit. If it could help you or anyone you know, it is there.

Take care  :1027:
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Survivor Room / Re: If there was a cure for autism...
« Last post by Gerard on December 28, 2023, 04:02:28 PM »
Waiting on these to arrive. My friend and sister swear by them. https://www.loopearplugs.com/
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Research Topics / Re: Christmas / New Year and Self-harm
« Last post by exploringSH on December 26, 2023, 05:46:53 AM »
Hey everyone,
I hope you had a merry christmas.  :xmastree:
How did it go? I understand it can be a stressful time for those struggling with mental health issues, and I would still be interested in hearing from you.

Ideas of things you could talk about, although feel free to talk about whatever aspect you wish:

  • Were you looking forward to Christmas / the festive season, or were you nervous about it?
  • Did Christmas end up being as you had expected it?
  • Did you spend Christmas with your family or friends? If so, did it make you feel closer? Feeling more supported?
  • Did you notice an influence on your self-injury during the festive season?
  • Did you take any preventive measures to protect your mental health during the festive season, like self-care for example?

Take care,
Nina
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Survivor Room / Re: If there was a cure for autism...
« Last post by Gerard on December 22, 2023, 04:09:09 PM »
Current struggles.

Taking naps, I feel I need these as I don't sleep well, in general. I think they're mostly a weekend issue as I often feel very tired around 1pm
Managing emails, signing up for things/volunteering
Pursing job applications, deciding to apply
Tidying my room as a matter of routine
Hoovering - need to do it more.
Yoga and other activities to support running e.g. foam rolling, resistance bands
Maintaining my running log (this is a written thing, I don't have Strava)
Watching Disney/Apple TV
Reading for leisure - I pretty much don't do this
Closing endless tabs on my browser

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Survivor Room / Re: If there was a cure for autism...
« Last post by Gerard on December 22, 2023, 03:11:24 PM »
More like this, please. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/373302160_The_Compassionate_Brain_Theory_of_Autism
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Research Topics / Re: Online Survey: Self-Harm and Relationships to Self and Others
« Last post by Psychology_Researcher_ on December 21, 2023, 06:46:18 PM »
The survey will close on 12/31-- last chance to fill it out! :)
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Research Topics / Christmas / New Year and Self-harm
« Last post by exploringSH on December 18, 2023, 08:23:43 PM »
Hey,

I'm writing an article about self-injury during Christmas / New Year for a website I run about self-harm, and I would like to hear anyone's personal experience(s), as it has more meaning and depth than statistics.

How do you tackle the holiday season? Does it have an influence on your self-harm behavior? Everyone is different, and there is no single answer. :xmastree:

I'd like to include some testimonies in my article, so please feel free to send me a dm if you'd prefer to share anonymously, or you can reply on this thread. Of course, no testimony will be used without consent. You can also give me a fictional name if you'd like to be quoted, along with the gender you identify with and your (approximate) age.

Thank you and have a nice day!
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