slips are chances to learn. you figure out what stresses are still too hard for you and you can work on how you'll deal with them next time you run into them. so instead of beating yourself up, take action.
- have you taken care of your physical wounds? if not, go do that now. we'll wait. Yeah I did
- what had happened just before?
Sitting there feeling numb, pushing away all sorts of feelings - what were you thinking and feeling?
Thinking how if I cut then I would feel better, and feel relief...I was craving it - why did you end up hurting yourself then instead of some other time? was there an event that was the final straw? what was it?
There really wasn't a final straw, I just got a razor and went at it. - how did the situation get to the final straw stage? trace it back through the events that led up to the last event. look for some point at which you could have made a different decision and not arrived at the final straw.
I could have not allowed myself to get the razor, I could have gone to bed and taken my meds earlier - were there outside factors like drugs, alsohol, being off your meds, lack of sleep, etc? can you address those in the future? how?
Lack of sleep, med changes, I need to be especially vigilant now - what other ways of coping did you try besides self-harm? how well did they work?
I didn't cope, I didn't try, I just did it. Granted I'd been supressing the urge to cut for the past 2 weeks almost. This week has been hell... - in retrospect, are there coping methods that you now realize might have helped? what were they?
Taking my meds and going to sleep - name at least two things you will do to help yourself remember those coping methods if you end up in this situation again.
Stickey notes all over my room with coping methods to try - how do you feel about the situation that led to self-harm now? is it resolved? if not, what are some steps you might take toward resolution?
It's resolved for the moment. It's like a drug, you can only go so long before you need it again. Then it's easier to go for a lil while longer, then cave again...
- are you likely to be in that emotional place again? how will you recognize it when you're in that situation?
Yeah, I'll recognise that Im craving SI.
- what will you try before you resort to self-harm if you're in that situation again? list three specific things you will commit to trying.
About Opportunities to SI
Opportunity to Self-Harm seems to be a common theme. Think about why opportunities are important to slips and learn why opportunity is important to you.
- What made that opportunity more appealing than any other?
I missed it. I missed the feeling, the rush - Did you make an opportunity or was it there for the taking?
I made an opportunity. But it was there too, everyone else was sleeping - What would you have done if there was no opportunity, how would you have handled your urge?
Found something else to do. try the ice cube trick, or go running - If there had been no opportunity would your urge to self-harm have increased or decreased?
decreased, then increased later - What consitutes opportunity for you? Being alone? having new tools? waiting for the right feeling?
Being alone - If your opportunties were taken away, how would you feel?
