Reddit reviews A Bright Red Scream: Self-Mutilation and the Language of Pain

I've read this book, and it sucks. "A Bright Red Scream" is way better and has a less dirty-sounding, more hardcore emo name (it was named after a quote from one of the cutters interviewed in the book).

I could not agree more . . . I used to cut when I was a teenager, and I was locked up in CCM, a WWASP program with dozens of other girls who were cutters. most people who cut do so because their emotional pain is so intense that they need a release. Usually it's not nearly as dangerous as it looks to outsiders. I found these books helpful. http://www.amazon.com/Cutting-Understanding-Self-Mutilation-Steven-Levenkron/dp/0393319385/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1322706277&sr=1-3 and http://www.amazon.com/Bright-Red-Scream-Self-Mutilation-Language/dp/0140280537/ref=sr_1_11?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1322706277&sr=1-11

I started cutting when I was 14. I also had a habit of punching brick walls until my knuckles bled and swelled up. For me dealing with the physical pain was a lot easier than dealing with the emotional pain. I never let anyone see the cuts or bruising and I never talked about it.

I only stopped about 8 years ago, once I started meditating and learning how to deal with my emotions without medication. I was in therapy for about 12 years. It was a very difficult crutch to give up.

Have you ever read The Bright Red Scream?

Yes, it's a pretty easy read too. A little clinical at times, but well written.

You can find it on Amazon,

http://www.amazon.com/Bright-Red-Scream-Self-Mutilation-Language/dp/0140280537/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1346138291&sr=8-1&keywords=a+bright+red+scream

And if you can't find it, or for some reason aren't able to get it online, send me a message and I can send you my copy. Definitely worth reading.

Sorry, here's the link https://www.amazon.com/Bright-Red-Scream-Self-Mutilation-Language/dp/0140280537

Maybe I'm fucked up,
but I think your scars are hot.
Been there lots myself.
____
I haven't done any self injury (SI) for nearly 2 years now and I don't know if I'm glad about that or sad about it. I still think about it probably once a week but thus far have held off. Either way, you have a stunning body and, if you ask me, your scars are nothing to be ashamed of: sure, they are not pretty in the traditional sense, but fuck the traditional sense: they are a history of what has made you who you are today, and if you're anything like me, a good part of why you're still alive today too.

If you haven't heard of it, I strongly recommend the book "A Bright Red Scream: Self Injury and the Language of Pain" by Marilee Strong. It's been several years since I read it, but it has a lot of interesting information about people, like you and I, who have for whatever reason turned to SI for comfort / relief / excitement / actually feeling something / whatever the fuck it meant to you.