An educational video performed by an actor based on the real lived experiences of individuals Studio 3 has supported through self-injurious behaviour.
The short video below tells the story of a young woman who struggles with self-harm in the form of cutting as a way to cope. This story is portrayed by a young actor, and is a personal and emotional account depicting a character based on lived experiences who struggles with self-injury. Her account represents the experiences of a number of different individuals who have received therapeutic support from Studio 3 clinical services. Whilst some viewers may find this video distressing, it is intended for educational purposes in order to describe some of the urges and compulsive behaviour around self-injury. This story explains a lot of the emotions that surround intentional self-harm, and we thought that it was important to show why a young person may start to self-injure in order for supporters to empathise with her experience, and for individuals who are similarly struggling to know that they are not alone. This video also demonstrates the process of alleviating urges to self-injure, including examining past experiences, overcoming ritualised behaviour, and the biology of self-injury itself. It also discusses a number of coping mechanisms individuals can use as an alternative to self-injury, and stresses that decompressing from self-injury can be a slow, but ultimately rewarding, process. What is important to note is that this story is a positive one. Like many individuals who deliberately self-injure, she learned to develop alternative coping strategies once she sought help.
Viewer discretion is advised, and we would recommend that viewers turn the video off if they start to experience distress (TW: self-injury, deliberate self-harm, cutting, fake blood, graphic descriptions of self-harm, suicide).
For more information about self-injury or self-injurious behaviour for supporters and individuals, we have resources available on our website here.
If you identify with this story, there is help available to you. We would recommend that you seek advice from your local GP or speak to a healthcare professional. You can also reach out to our team of psychologists here at Studio 3. You are not alone, and talking to someone about what you are experiencing is the first step.
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