DO YOU SELF-HARM?

Sorry to say, most of us know someone who self-abuses by cutting. The tragedy may not be one of our family member’s, but I know your child or grandchild knows someone who cuts on their arms, legs, or other body areas in order to feel again. We won’t go into the psychological reason for cutting. That is best done with a psychologist. One explanation is a need to experience pain so the individual can feel emotion. This will apply to other topics this week, but for now, let us focus on separation needs. When life circumstances prompt an emotional reaction that is more than one can handle, sometimes that person separates, they“leave their body” and find that numb place where emotional pain is not felt. However, in that haze outside themself, they begin to realize they can’t experience any emotion. When they sealed off the hurtful emotion, they sealed off all emotion and their ability to feel. Okay, if we got through that, then the next part is easy. When someone is outside their body, they need to “contact” the body to re-enter. That nudge, or knock on the body’s door, sometimes is in the form of cutting until they return to body awareness. The friend who cuts does not like themself or their emotions, so they run away. For the purpose of finding body awareness and body-love again, Prayer Therapy can help, praying specifically so God can answer specifically. Our prayer for a return to the love-of-self we had as a child, remember the prayer therapy process, or refer back to previous posts: pray the prayer printed below 3X a day, wait on the Lord to feel his presence, and know he heard you. Let us pray: “Holy Father, creator of us all, your Spirit of Life lives within us. Holy is your name and the name of the Spirit within. Forgive us when we dislike the body you have given us to anchor our soul to Earth for this short stay of ours. Sometimes we want to run away from our body and the emotions experienced by it. Some of us have strong bodies, some are weak, and some are damaged by many events of this world. It is still the shelter for our soul, and for that we thank you, than you, thank you. Help us make peace with our body, our intellect, our emotions, our personality, and our soul this very day, that we may serve you with renewed energy and purpose. Forgive us when we have disliked that gift of life you have given us. Touch us with your warm and loving hand. In the name of Jesus, your son, our redeemer, we pray, Amen” Doris Copyright 2012 Doris Gaines Rapp “God gives us stories that testify to His love. Let me tell you mine.” Please pass this link to a friend.