Cutting really does relieve the pain

I just read an interesting study that says borderline people (and I'm assuming the rest of us in the Axis II category) actually feel pain differently than others, and the pain we administer to ourselves through self-harm does actually make us feel better.

"'These data are consistent with the hypothesis that physically painful stimuli provide some relief from emotional distress for some patients with borderline personality disorder because they paradoxically inhibit brain regions involved in emotion. This process may help them to compensate for deficient emotional regulation mechanisms.'

The authors note that these results are in line with previous findings on emotional hyperactivity in borderline personality disorder and suggest that these individuals process pain stimuli differently depending on their arousal status."

Physical pain changes the emotional stressors in your brain and gives relief from them. This is what patients have been reporting for years; it works.

Doesn't mean you should do it, though. There are a million other, healthy ways to deal with your emotions. If you're a self-harmer, let your doctor know and come up with a healthy living plan. It's not worth the accidental "too much" harm.