Now that I have dealt with all the abuse I endured, I am completely free from self-harm and I have no desire to go back! I know I am important and valuable to God, and that is priceless to me!

—Rochelle

You might be thinking, Okay, I see some of the possible roots of self-harm in my life, but how do I deal with these things? God sees your pain and will meet you where you are. He is the only one who can touch your heart so deeply that your life can change.

The Bible tells us to go after what we need and never to give up in our pursuit for positive change. Luke 11:9 says, “Here’s what I’m saying: ask and you’ll get; seek and you’ll find; knock and the door will open” (msg). Bring all your questions to God, and He will lead you to the answers. Jeremiah 33:3 says, “Call to me and I will answer you. I’ll tell you marvelous and wondrous things that you could never figure out on your own” (msg).

When you look at the word self-harm, you might picture a scene from a horror movie, but the reality is that sel-fharm—a deliberate, repetitive, impulsive harming of the body—is mainly done in secret and can sometimes be hard to detect.

For example, Nikki, a college student, receives a below-average score on an important exam. Th is hits her hard; the perfection she demands of herself screams accusations in her mind. When she arrives home, she is so distraught with herself that she takes a razor blade and begins to make small cuts on her leg and thigh where the marks cannot be seen. By punishing herself, she feels a release.

Jamie’s mother yells at her for not doing the dishes correctly, and Jamie feels, once again, that she never does anything right. She runs to her room, takes out a pencil, and begins to rub burns on her arm and stomach as punishment. When she comes out of her room, the burns are hidden by her shirt.