I first self injured when I was 14. It became a bigger part of my life when I went through an acute episode of bipolar disorder (mostly characterised by depression) when I was 21/22, and I became a Christian at 22. Since then I have occasionally self harmed – though not with the same intensity […]
Benefits of Bipolar
June 22, 2012 by 3 Comments
I honestly thought I would never in my life write that there are any benefits to being bipolar. The very worst times of my life have been when I have been unwell, and my life has been forever changed because of my illness. Now, some ten years since diagnosis, I have come to a position of wellness. […]
Spiritual Sticking Plasters
June 21, 2012 by 1 Comment
There are times when we (and I mean we, I include myself in this) use Christian terms, concepts and Scriptures as a spiritual sticking plaster on a very big wound. There are times when we over-simplify complicated issues, slap a verse on it from a topical index in our minds, and think we have solved the […]
Self Injury: Attention Seeking?
June 19, 2012 by 2 Comments
Self injury is not the hidden condition it once was. The sterling efforts of doctors, academics and patients have led to a widespread understanding of self injury as a means by which some people cope with their emotions, or trauma. At present it is a recognised symptom of borderline personality disorder (emotionally unstable personality disorder) […]
The Gerasene Demoniac (Mark 5:1-20)
June 11, 2012 by 7 Comments
There are not many accounts in the Bible of people self-harming and this story, in Mark 5:1-20 of a possessed man living in the tombs, whose encounter with Christ led to a complete change in his life, has always caught my attention. I would like to tackle this a couple of ways. Firstly I would […]
Jesus of the Scars
June 9, 2012 by 1 Comment
This is a poem by Edward Shillito (1872-1948) which, as a recovering self-injurer, has special meaning to me: Jesus of the Scars If we have never sought, we seek Thee now; Thine eyes burn through the dark, our only stars; We must have sight of thorn-pricks on Thy brow; We must have Thee, O Jesus […]
My ESA Story Pt 2 – The Conclusion
June 7, 2012 by 6 Comments
I wrote yesterday about the saga of my ESA appeal. Today I had my appeal hearing. My appeal was at 10am, which I was quite grateful for as it left me less time to worry about it. I was still quite anxious, although not as bad as the previous time (where I attended but they […]
My ESA Story
June 6, 2012 by 9 Comments
Tomorrow I shall be at court, having my appeal heard against the decision not to award me ESA. ESA, for those who do not know, is Employment & Support Allowance, and is a benefit given to those deemed too sick to work. I have bipolar disorder, and for the past ten years that I have […]
Things Not To Say To A Depressed Person 2
June 1, 2012 by 7 Comments
“Pull Yourself Together“ Some people assume that depression is a state we can fall into when not paying attention. A natural, but lazy response to modern life. They assume that if we wished to, we could stop feeling depressed, by pulling ourselves together – by forcing ourselves out of a depression and into the required normal/happy mood […]
Honouring My Parents
June 1, 2012 by Leave a Comment
A theme running through the Bible, both Old and New Testaments is that of honouring our parents. There are times when we all face difficulty doing this, and I know that I have difficulty here both normally, and also during periods of mental ill-health. The Bible specifically says “honour your father and mother” seven times, […]
Believer's Brain 