I have self harmed, on and off, since I was fourteen. I have self harmed both before and after coming to faith, and I still struggle with, and often fail to resist, the urge to do it when I am depressed. As you may know, I have written my Guide to Self Injury, covering everything […]
As I Walk Through the Valley
March 27, 2013 by 2 Comments
I have loved Psalm 23 since I was given a copy of it after my grandmother’s death, when I was eight. I memorised it then, and sometimes, when I am not really able to think of things to say, I recite it to God. One line that has always stood out for me is verse […]
Stripped Bare
March 19, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Standing before the throne of God can be a terrifying experience. All the pious platitudes, the polite faces we put on in church circles don’t matter any more. My respectability is seen to be a sham, I cannot hide my face. All that I am – good and bad – is open, is in the […]
Stigma(ta)
March 8, 2013 by Leave a Comment
I’ve written before that words matter . The names we call one another mean something. As the image says, “sticks and stones may break my bones but words will also hurt me.” There are names people use of us – loony, attention-seeker, nutter, psycho; there are phrases used to hurt us: “snap out of it,” “pull […]
Self Harm, and Me – a post for #SIAD
March 1, 2013 by Leave a Comment
It seems such a long time ago now, when I first started cutting my skin. A one-off response to feelings of overwhelming anger and pain when I was fourteen led me to take a knife to my arm. It would have been just a one-off, too, had I not faced those feelings again, years later. […]
Demons and Mental Illness
November 29, 2012 by 3 Comments
I write this post with some trepidation, as the mentally ill have for many, many years been accused of demonic possession and treated harshly. I have seen in the news where brutal “exorcisms” have been performed on the sick, sometimes leading to death – a few of these are listed on the website “What’s the […]
Insects called the Human Race
November 18, 2012 by Leave a Comment
And crawling on the planet’s face Some insects called the human race Lost in time, and lost in space And meaning –“Super Heroes” in The Rocky Horror Picture Show [1] I remember, as a child, looking up at the stars and thinking how very small and insignificant we on earth are compared to the vastness of […]
Labels and Identity
November 10, 2012 by 4 Comments
Sometimes it is tempting to label myself, to claim the title “bipolar”, “anxious”, “depressive” and “self harmer” as being me. I went without declared diagnosis for some time, and I remember being keen to know what was wrong with me, to understand – to have some anchor point that I could read about. I was […]
The Golden Rule and Self Hatred
September 29, 2012 by 2 Comments
What is known as “the golden rule” comes in Jesus’ teachings in the Sermon on the Mount. He said: So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. (Matthew 7:12) This is an amazing teaching which, if followed by all, would […]
G2SI: Cutting and Marking in the Bible
September 14, 2012 by 6 Comments
This post is all about marking as well as cutting in the Bible. Marking the skin, whether through cutting, branding or tattooing, is mentioned around the ancient world and in the Bible. Whether it is acceptable for the people of God, and if so in what way, is what I aim to discuss. I am […]
Believer's Brain 