Re: Self-Harm and Internet Forums
How about negative effects? Why just look for positive effects?
I work with severely injured multiply traumatized survivors of chronic extreme early abuse. Many of them engage in self mutilation or self harm of some form. Some benefit from online discussion networks, but more get triggered or influenced in a negative way by the connections they make online with similarly injured people.
One of several dynamics involved is that unprocessed traumatic experience that is too horrible to allow into conscious mind tends to get projected "out there." Like a hotpotato - this is too hot, here you hold it. And people project all kinds of stuff all over other people, and the participants are off to the races.
Another is that there is a tendency for some people whose boundaries have been violated to speak in an unboundaried way, and say triggering gory details.
And some people are predatory, reenacting their original injuries but in the perpetrator role instead of the victim role. Some people unconsciously reenact the victim role. Or the rescuer role, but all three can be reenactments that put all participants at risk.
Any of the above can produce an increase in self harm.
Respectfully submitted,
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