“It is across racial lines, socioeconomic status, religious beliefs, and the like. This is not a phenomenon that just occurs to a certain person that looks and dresses and behaves a certain way.”
Introduction:
When everything builds up inside, managing emotions can oftentimes feel impossible.
As children grow, oftentimes there’s no one to teach them how to manage their emotions. For those with the trait of high sensitivity and/or those who experienced trauma, sometimes the way that they learn to cope, manage, or maintain their overwhelming emotions is through self-harm.
Self-harm is a subject that is riddled with misconceptions and negative judgments. In this episode, I talk with Vena Wilson about why people self-harm, and together we dispel some of those myths.
Vena deepens our understanding as to why women engage in this type of coping mechanism. She also shares her insights into what causes the emotional state that pushes individuals into self-harming tendencies, and what to do when someone you love struggles with this topic.
Take a listen to learn how to identify self-harm, support a loved one, or spark the healing process for yourself.
About Vena Wilson:
Vena Wilson is a licensed clinical social worker who provides psychotherapy services to children, teenagers, and adults. She is the owner and operator of Honey Bee Behavioral Health. She works to assist individuals and families in creating healthy, adaptive, and well-functioning relationships. With this, Vena also helps clients see their concerns through a different lens: she provides information on how trauma effects the functioning of various parts of the brain. She teaches strategies that allow them to take suicide and self-harm off the table as an option to release overwhelming emotions.
Some Questions I Ask:
In This Episode, You Will Learn:
Podcasts that Discuss Dialectal Behavior Therapy Strategies, Managing Overwhelming Emotions, and Other Helpful Tidbits:
Charlie Swenson: To Hell and Back
Vena M. Wilson: The Honey Be Podcast
Practical/Helpful Reads on Validation, Mindfulness, Managing Overwhelming Emotions:
I Hear You: The Surprisingly Simple Skill Behind Extraordinary Relationships by Michael S. Sorensen
Freedom from Selfharm: Overcoming Self-Injury with Skills from DBT and Other Treatments by Kim Gratz
Books for Clinicians:
DBT® Skills Training Manual, Second Edition by Marsha M. Linehan
Treating Self-Destructive Behaviors in Trauma Survivors: A Clinician’s Guide by Lisa Ferentz
Treating Self-Injury: A Practical Guide by Barent W. Walsh
For Parents and Caregivers:
Other Resources:
To Donate: