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Self-mutilation in people with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD self-mutilation), and in general, is deliberate and direct self-harm, such as cutting or burning, with the intent to injure or destroy body tissues. Self-mutilation (also called self-harm or self-injury) isn’t an attempt at suicide, but it does result in injury severe enough to cause tissue damage.
It appears that deliberate self-harm is a way of expressing and managing negative emotions, such as anxiety, sadness, shame, and/or anger. Deliberate self-harm may also provide a temporary escape from emotional pain. However, although it may bring a kind of temporary relief from painful emotions, the emotions may return and intensify afterward.
People who have PTSD may use deliberate self-harm as a way of “coming to”—getting back in touch with the present moment (also called “grounding”). In this form of PTSD self-mutilation, when people with PTSD experience dissociation or flashbacks, they may do self-harm, such as cutting or burning, to “shock” their bodies back into the present moment and end the dissociation or flashbacks.
Source: https://www.verywellmind.com/ptsd-self-injury-2797509
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