ABSTRACT
Patients report a number of psychological functions of SI including staying (psychologically) “alive,” increasing one’s ability to function in daily activities, or giving themselves a feeling of power and control. Many patients report that SI behaviors help them to numb out, decrease internal sensory or affective awareness (i.e., feelings), remove or distract themselves from their life situations, stop emotional pain, hurt themselves before anyone else can hurt them, or punish themselves for a supposed wrongdoing.
