Self-harm, which is also known as self-injury, is by definition “intentional, direct injuring of body tissue, done without suicidal intentions”. In other words, people want to harm themselves, but not kill themselves.
Some studies show that self-harm typically starts as early as 14 years old. And there is also evidence of kids starting as young as 11 or 12. Why do people hurt themselves?
There are multiple reasons why one would want to harm himself. In most cases, they do it because they want to punish themselves. In religion, mortification is the voluntary offering up of discomfort or pain to God, for example. In the Catholic Church, mortification has a long history.
But with that in mind, this documentary explores society’s attitude towards self-harm, and puts the focus on suspension. This is the act of impaling oneself to gain euphoria and spiritual transcendence. Yes, you can get high on pain.
