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Introduction to Kim Berkley, Author of 'Speaking Out About Self-Injury'

February 19, 2020 Kim Berkley

My name is Kim Berkley, and I'm the new author of Speaking Out About Self-Injury. I’m looking forward to putting my writing skills to particularly good use here where I hope my words will bring some measure of comfort and clarity to those struggling with self-harm.

Self-Injury Silenced Kim Berkley

I have never publicly spoken out about self-harm before now. Even in private, I have only rarely broached the subject. In part, I think it’s because silence has been part of my coping method for a long time. If I didn’t talk about it, or so my theory went, I wouldn’t have to think about it, and so I could widen the gap between my present self and the high school student who used to harm her skin in the middle of the night. It’s been many years since I stopped, and ever since, I have done my best not to look back.

But silence is only golden in libraries, not in the realm of mental health; and, not talking about it hasn’t made the past, or the scars it left, magically disappear. So I’m speaking up now, not for myself, but because I know exactly what it feels like to cope with something like self-harm alone—and because I believe you shouldn’t have to.

Kim Berkley Speaks Up About Self-Harm

I am not a therapist, nor am I a medical professional. I can’t “cure” self-harm, and I can’t stop you or your loved one from engaging in self-harm. But my hope is that, with this blog, I can provide an easily accessible resource to which you can always turn for advice, for solace, or simply to be reminded that you are not alone.

The pain and isolation that often fuel self-harm urges are weeds that grow best in silence. Uprooting them begins with speaking out about self-injury and creating safe spaces in which to discuss it, and I am honored to have the opportunity to do so right here at HealthyPlace, right now, with you.

More About Kim Berkley

For more about Kim Berkley and where she plans on taking the Speaking Out About Self-Injury blog, watch this.

Kim is an author, game developer, and cat enthusiast. She has been writing professionally since 2012 (and habitually for much longer than that). She has dipped her fingers into everything from video game journalism to copywriting for funeral homes and mental health clinics, and she has written and developed one and a half interactive fiction games (so far), The Harbinger’s Head and The Dragon’s Last Flight.

See here if you struggle with self-harm and need help or support.

APA Reference
Kim Berkley (2020, February 19). Introduction to Kim Berkley, Author of 'Speaking Out About Self-Injury', HealthyPlace. Retrieved on 2024, November 2 from https://www.healthyplace.com/blogs/speakingoutaboutselfinjury/2020/2/introduction-kim-berkley-author-speaking-out-about-self-injury



Author: Kim Berkley

Find Kim on Instagram, Facebook and her blog.

Kate
February, 21 2020 at 7:27 pm

Thanks for the blog. I’m really, really incredibly grateful for brave people like you that are willing to share your story. I always felt so alone and now I don’t have to

February, 22 2020 at 12:45 pm

Thank you for your comment, and for your kind words. I'm so sorry to hear you've been feeling that way, but I'm glad to have helped in any way.
Remember that, no matter how alone you may feel at any time, there are resources out there that can help. (You can find quite a few on this page: https://www.healthyplace.com/abuse/self-injury/self-injury-homepage)
This blog, hopefully, will be one of those resources for you, but there are others out there too; you're not alone.

Milo
September, 16 2022 at 7:20 am

Hi I’m 11 years old and have been self harming since January, I cut because people make fun of me for being transgender, which lead to depression,my parents are starting to get suspicious about it and the scars have been there since may-ish and they haven’t gone away, I’m scared what punishment I might get if they find out.

September, 20 2022 at 4:53 pm

Hi Milo,
Thank you for your comment. I'm sorry to hear that you've had to deal with jerks who aren't accepting of your being transgender, and that it led you to hurting yourself. I know it must be scary, not to mention stressful, to be in the situation you're in.
I've written a few articles about self-harm scars that I think (hope) you might find helpful—here are a few to get you started. The first one may be especially relevant, as it has to do with how long scars last and what you can do to try and get them to heal. The other two are more about finding ways to cover up scars if and when you need to.
https://www.healthyplace.com/blogs/speakingoutaboutselfinjury/2020/3/do-self-harm-scars-e…
https://www.healthyplace.com/blogs/speakingoutaboutselfinjury/2021/7/self-harm-scar-cover…
https://www.healthyplace.com/blogs/speakingoutaboutselfinjury/2021/9/self-harm-scars-in-t…
Do you have anyone in your life whom you can talk to about your self-harm? If you don't already, I strongly urge you to consider reaching out to someone you can trust, if you can. Having that extra support will help relieve some of the pressure you're feeling, and may help you (eventually) get clean and find other ways to cope. One option might be to see if your school has a counselor you can talk to.
We also have a resources page with some websites you can check out and some hotlines you can call if you need help:
https://www.healthyplace.com/other-info/resources/mental-health-hotline-numbers-and-refer…
I hope this helps! If you need anything else, please feel free to reply here or comment elsewhere on the blog. I'll be reading, and I'll reply as soon as I can.
Wishing you all the best,
Kim

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