E. Edward Grey: Why do you cut yourself, Lee?
Lee: I don't know.
E. Edward Grey: Is it that sometimes the pain inside has to come to the surface, and when you see evidence of the pain inside you finally know you're really here? Then, when you watch the wound heal, it's comforting... isn't it?
Lee: I... That's a way to put it.
In one way or another I've always suffered. I didn't know why exactly, but I do know that I'm not so scared of suffering now. I feel more than I've ever felt and I've found someone to feel with, to play with, to love in a way that feels right for me. I hope he knows that I can see that he suffers too, and that I want to love him.
Each cut, each scar, each burn; a different wound or time. I told him what the first one was. I told him where the second one came from--I remembered them all. And for the first time in my life I felt beautiful. Finally part of the earth. I touched the soil, and he loved me back.
My name is Gabrielle and I am twenty-eight years old. I began to self-injure at age fifteen -- so nearly thirteen years -- minus a two year period. This website was made to let self-injurers know that they are not alone and to help their friends and family learn more about self-injury and how it affects their loved one.
