Is it normal to feel the urges to self-harm after you've stopped for months?
41 Answers
Last Updated: 06/16/2022 at 7:35am
Moderated by
Lindsay Scheinerman, MA, LPC
Licensed Professional Counselor
My work with clients is to help them recognize and build on their strengths to find solutions for the conflicts presented in their lives.
Top Rated Answers
Yes, very. But it's important to remember how strong you are and how you don't need to harm yourself. And if even you do relapse, remember it's part of the recovery. You are always stronger than your urges.
The brain can become addicted to the endorphin rush that comes as a result of self inflicted pain. It is totally normal to feel the urge. The great thing is, you are aware of the urge - it is in your conscious mind, so you can find ways to deal with it.
Consider this an excellent step on your path to healing and getting better. You've stopped for months (YAY!), AND you can identify the urge (AWESOME!). These are all good things.
Yes. This is normal. It's called a relapse. Your body is somewhat used to that pain and it in a way needs it to live. But it really doesn't. It usually take a year to a year and a half to not feel the urges anymore.
Yes, it definitely is. Even after many many months without harming myself, I still felt the urge to self-harm sometimes. For me, it helped a lot to be aware that those urges occur from time to time and to think of coping strategies beforehand, just to be prepared. It's also a good idea to keep an eye on what triggers these urges and think of how you can maybe handle them better next time. Maybe you also wanna talk about it to someone or just write it down?
And - very important - it's not a shame to relapse. Everyone who ever struggled with self harm knows how hard it is to quit. You already made it for a very long time and you're gonna make it again, don't grow desperate on those throwbacks - they're part of the recovering process.
Yes, there has to be rain before there can be a rainbow. I promise, it's normal. If it weren't normal you wouldn't of had the problem to begin with darling.
Anonymous
April 24th, 2015 7:39am
It's completely normal! The urge is just you missing the feeling you got when you self-harmed. It's important to stay strong though and resist that urge. It's not worth it to go back to that kind of habit.
Anonymous
September 22nd, 2015 11:17pm
Yes. Self harm urges may not go away. It's a fall back strategy that you've gotten used to using as a way of coping with some sort of negative emotion. Remember that it will pass and that you've gotten so far in the months that you haven't self harmed, and you can make it more time. Find something that you can do that has worked in the past to stop you from acting on your urges. Reflect on what is making you feel this way, and try to find an alternate solution to the problem.
Anonymous
May 8th, 2015 1:56am
Yes, it's normal, but you have to find ways to distract yourself to stop the urge. Why would you want to break your record? Keep going and soon you won't even think about it!
Anonymous
July 24th, 2017 6:25am
Absolutely. Self-harm is addictive and the neural pathway is incredibly strong. I can be going about my business without giving it a second thought for months, and suddenly I'm facing urges just as strong as when I was at my worst. In my experience, time has decreased the frequency of the urges, but the intensity can still be high. However, repeatedly fighting back has also made me better at dealing with them when they arise. I know it can feel incredibly disheartening when you face those same dilemmas after months of work. I just want to offer you hope and strength as you work through them. It's not going to be easy, but it will get easier.
Anonymous
July 25th, 2016 8:37am
You've used self-harm as a coping method and it may have temporarily helped you in the past. Human beings are naturally animals of habit. The reason you may have the urge to self-harm is because you feel that self-harming helped you in the past to deal with emotional trauma and you are tempted to repeat the act as it worked before. BUT, please speak to a listener and don't hurt yourself.
Anonymous
August 17th, 2015 9:49am
Yes. I think so. I still feel that sometimes way even after years. But, it does get easier to control the urges and urges get less frequent as well.
I have experienced this myself, I think because you haven't done it in a while you feel curious about the way it feels again and think about how and why it helped so you try again out of curiosity.
I think any person who's recovering from an addictive issue will always have moments of temptation due to the stresses they experience in life. Rather than use the word "normal", I'd be more inclined to say it's probably to be expected, and that most people in a similar situation would experience similar points of temptation.
Anonymous
May 24th, 2015 3:24pm
Yes, it is completely normal. Good to hear you've gone months without it though! I think I have been clean for around a year plus 6 months and it took months just for the urges to go away. Self harm is addictive, it takes a while to finally break through the bonds and feel free again, but it is definitely possible! Stay strong! I wish you all the best in staying clean you lovely human
Yes, it is very normal to feel the urges of self harm because when you harm your self you release dopamine. Unfortunately, this is the pleasure center of the brain, and you can become psychologically addicted to the pain and then pleasure, then shame circle. It is best to get help as soon as you notice this taking place, as there are healthier coping mechanisms to revert to instead.
Anonymous
June 17th, 2015 1:32pm
It is normal but you have to reject you levarle From the mind because you 've exceeded struggling and will continue to fight for rate so That It does not return
Anonymous
October 6th, 2015 1:36am
Yes - often these urges get very strong after being deprived from it for a while - the months after stopping can often be harder than the first few weeks. It's important to seek help during this time and have long term treatment.
Yes. However it is important to remember that you are worth so much and it isnt worth harming your body
Self-harm is an extremely difficult thing to overcome. After experiencing relief that might come with self-destruction it can become addictive. I have stopped self-harming almost 5 years ago now and to this day it still crosses my mind. When I do something I don't like, when I hear something that hurts me. The urge never went away for me but it did get better. There's relief in self-harm, but it doesn't compare to the peace that comes with self-love. The important thing is to stay strong, remember why you stopped and keep going. It takes so much courage and determination to stop - and the rest is patience and self forgiveness.
Anonymous
June 13th, 2017 7:10pm
Yes. It's normal to feel urges even after you have stopped. Just try to remind yourself why you stopped in the first place, and the urge will pass.
Anonymous
February 22nd, 2016 7:25pm
Yes. At least in my experience it is. I haven't felt the need to cut myself for at least 6 months and I thought I was okay, but just two weeks ago I felt so stressed and worn down and frustrated that all I wanted was cut myself or bruise myself somehow. I just wanted relief all this tension that has been building up I urged for some kind of edge on my skin some kind of self inflicted pain. I guess old habits just die slowly. However I didn't give in, knowing I was doing well and it'd be a shame to start again after not harming myself for so long. So I just showered and went to bed before I could change my mind.
Yes it is. But this is all part of the recovery process, I know it can be hard but fight these urges and don't let them undo all of your hard work
Anonymous
June 16th, 2022 7:35am
Yes it is normal to feel the urges even years after when you're under a lot of stress. I'm proud of you for making it this far though and as long as you keep fighting those urges then you can look forward to many more seconds to come. It can be rather exhausting to fight these urges but they do become less frequent and become lighter as you pass time. If you do relapse it is a part of recovery. Remember that you're strong and you can do it. There is always light at the end of the tunnel.
Anonymous
March 7th, 2015 9:38am
Yes, it is possible especially you saw or heard something that triggers you. Maybe seeing a picture of someone who self harmed etc
Yes it is completely normal to have urges.
Anonymous
May 8th, 2017 4:43am
I would say that yes it is normal. Self harm is something you have to battle everyday so even after months of stopping it can be hard to not relapse. Although If you were feeling this way I would suggest trying to talk to someone.
Yes. There will always be relapses and relapse urges. The best things to do are call a friend, sqeeze some ice in your hand, and start doodling on the nearest possible surface. Use skin if you need. It's perfectly normal and it's ok if you give in every once in a while. It's part of the healing process.
Anonymous
July 26th, 2018 12:35am
Yes it usually is specially if you self harmed for a long time or it became really bad. It stays with you.
Anonymous
February 4th, 2018 4:44pm
Yes, self harm can be addictive and its a coping method we know might work for us to its normal to still have urges sometimes.
yes, i was there. i did that. it's normal to feel the urge. but if you distract yourself, it quickly passes.
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