Surreal illustration of a skin landscape with interwoven emotions.

Decoding Our Skin: How Self-Inflicted Wounds Reveal the Complexities of Feeling and Healing

Rhea Morgan in Mind & Education August 2025 • 4 min read.

"Explore the surprising ways self-harm sheds light on sensitivity, resilience, and the search for feeling in an overwhelming world."

In a world that often feels overwhelming, the human experience is marked by a constant negotiation between sensation and numbness. Our skin, the boundary between ourselves and the external world, plays a critical role in this delicate balance. It's not just a protective layer; it's a landscape where we experience pain, pleasure, and everything in between.

Practices of self-harm, though deeply concerning, offer a unique lens through which to examine this intricate relationship. By exploring the historical, cultural, and psychological dimensions of self-inflicted wounds, we can gain a deeper understanding of human sensitivity, resilience, and the enduring search for feeling in an often-unfeeling world.

Inspired by Shakespeare's "King Lear", which examines mortification and our sensory experiences, this article investigates how self-inflicted wounds challenge our perceptions of pain, healing, and the very essence of what it means to be human. It's a journey into the complex layers of our skin and the stories they tell.

The Paradox of Pain: Seeking Sensation Through Self-Inflicted Wounds

Surreal illustration of a skin landscape with interwoven emotions.

Self-inflicted pain is frequently misunderstood. Contemporary psychology often frames it as a disorder, particularly with the inclusion of “non-suicidal self-injury” in the DSM-5. This classification acknowledges that these acts aren't necessarily driven by a desire to end one's life but instead are attempts to cope with overwhelming emotions or a profound sense of numbness. Studies reveal that individuals who engage in self-harm often seek “emotion relief,” a way to regain control when feelings become unbearable. The act can also serve as a form of self-punishment, a way to express anger, or even an attempt to feel something when emotionally detached.

Paradoxically, self-inflicted wounds can act as a means of restoring feeling. Modern psychological studies show that over half of those who engage in self-harm express a desire "to feel something, even if it [is] pain," or "to stop feeling numb or dead.” This highlights a critical aspect of the human experience: the need for sensation, even when that sensation is painful. When feeling disappears altogether, the act of self-harm can be a desperate attempt to reconnect with one's own existence.

Emotion Relief: A primary motive to alleviate intense emotional distress.
Feeling Generation: A desire to counteract emotional numbness and feel something tangible.
Self-Punishment: A way to express inner turmoil or guilt.
Control: An attempt to regain control over one's body and emotions during overwhelming moments.

Historically, mortification practices—particularly within religious contexts—aimed to subdue the senses, but also inadvertently stimulated them. Saint Peter Damian, a proponent of self-flagellation, viewed these acts as a means to remedy the senses, to compensate for sins arising from sensory experiences. While seemingly contradictory, this reflects a deeper understanding of how humans navigate their senses, seeking balance between stimulation and suppression.

The Enduring Quest for Connection

By examining self-inflicted wounds through a historical and psychological lens, we begin to see that it’s not solely about destruction but about the desperate attempt to feel, to connect, and to reclaim a sense of control within a world that often feels indifferent. It highlights the profound need for sensation and the complex ways in which humans navigate their sensory experiences, seeking balance, understanding, and ultimately, a deeper connection with themselves and others.

About this Article -

This article was crafted using a human-AI hybrid and collaborative approach. AI assisted our team with initial drafting, research insights, identifying key questions, and image generation. Our human editors guided topic selection, defined the angle, structured the content, ensured factual accuracy and relevance, refined the tone, and conducted thorough editing to deliver helpful, high-quality information.See our About page for more information.

This article is based on research published under:

DOI-LINK: 10.1353/shq.2016.0039, Alternate LINK

Title: King Lear And The Uses Of Mortification

Subject: Literature and Literary Theory

Journal: Shakespeare Quarterly

Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)

Authors: Giulio J. Pertile

Published: 2016-01-01

Everything You Need To Know

What does the inclusion of 'non-suicidal self-injury' in the DSM-5 tell us about the motivations behind self-inflicted wounds?

The classification of "non-suicidal self-injury" in the DSM-5 acknowledges that these actions are not primarily motivated by a desire to die. Instead, they are often coping mechanisms for overwhelming emotions or a profound sense of numbness. Psychological studies indicate that individuals who engage in self-harm frequently seek "emotion relief" to regain control when feelings become unbearable, express anger, self-punishment, or to feel something when emotionally detached. These actions may also serve as a way to counteract emotional numbness.

How have mortification practices in religious contexts related to the concepts of sensory stimulation and suppression, and what does this suggest about human sensory experiences?

Mortification practices, especially historically within religious contexts, aimed to subdue the senses. However, they also inadvertently stimulated the senses. For instance, Saint Peter Damian advocated for self-flagellation as a means to remedy the senses and compensate for sins arising from sensory experiences. This seemingly contradictory approach highlights the complex ways humans navigate their senses, seeking a balance between stimulation and suppression, reflecting a desire to find equilibrium in sensory experiences.

Beyond the immediate act, what deeper aspects of the human experience do self-inflicted wounds reveal about sensitivity, resilience, and the search for connection?

Self-inflicted wounds reveal several key aspects of the human experience: the need for sensation, even if it is painful; the attempt to feel, connect, and reclaim a sense of control; and the complex ways in which humans navigate their sensory experiences. These wounds highlight the search for balance, understanding, and a deeper connection with themselves and others. They expose the intricate relationship between sensitivity, resilience, and the enduring quest for feeling in an often unfeeling world.

Considering the inspiration from Shakespeare's 'King Lear,' how does the examination of self-inflicted wounds challenge our understanding of pain, healing, and what it means to be human?

Inspired by Shakespeare’s "King Lear", which examines mortification and sensory experiences, the focus is on challenging our perceptions of pain, healing, and the essence of being human. While "King Lear" explores these themes through the lens of a fictional narrative, the self-inflicted wounds offer a real-world perspective on how individuals grapple with similar issues. The play serves as a starting point to delve into the complex layers of our skin and the stories they tell through practices of self-harm.

What are the primary motivations behind self-harm, such as 'emotion relief,' 'feeling generation,' and 'self-punishment,' and what do these motivations indicate about the connection between sensation and emotion?

Individuals engage in self-harm for various reasons, primarily centered around managing intense emotional distress. Key motivations include "emotion relief" to alleviate overwhelming feelings, a desire for "feeling generation" to counteract emotional numbness, self-punishment to express inner turmoil or guilt, and an attempt to regain control over one's body and emotions during overwhelming moments. These motivations highlight the complex interplay between sensation, emotion, and control in the context of self-inflicted wounds.