Self Injury is an issue which many people with eating disorders deal with. I want to preface this by saying that I am in no way an "expert" or professional in the field, and I am basing this on my own personal experiences.
Cutting... it's a peculiar concept and one which - like so many other things that go hand-in-hand with eating disorders (although I would like to point out that it's not only those with EDs who engage in these behaviors) - I think is quite difficult for anyone to truly understand unless they have been down that road. It seems every answer to a question regarding why people cut, what people get out of it, etc. undoubtedly provokes more questions to the observer. It is not a "logical" act, indeed not much that goes on within the eating disorder is logical, which makes it all the more confusing and frustrating to "figure out".
In the same way restricting and/or binging/purging becomes a familiar way to cope with anything and everything, cutting can become frighteningly addictive. There are a variety of reasons behind cutting. For myself, it became my way of dealing with any intense emotions which I viewed as "negative", for example anger or disappointment. For many, physical pain becomes a way to avoid dealing with emotional pain. Many also use it as a way to simply feel - anything. When I was incredibly numb, there were times that I just wanted to know I was really alive, and wanted to feel something, anything, just so I didn't feel quite so "dead" anymore.
Regarding both self injury and eating disorders in general, there seems to be an incredible sense of power and control that goes along with becoming one's own executioner. In the midst of it we don't, however, seem to realize that we are not really in control at all. We often believe we are because we decide when and how to hurt ourselves by whatever means necessary, but it is still a direct reaction to others or to our own emotions (which we often allow others to completely control). It is a dangerous activity, both on a physical and emotional level, and in the end doesn't help us in the least. It leaves us with physical scars along with emotional scars from ignoring emotions which need to be dealt with. I believe it only compounds the problem in the long run. We have the ability to feel for a reason, and there is nothing wrong with any emotion. What makes emotions become a problem is when they are dealt with in an unhealthy manner. Many of us must essentially re-learn not only how to identify our feelings but also how to cope with them in a healthy way. This takes work and time, however is definately worth it!
