Introduction to self-destruction
Self-destruction (also referred to as self-sabotage or dysregulated behaviour) is a broader concept than self-harm. The latter applies only to physical acts of self-injury and usually excludes suicidal intent, whereas self-destruction embraces deliberate sabotage of the comprehensive self, including damage to emotional, physical and material benefits.
The enactment of self-sabotage is irresistible and often misinterpreted. Some intentional acts may even pass undetected, as self-destruction seems illogical and counter-intuitive, yet it is more common in society than logic dictates.
The condition can be misinterpreted due to ignorance regarding the true origin of the emotions that result in the manifestation of self-destruction. It may by obscured by a focus on substance use disorders or other behavioural issues, rather than the root cause that set the more obvious or recent behaviour in motion.
Although a recent flood of anxiety can trigger dysregulation, in many cases it is the result of severe, unresolved trauma (even experienced in a distant past). Children from dysfunctional homes are especially at risk of maladaptive childhood development and the transference of this limitation can spill over into adulthood and in some cases can echo through generations.
Self-destructive behaviour is not a disorder in itself, but an indicator of underlying disorders. Victims usually lack the healthy coping mechanisms to deal with unprecedented anxiety. They may deliberately display incompetence in order to distance themselves from demands they consider untenable, but they can also be subject to an array of other emotional influences.
Examples of self-destruction
Self-destructive behaviour can present itself in a multitude of scenarios. Often it is discounted as inconsequential and minimised as unorthodox, yet bearable, personality traits that must be endured as part of a person’s psyche. Only in severe circumstances do people seek effective solutions, usually after a tragedy or after feeling the pain for too long.
Some self destructive behaviours include:
- Substance abuse disorder
- Unsafe, high risk exploits
- Excessive self-sacrificing
- Concealment of true feelings
- Not using exceptional talents
- Pre-arranging failure outcomes
- Avoidance of responsibilities
- Avoidance of success / awards
- Dismantling of achievements
- Proclamations of deficiencies
- Having abusive relationships
- Allowing others to exploit you
- Not allowing others to help you
- Physical and verbal aggression
- Alienation, isolation from others
- Self-neglect (health, appearance, etc)
- Deliberate sabotage to elude events
- Making sacrifices to gain admiration
- Self-chastisement to earn “forgiveness”
- Avoiding friendship to prevent rejection
- Self-harm, self-injurious behaviour
- Death wishes, attempted suicides
Causal factors
Reasons for self-destructive behaviour include:
- Addictions, compulsions
- Dysfunctional childhood
- Random unresolved trauma
- Lack of coping mechanisms
- Achievement and failure phobias
- Other psychiatric disorders
- Major medical disorders
- Lack of psychosocial support
- A silent request for help
Coping with self-destruction
Victims of self-destructive behaviour sometimes attempt conventional or self-healing remedies as a primary solution, because resistance to change and the need to feel in control are intrinsic features of their avoidance strategies and may demotivate them from obtaining professional advice.
Conventional remedies include:
- Home education
- Meditation techniques
- Relaxation imagery
- Passive muscle relaxation
- Deep breathing exercises
- Hypnosis or self-hypnosis
- Positive thinking exercises
- Holistic lifestyle and diet
- Prescribed medication
- Self-discipline, willpower
- Voluntary support groups
The prevalence of self-sabotage is evidenced by the bountiful availability of guidelines for applying these common remedies in the digital age. Though conventional or home remedies may help in moderate cases of self-denial, self-destructive behaviour is usually triggered by complex emotional trauma and accompanied by various comorbid psychiatric or psychosomatic disorders that require more advanced professional treatment procedures.
The potent non-nurturing survival agendas that regulate self-destructive patients must be redrafted during treatment. Altering the embedded elements and simultaneously overcoming the acute avoidance tendencies fused into the thought patterns of such patients, requires more than the fundamental alterations achievable with universal remedies.
Additionally, most self-destructing patients present symptoms of PTSD and/or substance abuse. Combinations of PTSD, abuse, and other comorbid elements that accompany these impairments, predicates the application of complex treatment programs that even exceed the limitations of baseline substance abuse centre treatment modules.
Self-destructive behaviour can be healed by unmasking and modifying underlying catalysts relating to cause-and-effect, cognition, perception, mood and behaviour. The factors involved and the methods required to treat them are diverse.
To affect healing, the patient must be thoroughly evaluated by a suitably qualified therapist experienced in the field of advanced multifaceted psychotherapy.
After evaluation and analysis, a comprehensive and unique treatment programme must be designed and presented to the patient. The programme must integrate all the diverse psychotherapies required for healing the identified dysfunctions in a broad, simultaneous motion.
Please Note : Self-diagnosis and recovery methods based on information gathered from the web and arbitrary sites may be inaccurate. Should you believe you may be experiencing a related issue, always speak with a trained therapist for personalised guidance specific to your circumstances.
