Bodily Harm: The Breakthrough Treatment Program for Self-Injurers [Hardcover]

Karen Conterio (Author), Wendy Lader (Author), Jennifer Kingson Bloom (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1998

Written by the directors of S.A.F.E. Alternatives, a self-injury treatment program, "Bodily Harm" is an authoritative examination of this alarming syndrome, offering a comprehensive treatment regimen.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Operating a clinic in the Chicago area since 1985, Conterio and Lader have developed a program for people who cut, burn and otherwise mutilate themselves. This behavior, in their view, is neither a disease nor an addiction, but rather "a matter of choice... a mechanism to cope with stress, relieve inexpressible feelings, and gain attention." The authors take this view not to blame the afflicted, but to emphasize that, in their "S.A.F.E. (Self Abuse Finally Ends) Alternatives" program, patients can and do "learn to make a different choice." This tack differs somewhat from those of some other recent books on the subjectAfor example, Steven Levenkron's Cutting (Forecasts, April 20)Ain rejecting the disease model that establishes self-injury as a disorder akin to obsessive-compulsive disorder or alcoholism. The line Conterio and Lader draw is a fine one, though, as they refer to self-injury as a "compulsion," and as the questions they pose to identify a self-injurer includes such phrases as "compulsively drawn," "get a 'high'" and "consume your thoughts." The authors describe an impressive treatment program, using a "toolbox" consisting of psychotherapy, a No-Harm Contract, an Impulse Control Log, Five Alternatives and many writing assignments. In a four-week program with follow-up care, they teach patients self-acceptance and verbal expression as a healthier alternative to self-injury. This is a thorough and helpful guide for patient, loved ones and therapists alike. Author tour.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 317 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion Books; First Edition edition (October 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786864648
• ISBN-13: 978-0786864645
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,880,032 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Complete and Very Helpful Book, July 30, 1999

By 

Sarah Taylor ([e-mail]) (Minneapolis, Minnesota) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bodily Harm: The Breakthrough Treatment Program for Self-Injurers (Hardcover)

Having recently gone through the SAFE Alternatives program myself, I can say that this book follows closely the inpatient treatment program and ideas, and would probably be very useful to people who cannot afford the program or who have been denied access to it for whatever reason. I agree with other reviewers who say that the program is presented as a "cure," which I don't quite think it is. What I do think it is, and what this book is, is a wonderful starting point on the road to real self-understanding and ending of self-injury. It's not a cure-all, and it's not guaranteed. I have injured since completing the program, but I have done so far less frequently and far less severely. The urges are less pronounced and I have more tools with which to deal with them. I recommend this book especially to family member of self-injurers as a way to understand the phenomenon, and also to people who are themselves injurers, because it is far less triggering than other books on the same subject.

39 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Sorry, but there's no one answer, no one "miracle" program, October 20, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Bodily Harm: The Breakthrough Treatment Program for Self-Injurers (Hardcover)

I'm sorry as someone working in the social services area working with kids many of whom are self-injurers, I just think we're in the very, very early stage of understanding self-injurers and how to identify modalities that will produce long term change. I find this book interesting and useful, but I'm a little uneasy that almost all of the people who seem to rave about it are actually people who have been able to afford their expensive program (and I'm not knocking the fact that inpatient programs do tend to be expensive). I don't question that they are very helpful to many people, but none of my clients could ever dream of affording the "only treatment that works." I've never heard of professionals making such claims for any of the other posttraumatic stress disorders, which is what I think we're dealing with here. None of the world renowned experts in PTSD believe that there are easy or single "cures" that are effective for a high percentage of people, and that is what makes me skeptical about the claims here. And unfortunately, professionals who want to make claims about treatment modalities, usually have to do controlled research tovalidate the efficacy of their methods. The SAFE people have never done that. That's the difference between hype and hope. I can't help but notice that many of these "reviews" sound like ads for the SAFE program, although I don't doubt the enthusiasm of those who have been helped. My point is that there are many, many of us who are working in the very challenging area of providing support, understanding, encouragement and tools for growth for self-injurers. If there were easy answers that worked for everybody, we would see a study that demonstrated that.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thank you Karen and Wendy!, August 7, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Bodily Harm: The Breakthrough Treatment Program for Self-Injurers (Hardcover)

What can I say about this awesome book that saved my life? I was browsing in the bookstore one day and I noticed a book on self-injury: Bodily Harm. Having been a self-injurer for a long time I thumbed through it to see if this book could offer me anything. The book was absolutely amazing. It explores the types of people who self-injure, the reasonings behind the self-injury and it contains an explanation of the S.A.F.E. (Self Abuse Finally Ends) Program TM. Founded by Karen Conterio in 1985 S.A.F.E. offers hope for self-injurers. After being hospitalized too many times, and after years of therapy, I decided to attend the S.A.F.E. Program in Chicago. There is no review that can communicate how S.A.F.E saved my life. I am now living as a whole person, without self-injury, for the first time in my life. I owe Karen and Wendy my life. I HIGHLY recommend this book not only to self-injurers but to their families and friends as well. I even more strongly recommend attending the S.A.F.E. Program. Thank you Karen and Wendy - I love you both!