Kay Inckle Flesh Wounds? New Ways of Understanding Self-Injury (PCCS Books: Ross-On-Wye, 2010)

Synopsis:Flesh Wounds? is a collection of ethnographic fictions, or research-based stories, about self-injury (sometimes called self-harm). The stories explore the meaning and purpose of self-injury in an individual’s life; the experiences that might lead to self-injury; and which approaches and responses to self-injury are helpful and which are not. It is designed as a resource for people who hurt themselves and for those who live and work with them.

The stories are fictional in the sense that none of the actual characters as they are portrayed in the book are real. But all of the stories: the events, people, and situations reflect real-life experiences and are drawn from the two year research project which I undertook in order to write the book. I conducted the research by recording in-depth conversations with people who have the experience of self-injury as well as service-providers ranging from statutory inpatient services to user-led and peer-support organisations. Then, paying careful attention to the key themes, issues and experiences that emerged I retold these accounts through fictionalised characters.Using fictional characters and creative writing strategies protects the anonymity of all of those involved but at the same time allows an in-depth representation of the ‘real-life’ inner-worlds, emotions and experiences of the protagonists. Furthermore, the storytelling format makes the book and its content accessible and interesting to a much wider audience than can be reached through standard academic articles and reports. Ethnographic fiction is also increasingly used as a research method where issues are sensitive, marginal or taboo or involve complex and multilayered experiences which cannot be fully captured in conventional academic accounts. Storytelling, in its many forms, is also an important tradition in many cultures, including Ireland, where wisdom with complex ‘morals’ can be shared and learned through encounters in the fictionalised world.

The ‘moral’ of the tales in this book point towards the need for a holistic and person-centred understanding of self-injury and one which focuses on harm-reduction rather than prevention. The stories challenge the stigmatising view of self-injury as something ‘mad’ or ‘bad’ to be prevented at all costs. They highlight the importance of understanding the complexity of each individual and their relationship with self-injury alongside practices which offer acceptance and support across the breadth and depth of someone’s needs. The stories are intended to enable people who work or live with people who hurt themselves to understand the experience of self-injury so that it is less frightening and alien to them so that they may provide meaningful help and support. The stories also aim to provide a source of support and validation for people who self-injure, to recognise their strengths and build on them and to provide information and resources. The book may also be used by people who hurt themselves as an to aid communication with others in their lives. The stories can provide points of connection and dialogue between people from across the spectrum of backgrounds, perspectives and experiences and facilitate understanding and constructive communication between them all.

In the book each story is complete in itself, but all the stories subtly interconnect with one another and some of the stories are divided into separate chapters. The book does not necessarily have to be read chronologically, but the introduction provides a brief guide to the key themes and issues of each story and those connected with it. It is not essential to read the introduction, the book can be dipped in and out of just as effectively. However, the Introduction serves to clarify the themes and issues of the stories, and to provide additional guidance and insights for those not familiar with this approach to self-injury and the related implications.

The book also contains three factual appendices to provide more direct information to the reader. The harm-reduction appendix provides a simple outline of some of the key harm-reduction principles and practices which the stories explore to provide a resource for people who hurt themselves, practitioners and family and friends. The methodological appendix explains in more detail the research methods and the writing process which created the book and why this approach is so suited for this work. Finally, the resources appendix lists the help and support organisations relevant to the issues covered in the book in both Ireland and the UK. There is also a bibliography of readings which includes a vast range of self-injury and harm-reduction related publications which are relevant to the issues addressed in the stories.