Synopses & Reviews
Self-injury can be as addictive as any drug, and the secrecy and shame many sufferers feel about this behavior can keep them feeling trapped. But if you're ready to replace self-harm with a set of healthy coping skills, this compassionate and practical book can help.
This complete guide to stopping self-injury gives you the facts about self-harm, corrects common myths about this behavior, and provides self-soothing techniques you can begin using right away for regulating difficult or overwhelming emotions. Freedom from Self-Harm also includes self-assessment worksheets, guidance for seeking professional help, and information about the most effective therapies and medications. Drawn from treatments such as dialectical behavior therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy, the tools in this book can help you cope with your emotions whenever you feel the urge to self-harm.
This book has been awarded The Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies Self-Help Seal of Merit — an award bestowed on outstanding self-help books that are consistent with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) principles and that incorporate scientifically tested strategies for overcoming mental health difficulties. Used alone or in conjunction with therapy, our books offer powerful tools readers can use to jump-start changes in their lives.
Review
“Alexander Chapman and Kim Gratz are two of the very best in this field.”
—Marsha M. Linehan, Ph.D., author of Skills Training Manual for Treating Borderline Personality Disorder
Synopsis
In Freedom from Self-Harm, two psychologists specializing in self-injury treatment present a program based in acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) for overcoming cutting and other self-harming behaviors. Readers learn coping skills for handling difficult emotions and urges to injure themselves.
About the Author
Alexander L. Chapman, PhD, RPsych, is a psychologist and professor in the department of psychology at Simon Fraser University (SFU), as well as president of the DBT Centre of Vancouver. Chapman directs the Personality and Emotion Research Lab where he studies the role of emotion regulation in borderline personality disorder (BPD), self-harm, impulsivity, and other behavioral problems. His research is funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Chapman received the Young Investigator’s Award of the National Education Alliance for Borderline Personality Disorder in 2007, the Canadian Psychological Association’s (CPA) Scientist Practitioner Early Career Award, and a Career Investigator Award from the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research. He has coauthored eight books—three of which received the 2012 Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT) Self-Help Book Seal of Merit Award. Chapman is committed to bringing knowledge and skills from psychological science to people who need help managing their emotions. He has been practicing mindfulness for over fifteen years, practices martial arts, and enjoys hiking, skiing, reading, and spending time with his wonderful wife and two sons.
Kim L. Gratz, PhD, is professor of psychiatry and human behavior at the University of Mississippi Medical Center where she serves as director of the division of gender, sexuality, and health, as well as director of both personality disorders research and the Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) Clinic. Gratz received the Young Investigator’s Award of the National Education Alliance for Borderline Personality Disorder in 2005, and the Mid-Career Investigator Award of the North American Society for the Study of Personality Disorders in 2015. She has written numerous journal articles and book chapters on borderline personality disorder (BPD), deliberate self-harm, and emotion regulation (among other topics), and is coauthor of four books on BPD, self-harm, and DBT, including The Borderline Personality Disorder Survival Guide, Borderline Personality Disorder, Freedom from Self-Harm, and The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook for Anxiety. Three of these books have received the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT) Self-Help Book Seal of Merit Award. Gratz currently serves as principal investigator or coinvestigator on several large federal grants, including multiple grants from the National Institutes of Health.
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