Centre for Purposeful Living
Rehabilitation in Durban North

Overwhelmed by worry fear or sadness?  Feeling stuck?  Sexual health difficulty?  Problems in relationships?  Family conflict?  Dealing with trauma, severe illness or recovery from injury? Jason Ross is an experienced counselling psychologist with a gentle approach that includes written feedback and focus on personal resilience.

It is just wide enough for them to sit comfortably apart but not wide enough for them to avoid each other. Listening with great attention to what the meditation teacher (Rob Nairn) had to say. She was oblivious to me sitting there, tracing her every move and contour. The self-inflicted cut was like a gateway; letting the pain in my heart pulse through my vains and pour out with the blood, freeing me of my binding pain for a couple of hours. Pain has a catch release effect: it doesn’t let you go until you give it more. It is very definitely the opposite of feeling suicidal, it’s an attempt to live. It is very sad to hear that even today some of the professionals seem not to understand the compulsion to cut. In my opinion it can be quite dangerous to prohibit a serious cutter from his or her only method of release at the time. It becomes an addiction after all and just like an alcoholic or drug addict, it comes with it’s own shame and eventually becomes part of your lifestyle. And the looks of horror are generally reason enough to try your best to give up the habit. But what about when times get rough and there doesn’t seem any other option to find respite? How come is cutting considered so wrong, when running outside for a smoke to calm nerves is considered normal? How much more damage does it do than the scars left by a blade? At times it is really hard when you view yourself in many aspect normal and know that others who are aware of your habit of cutting view you as a freak. I’m not sure it’s something that anyone will ever understand, the cutter or those on the outside? In a few moments my problem became my defining factor. Nobody bothered to ask anything about this person or even find out if she existed.