(Note to readers: Some graphic content)

In this post I’ll be sharing just a small sample of the intimate and moving photo essay by Tiffany L. Clark called “A Release: Stories of Self-Injury.” Chances are you haven’t seen many stories like this before, partly due to the graphic nature of self-injury, and also because it is a very difficult story to tell. Some publications may decline to cover this topic, or some may not be able to find anyone willing to share their story.

Tiffany has done a very good job of gaining the trust of women who are walking an often lonely and hidden road, in order to document an important and underreported issue. Below, I’ve also asked Tiffany a few questions about her project. You can see more of Tiffany’s work on her website.

(Photo by Tiffany L. Clark)
Caption: Thirty-three year old Jenn started self harming when she was 17 by cutting herself, but finding that wasn’t enough moved to burning her body. Everyday can be a struggle, she finds herself getting tired very easily throughout the day. At the time she was not aware that she was diagnosed with Lyme disease, which has added to her daily struggles. A mix of depression and different events that have taken place throughout her life has attributed to her self-injury.

Q: What is self-injury and why do certain women become drawn to it?

Tiffany: The act of self-injury itself is usually an impulsive physical way for people to control their feelings. Self-injury is similar to other addictions and disorders (i.e. drugs, alcohol, eating disorders) in the fact that it is not about attention or fatally hurting oneself. It’s about dealing with things and this is their outlet. Doctors attribute self-injury mainly to depression, other addictions and PTSD, indicating that some incident happened (usually when someone is young) and learned a proper way to handle the influx of emotion and some how they stumbled upon self-injury as a way of release.

I don’t believe there is a specific reason why people choose to self-harm as their form of emotional release; I think it just happens. Like any other incidents’ that occur in our lives most find a way to deal with these events – I have found sports and running is how I deal with stress and difficult events in my life, we all know people who found alcohol to be their release; self-injury for some just happens to be what they have found.

I’d like to state that it is not only women who self-injure. Yes, the majority of people who do are women but men do self-injure as well, it just may not be reported as greatly. People speculate that the reported numbers of people who self-injure are higher with women because females are more open to sharing and talking about their emotions and actions with what’s going on in their lives. Whereas men tend to keep everything in and not admit to their own self-harm.

(Photo by Tiffany L. Clark)
Caption: Anne, 29, displays cuts on her chest from her self-injury. Anne has been cutting herself since she was 14 years old. Stress from a tough childhood, the death of her biological mother and ending up having to live in an orphanage for a period of time, she believes, is her reasoning for starting self injury. Anne stopped cutting for 10 years when her first son was born but started cutting again when she had her third miscarriage. Like everyone who self-injures, she wants to stop.

Q: Why do you care about this topic in particular and what challenges have you faced?

Tiffany: I grew up and went to school with people who self-injure and it hurt hearing what others would say about them in terms of why they thought people were harming themselves. There are so many misconceptions and stereotypes put out there that I got so tired of people not understanding and assuming these people were freaks/crazies doing it just for the attention (which the act of self-injury is not about). When I was in school studying photojournalism and had to begin a long-term project I knew this topic had to be it. I want to bring my representation of self-injury to help create awareness because there is an obvious lack of understanding and too many false assumptions about self-injury. Without awareness, people who self-injure stay in the dark and don’t know how to receive help out of fear of the repercussions and thoughts their family and friends will instill on them if they tell them that they self-injure. Out of any of the most common addictions and disorders, self-injury is by far the loneliest one to deal with and seek treatment for because of the lack of support and the social fear of telling people that you are a self-injurer.

One challenge I have faced, like anyone else doing a documentary project, has been trying to find people to share their stories visually to the world. What holds people back is that fear of what others will think of them and how their lives could change. But access has not been my biggest challenge. Getting the work published and seen has been the challenge. I have heard from people and editors that it is too tough of a story to publish because it is hard to look at images knowing someone has harmed themselves intentionally and they have difficulty understand this fact- but isn’t that the reason than to present work like this? I believe that the only way people can really learn and understand is by bringing awareness.

(Photo by Tiffany L. Clark)
For twenty year old Nicole, writing out her thoughts and feelings is a way for her to cope with her overwhelming emotions, but at times it is not enough. This letter that she wrote has a line of dried blood across it after an episode of cutting herself. The hardest part of self injury, compared to other addictions, is that it is all in the mind. You can try and take alcohol away from an alcoholic, but you can’t take away the thoughts of self hatred or lose of control from anyone. A self harmer knows how to hurt themselves with any object.

Q: How did you gain the trust of these women and what are your plans for the future of this project?

Tiffany: I gained the trust of them by being honest. I tell them why I believe their stories matter and that I want to represent them and self-injury in a truly honest way and they know I am not there to expose them or judge them. They fully understand and agree about the lack of help and awareness that is available about self-injury and want to be a part of that change. One of my subjects told me afterwards that by sharing her story and being photographed, it helped her to fully stop self-harming. I mean, just knowing that, how can I stop doing this project and stop trying to share people’s stories?

My future plans would be a video/multimedia piece so viewers can hear the voices of self-injurers tell their stories. So much of self-injury happens and begins mentally, and to try to photograph and represent that mental side of it is truly a difficult task. This is where multimedia gives you the opportunity to hear what thoughts are taking place along with seeing these visually striking images.

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See more from Tiffany L. Clark on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or at www.tiffanyclarkphotography.com.