I'm back! I reread the piece this morning, and will be reading it again. Though your writing is, as always, clear and evocative, the issue is complex.

As I believe you know, I worked with young people in a very particular setting (as a teacher). 50% of my students were residential. The residence and school were integrated, run by the same administrators. Functions overlapped seamlessly. One thing that was obvious was that a certain culture, a kind of self-reinforcing phenomenon, evolved among the students. Many of these children had to be in a safe, restricted environment, and yet being confined in that culture almost normalized pathological behavior.

For some individuals the cutting behaviour is their only means (so, they believe) to express their emotional struggles, this then allows others to have an idea of what they are going through, which yields support and care from people

Imagine this in a closed setting, where the child is surrounded by therapeutic personnel and reinforcing peers.

As for 'cues'...your discussion reminded me of the response that drug addicts have to paraphernalia, I believe neuroscience, in conjunction with talk therapy, may offer effective and targeted treatments for this kind of response.

Your reference to the sympathetic nervous system was particularly interesting. While this is not something I fully understand, I do know that tapping into the ANS through the vagus nerve has shown good results in treating pain and emotional issues. I went back to read up a bit and refresh my dim understanding of the hypothalamus and the central autonomic network.

You promised us this a couple of months ago. I waited and am so glad I caught it in time. Resteemed--although the article is almost beyond the seven-day window, people still will benefit from reading it.

Thanks, Abigail, for another really important piece.

Be happy and well.
Much love and appreciation,❤
AG