I need to find a displacement activity for the physical sensations of self-harm

There are a range of physical sensations associated with self-harm which will be different for different people. These are some of the sensations people have told us they needed to find displacement activities for:

Physical pain:

Some people find snapping an elastic band on their wrist or creating a short sharp pain in a non-damaging way helpful, as this brings physical pain which can be a grounding and reconnecting experience.

Sensation of blood or seeing an injury:

The sensation of blood or being able to see blood is important for some people, so trying to recreate that with food colouring and gelatine or drawing on yourself with red pen can be useful.

Taking care of wounds:

For some people taking care of wounds is a key area, so applying ointments and dressings can be another way to replace actual self-harm.