“In one of the few memoirs of self-injury, Caroline Kettlewell describes her recovery in terms of neural pathways—the “groove” worn into her mind, the “wrong turns and dark corridors” marked by her history of cutting. Once she learns how to… — Merri Lisa Johnson Copy Share
“A personality disorder is not the foreign presence of demonic possession or a cancerous cluster of cells spreading among the internal organs. It is a pattern of cognition and reaction that impares the capacity to be productive, happy and generally… — Merri Lisa Johnson Copy Share Image
“It isn't any particular person I want to lie down with and make my own. It isn't anybody at all. It is the feeling of being taken care of that I want to pin down and rock my hips against. Sling a leg across it and fall asleep. This longing for body comfort and security is familiar as my own… — Merri Lisa Johnson Copy Share
“I want to say my apartment is no paradise for bachelorettes and would be more accurately described by terms like 'pain clinic', 'wound-care center',… — Merri Lisa Johnson Copy Share Image
“My life story is structured by reckless reenactments of panic and flight.” — Merri Lisa Johnson Copy Share Image
“Our bodies made us shiver in fear and disgust. We looked in the mirror and prepared ourselves to be horrified.” — Merri Lisa Johnson Copy Share Image
“I thieve love. I beg for it. People want what they cannot have.” — Merri Lisa Johnson Copy Share Image
“In one of the few memoirs of self-injury, Caroline Kettlewell describes her recovery in terms of neural pathways—the “groove” worn into her mind, the “wrong turns and dark corridors” marked by her history of cutting. Once she learns how to stand “the awful agony of unhappiness” without reverting to the bodily jolt of broken skin, she changes the map of… — Merri Lisa Johnson Copy Share
“I know insecurity is unattractive. I hate this side of me. I don't really hate this side of me. I think other people will… — Merri Lisa Johnson Copy Share Image
“I wade through the rush of neglect and loss and sadness pouring through a hole in my hull.” — Merri Lisa Johnson Copy Share Image
“I longed to stabilize my core identity and to withstand the pressure of other people's words, behaviors, moods, and perceptions. I wanted to be… — Merri Lisa Johnson Copy Share Image
“I bored myself to tears with the daytime television drama of confrontation (I've been wronged!). I winced at sluggish morning half-memories of wearing wrongness… — Merri Lisa Johnson Copy Share Image
“I worked through memories like weeping wounds. I wrote tedious accounts of petty conflicts and read them aloud to people. I removed layer after… — Merri Lisa Johnson Copy Share Image
“A personality disorder is not the foreign presence of demonic possession or a cancerous cluster of cells spreading among the internal organs. It is… — Merri Lisa Johnson Copy Share Image
