So the general theory amongst the academia is that women who have suffered childhood trauma, asuch as sexual abuse, emotional abuse or neglect, are more likely to indulge in self-mutilation during their youth and early adulthood. And women who ae dissociated as a result of these things, or others, such as drug or alcohol abuse, or if they are 'psychologically disturbed', are even more likely to. Due to this, these women feel numb, not real, and can't experience things totally, or really feel anything at all. And so we cut ourselves to make us feel something, to make sure we're still alive, and to make sure that we are real live human beings with flesh and blood.