Why does my girlfriend cut herself?

You won’t find the answer from me or anyone else. Only her. Don’t go up to her and ask “why do you cut yourself”. Or try to take away the object that she does it with. It’ll make her uncomfortable. Make sure to be serious and mature and gentle and compassionate . Ask her when did she start. How does it feel for her. What triggers her to do it. Where she puts the objects she does it with, but reassure her you’re not there to take them. You’re there to help her stay away from them. then you can see the answer. Lots of people do it for different reasons. Some do it to cope or to seek attention for help or because they want to feel something or they want to see the blood come out or the way the scars heal/look. Don’t make her feel crazy. Make her feel understood and loved and let her know she’s more then her cuts and scars. Don’t leave her if you feel her problems are too much for you. Cause at that moment of your curiosity, it isn’t about you. It’s about her. And her safety and well-being and you helping her to cope or stop or find replacements for self harm.

Your girlfriend could be struggling with something in her life or she could be clinically depressed, or suicidal. No matter what it is you should try talking to her and maybe trying to get professional help.

From my experience, most people cut because they learned it as a coping skill from someone else. They use it as a way of relief and find relaxation in it, knowing that they can control their pain.

She may feel like it may be the only thing in her control. She can't control her emotional and mental pain, but she can control her physical pain. It may be grounding for her to be able to control that. Healthy? definitely not. But maybe it's the only option she thinks she has.

She might be going through a hard time and doesn't know how to cope. It is possible that she's doing for control or a way to release her emotions.

Maybe she cut herself because she feels bad about herself or it might help her to cope with things in her life you should talk to her about it

I am glad you have asked this, sometimes it can be difficult for partners to understand this. Cutting is just one of the many forms of self-injury. Many people use it as a coping strategy, which means that there is something else going on with them, something causing them difficulties, and then use self-injury as a way of dealing with this other thing that they are experiencing. It can provide a distraction and a release of the internal pressure that they feel. Also , although it might sound a bit strange, there can be an element of taking care of themselves and showing themselves some compassion which they can find in the process of treating and taking care of the wounds. I appreciate that this is only a general answer but hope you that you might find it useful.

Some people self harm if they are feeling overwhelmed and want 'relief', while others may do it if they are feeling numb or they may do it to punish themselves. I would encourage you to speak to her about it and try to get her some help so she can learn to cope in more healthy ways.

Some people cut themselves as a way to deal with their emotions, to make them physical rather than mental. Some people cut themselves to punish themselves.

Sometimes, sadness can be very overwhelming and people feel the need to take it out on themselves because they may feel as though it is their fault.