Cutting and the Pedagogy of Self-Disclosure

Acknowledgments

vii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Jeff’s greatest debt of thanks is to his coauthor, Patricia Hatch Wallace, who was the inspiration behind this book. Part 1 of Cutting and the Pedagogy of Self-Disclosure is based largely on Patty’s 2004 master’s thesis at the University at Albany, “Contagion in Cutting.” It was a joy to watch Patty develop from an outstanding master’s student to a scholar of distinction, unafraid to challenge some of the long-standing clinical assumptions behind self-injurious behavior. “One repays a teacher badly if one remains only a pupil,” Nietzsche observed wryly; Patty has long ceased being a student! She was also unafraid to use her real name, a decision that was not easy for her to make. As she observes in the Conclusion of Part 1, “self-disclosure of this magnitude is scary,” but she was willing to use her own name to help others understand their own reasons for cutting. Jeff is also indebted to “Maryann,” “Paige,” and their classmates at the University at Albany. These students include Stephen Arena, Idalia Avila, Stefanie Bizan, Peter Bouleris, Julia Brandel, Kelly Burgess, Andrew Carnevale, Nicole Chernyakhovsky, Danielle Cothren, Vanessa D’Arcy, Kimberly Elia, Chelsea Facci, Tom Fitzgerald, Amelia Gagliano, Theresa Galgano, David Grimes, Emily Guckemas, Kristen Hagan, Erin Hale, Derek Halpern, Katelyn Holden, Jeremy Hosier, Stacey Husband, Alex Hyde, Marcy Isabella, Roy Kilkeary, Sara Kluberdanz, Travis Landry, Victoria Lawton, Natalie Lesser, Christian Louie, Stephanie Mazzotta, Kevin Meadows, Erin Medlar, Caitlin Monahan, Ariel Munoz, Angela Muscolino, Jay Peck, Lexie Pray, Lindsay Ragozzino, Charles Rezoagli, Erin Schambach, Elizabeth Schroeder, Laura Seestadt, Lauren Selmon, Erika Snyder, Randi Strauss, Crystal Sweet, Meredith Torres, Olivia Urcia, Lynn Weiss, and Dan Wiessner. Their willingness to write about their own cutting experiences and share their responses to classmates’ essays on cutting made possible Part 2 of this book. They were exemplary in their empathic understanding of and 27460 frontmatter.indd vii 27460 frontmatter.indd vii 10/2/07 2:03:31 PM 10/2/07 2:03:31 PM respect for each other. Special thanks to Desma DeGraw. No one made a “cutting” criticism during class discussions. Cutting and the Pedagogy of Self-Disclosure is Jeff’s fifth book published by the University of Massachusetts Press, and he is grateful to everyone associated with the Press: Bruce Wilcox, Director; Clark Dougan, Senior Editor; Carol Betsch, Managing Editor; and Anne S. Gibbons, copy editor par excellence. Jeff is also grateful to Deborah Britzman, Distinguished Research Professor at York University; Marvin Krims, M.D., Lecturer in Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School; and Mark Bracher, Professor of English at Kent State University. Patty wishes to thank Jeff Berman, an outstanding teacher, adviser, and person, for his wisdom, guidance, and patience during this long book-writing process. She could not have done it without him, and probably would not have done it without him! She is grateful for the extrinsic motivation Jeff provided, and for the kindness he has shown to her and to all of his students. Patty also wishes to thank her husband Brett, her friend Sam Kastrinakis for the cookies that weren’t, and everyone who was supportive of, understanding of, and happy for her. viii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 27460 frontmatter.indd viii 27460 frontmatter.indd viii 10/2/07 2:03:31 PM 10/2/07 2:03:31 PM ...