I Am Worthy

In late 2023, we were asked a powerful question: what if we explored self-harm not only as a contemporary issue, but as something that has existed across centuries?

Dr Alanna Skuse, historian and lecturer at the University of Reading, approached us with funding to help bring this idea to life. She wanted to explore self-harm through history, not as an abstract academic subject, but in a way that centred lived experience and sparked meaningful conversation.

What followed became far more than a project. It became a space for connection, courage and cultural change.

At the beginning of 2024, we partnered with ACTA Community Theatre in Bristol to create an open, supportive group where people could reflect on self-harm through time. The invitation was simple: take part as much or as little as feels right. There was no expectation to perform, only the opportunity to explore, create and be heard.

Each session welcomed new members into the space. Together, we examined historical research and asked what it meant to place those stories alongside our own experiences. Slowly and collaboratively, ideas began to take shape. The group developed what would become a powerful original performance rooted equally in scholarship and lived experience.

As the work evolved we opened a call for creative submissions beyond Bristol, inviting artwork, writing, poetry and music reflecting personal experiences of self-harm. The response was extraordinary. Contributions arrived from across the world – intimate, brave and generous expressions in many forms. With permission, these pieces helped shape the script and inspired a parallel exhibition that would sit alongside the performance.

The result was I Am Worthy: a 50-minute production set within a fictional self-harm support group, bringing contemporary and historical voices into conversation. The script included references to characters from classical theatre whose experiences complicate traditional narratives of power, vulnerability and defiance. By placing these alongside present-day stories, the play gently challenged assumptions and invited audiences to see self-harm through a more nuanced, human lens.

Performed over two nights at ACTA Community Theatre in July 2024, the production was accompanied by a multimedia exhibition featuring both submitted and newly created work. After each show, audiences were invited to stay, reflect and engage, extending the conversation beyond the stage.

What stayed with us most was the response.

One parent shared that when their child had struggled with self-harm years earlier, they felt unprepared and overwhelmed. Watching the play helped them understand in a way they hadn’t before. Healthcare professionals reflected on the importance of seeing self-harm portrayed through real, complex people rather than as something abstract or sensationalised. Many spoke about the need for more creative approaches that open up difficult conversations in accessible, grounded ways.

After the performances, participants gathered to reflect and were invited to continue engaging through our ongoing peer support spaces. The exhibition found new life at Glenside Hospital Museum in Bristol. Titled A Creative Exploration of Self-Injury Through Time, it opened in May 2025 and has since been extended into 2026, reaching new audiences and continuing to challenge stigma. 

This project reaffirmed something we see every day in our work: when research, creativity and lived experience come together, understanding deepens. Stories shift. And people begin to see, perhaps for the first time, that they are worthy.