A friend of mine has a daughter who was self-harming quite badly and when I was looking into resources for her, I found that suggestion given as an alternative. I'm glad it works for you. I also found her the NSHN forum (http://www.nshn.co.uk/forum/), I don't know if you're aware of it but it might be useful.

Excellent pictures and thank you for the explanation, it's all so interesting and I love learning about new things. I'm glad that you've finally got your feet on the right path :)