Calm Harm – manage self-harm

I feel like this app is so far really helpful, but it can be hard to do some of the distraction things.

this app helped me through so much. it is so perfect in every way shape and form. the little characters are so cute and soothing and the app itself reminds me of a nice cool bed to lay down in when all things go wrong. I always had an issue with storage but this heaven sent gift doesn’t even take up 50 mb. from the bottom of my heart id like to thank the developer(s) with every fiber in my body and every place on it that is clean of scars. thank you

I personally don’t struggle with self-harm, but I do have issues with addictive tendencies. It seems like there’s a surprising amount of overlap when it comes to how self-harm and addictive urges work, so I tried Calm Harm out to see if it’d help. Sure enough, it does. I was wondering if the dev team might be able to add some sort of offering specifically for people who struggle with addiction as well. Not to diminish the importance of helping others who struggle with self-harm, that’s an issue close to my heart in many ways as well. But I think many of the techniques used in the existing app could also be applied to addiction recovery.

Thank you, devs, for creating this app. You’re doing God’s work.

i was shown this app by someone i spoke with on a hotline a few years ago, i was younger and scared and didn’t have resources but this app is so so good at what it does, very helpful and the visuals themselves are good distractions. also very happy for the queer identity options in settings + no dumb in-app money-hungry purchases means so much to me. thank you :-)

I love tracking and seeing my progress. Just makes me proud of myself. What I would like and suggest is adding widgets. I would love to have it on my Home Screen so I could see it without opening the app! Other than that I love it and have been using it for years.

Not only is this app incredible for managing s/h urges, but for other struggles I've had with feeling overwhelmed by emotions, but also helped to manage stronger feelings of anxiety.

I just downloaded the app and I’m already tearing up. I went through an extensive DBT program and this app focuses on a lot of the same principles I am already familiar with. One of my biggest triggers is idle hands. I get so antsy and bored and then overwhelmed by the tightness in my chest and paralyzed by options. It causes me to spiral and make impulsive decisions with negative consequences. It’s so refreshing to have a list of activities that are ACTUALLY doable for a neurodivergent person. Just taking a look around in this app reminded me that there are so many more ways to practice self care. It’s not all working out, skin care, and meal prepping. Sometimes it’s best to just sit and notice. Just be where you are ♥️

i first downloaded this app when i was 15, i’m turning 21 soon. i cannot tell you how thankful i am for this app. it worked so well i stopped using it about two years ago. even though every working coping skill i’ve learned has been from this app, i nearly forgot about it until today. worst panic attack i’ve had in my life, and it pulled me out of it in 2 minutes. rather, my thankfulness did. i was always partial to the comfort and release exercises. I did one of each and calmed myself enough to write this review. it’s not appropriate for me to describe the trenches i’ve been through, but in all of my major episodes i’ve turned to this app. i still remember being happy to see the update to hide exercises we didn’t like, suggesting and being happy to see exercises not asking for mobility or supplies. I don’t have right cocktail of emotional intelligence and vocabulary to say how thankful i am. i used to recommend this app like handing out candy on halloween. hopefully i won’t have to, but i absolutely will again. thank you so much, calm harm. just thank you.

It’s a pretty decent app. It’s help full when your feelings to self harm are like in between low and mid. But if you really feel like your going to it’s not the best. It does keep your streak and has a journal and stuff. You can either do a 1 min or 15 min exercise. Overall I think it’s pretty good

the only thing i would change is the fact that it stops giving you the little trophies after a year. having a higher goal to work towards after one year clean can be difficult :/

THIS APP IS AWESOME!!! Loves 💖 but I was wondering if you guys could add some more options/ activities. It’s AMAZING as I said but I’d really like more things whether it be loud or quiet cuz I get urges late at night but my mom has me go to bed at 8pm. And she hears one little creak and she is like “WHY ARE U UP?!” So yeah, would totally love more activities. LOTS OF LOVE :]

Adolescents can be particularly susceptible to self-harming behavior due to the unique state of a teen’s brain development. The Calm Harm app can offer support for adolescents who are navigating the challenges of self-harming behavior, especially when their developing brains are largely characterized by a more emotionally aroused limbic system and a still maturing frontal cortex. In his book Age of opportunity: Lessons from the new science of adolescence, developmental psychologist Laurence Steinberg characterizes the burgeoning interplay of these two regions during this phase akin to the relationship between a car’s gas pedal and brakes (Steinberg, 2014). At this stage, the teen’s frontal cortex—which is responsible for decision-making and impulse control—is still in the process of maturing. As the development of this region progresses, the teen’s limbic system of the brain—which plays an important role in generating emotions—is highly active and easily aroused. While the teen’s emotional gas pedal is highly active during this period, their ability to connect to their metaphorical brakes to self-regulate and practice forethought during heightened arousal is not fully in place.
Given the circumstances of the teen brain’s development, the combination of the two regions’ states can lead to heightened emotional reactivity and a reduced ability to employ adaptive coping mechanisms in times of emotional distress. When encountering stress-inducing stimuli in particular, adolescents may revert more frequently to maladaptive coping mechanisms such as binge drinking, disordered eating, and self-harm (Laser & Nicotera, 2021, Ch. 2). By providing a curated selection of engaging, distraction-based activities and coping strategies, Calm Harm can be a viable option for redirecting focus from self-harming urges towards more adaptive means of coping. Using exercises under the app’s “Comfort,” “Express Yourself,” or “Release” categories; the app can be used as a tool to redirect the brain’s arousal away from self-harming urges and towards more positive and constructive responses to stress. As the teen gradually develops comfortable usage of their “braking system,” rational thought processes become less easily disrupted by fatigue, stress, and emotional arousal (Steinberg, 2014). While the app might not directly stimulate physical changes in the brain, it can provide a structured platform for adolescents to practice and develop skills that are associated with the teen’s developing prefrontal cortex functions like emotional regulation, responsible decision-making, and long-term coping strategies.
Although Calm Harm is a useful tool for distraction from and coping strategies for self-injury, it is important to note that there are variations of self-injury and with their variations come different interventions based on the degree of severity. As such, self-injury, and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) are distinct behaviors with crucial differences in their underlying motivations. A teen engaging in suicidal self-injury has at least some intent to end their life whereas one who engages in NSSI typically engages in it as a coping mechanism (Slesinger, Hayes, & Washburn, 2019 in Laser & Nicotera, 2021). Keeping this in mind, a shortcoming of the Calm Harm app is that it is inadvisable to rely on it as a means for prevention of active suicidal intent. Those with active suicidal intent require more specialized and immediate support.
In summation, Calm Harm can be as a valuable resource for adolescents struggling with non-suicidal self-injury. By offering a range of self-directed techniques and activities, it provides a worthwhile platform for redirecting towards healthier coping strategies. The app’s friendly interface, clear navigation, engaging activities, and tacit efforts to protect users’ privacy are among its most tangible strengths. Though its tools are empirically based and developmentally appropriate for adolescents, Calm Harm’s effectiveness is not a substitute for comprehensive care and even its interim success is dependent on the user’s willingness and ability to actively engage with its content. It is important for individuals dealing with severe and persistent self-injury to seek professional support. While Calm Harm is certainly a tool, it should be viewed as a single supplementary component in a highly comprehensive approach to adolescent mental health care.

As a Social Worker, I find that this app is great for those struggling with self-harm as it introduces them to emotional regulation and other DBT skills. Also appreciate that the app is discrete, can be used in various settings (at home, at school, in public, etc), and is accessible for many people at no cost!

The Calm Harm App is a helpful, visually stimulating, and easy to use tool for adolescents to “ride the wave” or resist the urge to self-harm. It uses evidenced-based intervention strategies in efforts to break unhealthy self-harm patterns and does so in a user-friendly and age-appropriate way. For these reasons, I am rating the Calm Harm App a 4 out of 5.
Laser & Nicotera (2021) describes the “roller coaster” of emotions that many adolescents feel in their development stage. Sometimes adolescents have difficulty naming emotions and connecting them with events or thoughts that preceded the intense feeling. With a more easily aroused limbic system and a slower developing pre-frontal cortex, those entering adolescence are often more likely to experience intense emotions with few internal tools to practice emotional regulation (Steinberg, 2014, pg. 20). Techniques that can help adolescents identify and name the emotion they are feeling and connecting it to an action are crucial in targeting the distressful emotion (Laser & Nicotera, 2021, pg. 22). Fortunately, the Calm Harm app does just that; helping individuals reflect the intensity and identification of an emotion through their activity feedback prompts. By selecting feedback responses that link an activity to an intensity measure and a particular emotion, the application starts the DBT clinical process of “chain analysis” which ultimately aids an individual in identifying patterns and developing skill-based problem solving (Brodsky & Stanley, 2013, pg. 182).
Steinberg (2014) suggests that the adolescent “reward” system is more easily aroused which translates to younger individuals seeking immediate gratification. For many people who engage in self-harm, the experience provides immediate temporary relief and is used as a maladaptive coping mechanism (SAMSHA, 2023). Calm Harm provides activities that might delay the impulse to engage in these maladaptive behaviors and does so in a way that provides the user with agency and choice. The ability for adolescents to personalize visual themes and mascots, choose the length and type of activity, and to continue and pause the activity on their own accord, provides them with increased independence and agency that they are seeking in the “push-pull” development stage of adolescence (Laser & Niotera, 2021).
There is an effortless understanding and navigation of the Calm Harm app that makes it appealing to any user who is seeking assistance in managing their self-harm behaviors. The ease of learning, efficiency in accomplishing tasks, and minimal technical errors while using the application make it worthy of consideration for mental health providers to suggest to their adolescent clients. The incorporation of fast and simple self-harm mitigation activities in an online platform suggests the developers of the app are meeting adolescents where they are; in a development stage of increased use in digital media (Laser & Nicotera, 2021, pg. 151).
According to the Pew Research Center (Lenhart, 2015), 92% of youth are online daily and 95% of teens now have access to a smart phone (Ellerbeck, 2022). While Calm Harms user face is stimulating and discreetly blends in with other visually appealing games and social media apps, it strategically prompts young adults to explore their physical world, engage in activities outside of cyberspace, and formulate coping skills that bring them into their physical body.
The Apps’ developer, Stem4, also states that they comply with the 15 standards set by the Age-Appropriate Design Code which was implemented in the United Kingdom to close loopholes in data tracking practices and to provide a high level of privacy for younger individuals. Calm Harm not only complies with this law, but they outline next steps they will take to continue to meet the standards of the law. While the disclaimers of Calm Harm are frequently seen within the app and may appear repetitive to the adolescent, they are necessary in ensuring young adults understand the limitations that come with Calm Harm. If future iterations of the app are developed, I would encourage the designers to consider more eye-catching disclaimer notices that invite the user to read them more closely. Every designer must balance the legal obligations they have to a consumer and the visual appeal of a project, however, with a societal concern as sensitive as self-harm, I would encourage Calm Harms developers to think creatively on how they might better balance both priorities. Developers of Calm Harm may also want to consider settings that allow adolescents to (1) change the font size and (2) include Text to speech (TTS), and (3)
While Calm Harm does provide excellent emotional regulation activities, they explicitly state the app is not intended to substitute for a health professional, is not recommended for self-help support for self-harm with suicidal intent, and is not responsible for any negative impact or harm that may arise in relation to using the app. These statements imply that Calm Harm developers are aware of the limitations of their reach/support.
In conclusion, I recommend this app to mental health providers that provide a full DBT program, to providers who incorporate DBT emotional regulation skills in talk therapy, and to adolescents who are seeking additional resources to assist in managing their self-harm urges. For traditional DBT programs where DBT skills are learned within groups, Calm Harm can serve as an excellent platform for adolescents to reference when they discuss the coping skill activities they used throughout the week with their peers. The “Self-Monitoring” section of the app that provides information about what activities were used, when they were used, and how successful they were in managing/reducing self-harm patterns may be incredibly resourceful for adolescents who might forget the healthy coping strategies that have worked between sessions.

I downloaded this app when I was really struggling. I downloaded a lot of others too cause let’s be real I was pretty desperate and this one made the others look horrible. It’s free. It’s a tracker for how long your streak is. It has little cartoon characters. And it’s helpful for when you just need a little boost and when you REALLY need help. There’s 5 minute things and 15 minute things to do. I personally enjoy the five minute ones more because I have the attention span of an almond. I’m currently at 465 days. I never would’ve gotten to this or even six months without this app. I really do enjoy it :)