As I cast about in search for answers, I find myself turning to religion. There's a new-ish text that was discovered by religious archeologists called The Gospel of Thomas. In this gospel, they teach that God is inside of you and all around you. "Split a piece of wood, and I am there. Lift a stone, and you will find me there..." In some of these texts, they suggest that the body is the anchor of the soul to this world. That eventually death is a good thing wherein out soul is finally allowed to ascend into heaven.
Now say that (from a philosophical standpoint) a person's ability to feel strong emotions and the 'inner I', the innermost self is what you consider your soul. With us, our emotions, for some reason or another, give an instinctual self harm. Would it not be a logical conclusion that our cutting and a need for release would be that need of a strong/old soul needing to be freed of this anchor?
These are just some of my thoughts tonight and I was wondering if anyone else had something to add to them.