Main description:

When Vanessa Vega would feel the darkness begin to come over her, she would do anything, hoping to escape it. Take a hot bath. Read a book. Watch TV. Talk to a friend. But then, finally, unable to fight it any longer, she would give in, head into the bathroom...and cut. "Comes the Darkness, Comes the Light" is a disturbing yet ultimately redemptive and inspiring memoir of a young woman compelled to injure herself in an attempt to cope with her overwhelming feelings of anxiety in the only way she knew how. Though still unknown to many, this disorder affects an estimated one per cent of the population...and is on the rise, especially among teens. This affecting, heartwrenching book follows author Vanessa Vega's progress as she climbs her way back to emotional health and rebuilds her life. Readers will go inside the mind of a 'cutter', taking the journey with her as she struggles against her exhausting and shameful secret ritual.As Vega faces the anger and insecurity that lead to each encounter - while working with a therapist to understand the real motivating factors behind her behavior - "Comes the Darkness, Comes the Light" reveals what brings many to this disorder...and what can lead them out.
With stunning insight, Vega has written a moving first-person account of self-injury, struggle, and redemption.