Deliberate self-harm is a traumatic experience which has serious consequences at individual and social levels. Differing motivations for self-harm and different modes of injury require that therapeutic responses vary. Yet, according to the literature and personal observation, nursing responses tend to be uniform and inflexible. Not only are such responses inadequate for effectively dealing with individuals who self-harm, they also have unintended, hidden deleterious consequences for nurses and nursing. In this paper, a story about self-harm is analysed using a postmodern perspective that helps to illuminate multiple dimensions to this complex issue. The approach enriches understanding, opening up possibilities to improve the quality of the nurse-patient relationship.