I understand. Especially if you had unpleasant experiences on other forums (and probably in real life, too) were it is cool to be tough. There's no need to use dark image in this community, though.
The same goes for all the witchy practices. It's totally OK to take your time and study things first, before you do anything. It's sooo tempting to try it all at once- trance, altar, spells, chakras, etc etc. It would give one high self- esteem and power over people. I know, been there, tried that, burned myself.
Take your time. You have your whole lifetime in front of you. Study a practice before you do it to be safe. Especially when it comes to things like trance. Never do it if you feel mentally weak. It will cause more harm than good. Witchcraft is about inner transformation and maturing. It is not a show that you do for wow effect.
If you truly want to address your inner darkness and accept yourself, you may want to work with your Shadow. But only if you are fully prepared for it.
http://everythingunderthemoon.net/forum ... lit=shadow There also other posts about the shadow on the forum. You can search for them. And videos and articles in other sources.