In February 2005, Welch left Korn which he helped form in 1992, saying moral reasons caused his departure. Welch stated he had distanced himself from the band for 1½ to two years, "I just wanted to fade away, it was crazy. I was so gone." Welch wished to "rededicate [his] life to Christianity". Over his final month with Korn, Welch attempted to "reach out" to other members, but was met with negative reactions. Welch asked Korn's bassist Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu to produce the album, however, he received no response. While looking for a home in Arizona, Welch entered the recording studio. He immediately began writing; "entire songs would just come out: drums, bass, guitar, strings, choir, lyrics, everything... It was as if God was just downloading these songs inside me." Welch prayed for three hours each day prior to entering the studio. Welch wrote that ideas for lyrics and music often came from conversations with friends, including "Rebel" and "Washed by Blood".

On June 5, 2008, Welch posted a video announcement on his website. The video announced that Welch had officially signed with Driven Music Group, and would release Save Me from Myself on September 9, 2008. A three-minute sample of Head's first single, "Flush", was posted on Welch's website on June 16, 2008. The single was released on July 8, 2008, exclusively on iTunes music store, and a music video directed by Frankie Nasso was filmed in Los Angeles. On August 26, 2008, Welch revealed the lengths of each song on the album.

Originally, Welch planned for the project to follow the "Head" moniker, but was persuaded otherwise, so as not to be sued by the tennis equipment manufacturer of the same name. Though the project has since been dubbed "Brian Head Welch," the album continues to carry the imprint of the project's original title.