This is my first foray into BPD-literature. At times it felt like too much--like there was too much difference between Kiera's story and my personal one--that maybe I was misdiagnosed, maybe Kiera was. But I kept reading and while clearly our lives differ, so much of the emotion she was describing was similar. I definitely recommend this book if you have BPD, or if you love someone with BPD and need a better understanding of their internal workings. I don't think it's the definitive personal narrative on BPD--I don't think any one piece of work or art should be--but it's definitely a valuable resource, and if there's anything BPD needs, it's more resources/teachings/awareness.A few excerpts:"I just want to kiss this man's hand for putting into words this endless cycle of failure and misery. If I have BPD, it means I have something real." p 13"Nothing else has been able to describe the self-destruction, the desperate clinging, the obsession with suicide, and the shifting moods, identities, and perspectives. I have BPD, I tell myself. I'm not a total fuck-up." p 14"She says people with BPD are like emotional burn victims: We've lost all our protective skin." p 30"My difficulties completely overwhelm her [mom], and in the end, my pain seems to cause even more pain for her." p 35"In the life cycle of an intense emotions, if it isn't acted upon, it eventually peaks and decreases. ... Shock waves of emotion that might pass through others in minutes might keep cresting in us [BPD individuals] for hours, sometimes days." p 102"Painful experiences are trivialized, and blame is put on the vulnerable person for not meeting the expectations of others and living by their standards." p 103"In that curtained room, I chose captivity over freedom, thinking it mean I'd never be alone." p 138"But you need to see how much she struggles--every day, sometimes every minute--and often with things that wouldn't affect you." p 169"How many days of my life have I spent focusing on the attention of men, no matter how questionable that attention may be?" p 209"I understand that my absence and the guilt around it are my own, yet I still find myself projecting it onto the others." p 233 I didn't hate this book, but it was a tough, dense slog at times. The first part of the book was by far the most useful to me - it provided an incredibly well-written experience from someone trying to access mental health care... And not being able to access something that worked. The frustration of that must have been terrible. Once the author found the therapy and the program that stabilizes her, the book loses steam. I suppose it's less interesting to read about someone's inability to be alone four thousand times than it is to read about someone completely destabilized and struggling. Sad statement, but it makes the last half of the book difficult to get through.
What do You think about Buddha & The Borderline (2010)?
This was actually a fascinating read, and I love that it is a first-hand account of her experience.
—sarica
A must-read for anyone who works with BPD or is interested in DBT.
—emilylua
