Borderline personality disorder (BPD) affects more than ten million Americans, yet the disorder is still shrouded in mystery and stigma. Only recently have treatments like dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) been developed for this 'incurable' condition that causes chaotic and unstable moods, self-injury and/or suicide attempts, and reckless, impulsive behavior.
In the fascinating memoir, The Buddha and the Borderline, Kiera Van Gelder chronicles her struggles and eventual recovery from BPD after twenty years of receiving numerous other diagnoses and ineffective treatments. Kiera offers an intimate look into her arduous struggle to gain control over her emotions and reclaim her life through DBT, cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) and Buddhism.
Now an international advocate and educator, Kiera reveals how the combination of education, support, treatment, and spirituality taught her to transform such BPD symptoms as self-destruction, self-hatred, and anger into a compassionate kinship with all human beings. The reader will come away not only with an understanding of what recovery involves, but with the belief that recovery is possible for anyone willing to learn and grow.
From the Publisher The Buddha and the Borderline is a riveting, first-person account of one woman's struggle with borderline personality disorder (BPD)-a diagnosis some have called a psychiatric death sentence-and her eventual triumph over her symptoms through dialectical behavior therapy and Buddhist spirituality.
Kiera Van Gelder, MFA, is an artist, educator, and writer diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. An international speaker and advocate, she currently lives in Massachusetts.
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Contents: the buddha & the borderline - a memoir |
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Prologue (1985) |
ix |
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Part 1 - Love Bird |
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1. |
Mentally Ill, Suicidal Drug Addict |
2 |
2. |
Girl, Recycled |
10 |
3. |
The Diagnosis That Dares Not Speak Its Name |
16 |
4. |
Mindfulness and the Big Mac |
23 |
5. |
Saviors |
31 |
6. |
Full Circle |
40 |
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Part 2 - Last Resort |
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7. |
Short-Term Solutions |
46 |
8. |
Dancing with Demons |
52 |
9. |
Flying the Coop |
63 |
10. |
Chalice of the Hopeless |
71 |
11. |
Safety |
78 |
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Part 3 - Shifts in Light |
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12. |
Keys |
88 |
13. |
Leaving the Dysregulation Zone |
97 |
14, |
No Blow Jobs in the First Date |
107 |
15. |
Empty Room |
115 |
16. |
Learning to Ride |
125 |
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Part 4 - Emergence |
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17. |
First Touch |
134 |
18. |
Exposure |
140 |
19. |
Being More Than One Thing |
146 |
20. |
Control and Blame |
156 |
21. |
Crossing the Mom Divide |
162 |
22. |
The Tipping Point |
171 |
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Part 5 - Transformation of Suffering |
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23 |
Taking Refuge |
180 |
24. |
Reversals |
190 |
25. |
Bad Buddhist |
202 |
26. |
Vajrayana |
214 |
27. |
The Meat Man |
223 |
28. |
Mirror of True Nature |
231 |
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Acknowledgments |
237 |
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Resources |
241 |
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References |
245 |
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