~ An Essay ~

Amber Smith, a Break Studios Contributing Writer says, "Borderline Personality Disorder can alter the image you have of yourself.  It is an emotional disorder that will leave you feeling worthless and flawed. This disorder causes emotional instability, which can also lead to a great deal of stress."

Borderlines are may be thought of as "shadow"...on the fringe... people.  They are wired differently from the majority of mankind walking the earth.  Their synapses are hardened with  a configuration and rigidity of rigor-mortis.  The amygdala (primitive brain) in their their brains, where reactions to emotional stiumli are processed, works to assimilate appropriate emotional responses--and comes up short.  Those with this disorder, most often "blow it" (literally) in the area of 'sizing-up a situation' and responding with effectiveness.  This sounds somewhat benign, but it has caused major upset to families, work environments, classrooms, relationship...it has been re-classified several times in the DSM.  Before solid recovery time is reached with a Borderline patient, being in relationship with one is like leading a meditation group aboard a motorboat on choppy waters.  There is no concentrating, a lot of noise, and at best, the ride is a bit turbulent. 

To pattern of formation of  brain pathways to withstand the  experiences of trauma of a young person's awareness requires the will, determination, and strength of a Power greater than onesself.   That Power is Treatment.  Various treatments have been mentioned on other pages of this site; they may be found on the cover page.   A successful treatment plan for a BPD client is a combination of all (if not almost all) of the following constituents:   1) a structured guideline, such as outlined in Marsha Linehan's   "Skills Training Manual for Treating Borderline Personality Disorder, used in a 2)  classroom  setting   with a  3) DBT-trained therapist   who is instructing  4)  others with the same mental illness.  Also, 5) a patient's willingness to be in treatment for BPD  6) support of family, friends and/or significant other   7) having a safe haven to operate within   8) an unconditionally caring and supportive therapist, who subscribes to the philosophy of "tough love" over and above the training...and adheres to that philosophy.

What has not been covered much at all in this site is the personality proto-type of a person afflicted with Borderline Personality Disorder.  Much can be learned from this discussion where I relate the similarities found in Borderline persons that I have encountered.  This Borderline malady is not all bad.  The talents, energies and contributions of a Borderline are some of the best to be found, ever since amphibians sidled out of the oceans, and successfully managed to adapt to a new environment.   Borderlines are as these amphibians once were....they needed to learn to survive in a world filled with new stimulation, varied impressions, errant behaviors, volatile moods and all moving and morphing at  the speed of light.  To manipulate and exist in their environment, crazy as it could be, they developed fancy algorithms, systems, coping skills-- and often ultimately and creatively devised and moved to the beat of their own drums.

This method of living, more often than not, is accomplished with numerous struggles and pitfalls.  There are many of us who take a long time in getting back on  our feet, after landing flat on our faces... in the dirt and gravel, repeatedly.  "Life Doesn't Have to Be a Struggle" as one modern philosopher and author titled a book (Stuart Wilde).   For undiagnosed Borderlines, life is a struggle and is perilous for both the BPD and the people close to them.  This issue and others is covered throughout this site, and especially in the section for non-BPD's.  Hopefully, if an out-of-control Borderline has been diagnosed by a professional, the caregivers or significant other of that Borderline usually is given recommendtions as to what the next step should be for getting the BPD out of immediate harm, and then where to go to get the help they need to help themselves.  Follow these recommendations.

In straightforward dialog in this website on other pages regarding treatment and medication...I hope that I have made one impression on the readers:   there is no cure for Borderline Personality Disorder.   One isn't diagnosed, given a prescription to be taken for fourteen days (or have surgery, or go through some other altering of their physical makeup), and wait out the illness, and come out "well" or "cured" on the other side.   One can't attend a school of higher learning for 3-10 years, attend many hundreds of hours of classes, take mind-dissecting exams, earn grades....then accumulate enough of these grades and credits to get a piece of paper saying that they have reached a level of attainment of a particular skill.  There is no cure, there is no "graduation"...there in only an acceptable method of dealing with the disorder, where all benefit from the repeated "coping" skills-turned-more-appropriate behaviors of the Borderline patient.

Borderlines have abundant gifts to share with anyone whom they allow to get close to them, or from whom they earn long-term trust.  After a lifetime of pushing people off their radars ~ with a BPD well on the road to recovery from the disorder ~ they realize how much they have been the cause of failed relationships.  But once with some 'solid' recovery-time, they have a lot to say to you and me.  They want to express themselves.  They will flounder.  Please remember that their more-stable emotions are new phenomena to them, and real like a little child's....long before the art of "hiding those emotions" has been perfected with practice called "Adult Etiquette" or socially-accepted behavior.  If they are of an artistic nature, their actions and deeds may be riddled with spontaneous delight.  You may wish to hold on to this enchantment as you witness it in their journey.  You may revel in your own spiritual growth.

Often one is amazed in witnessing the innocence of unabashed self-expression of the emotions of the BPD.  This is when the miracle begins....the gifts appear....and

Grace Abounds.

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