Topic Tuesday // BPD Awareness featuring SPECTRUM VIC // Tues 1 Oct, 7pm AEST

@Former-Member

The main thing that comes to mind is that everyone’s journey to recovery is likely to be different. For example, many people can find DBT and CBT techniques extremely helpful, whereas others don’t necessarily find these programs as helpful, for a range of reasons. As some of your users may be aware, there are a growing number of evidence-based treatments for BPD out there. Similarly, there are also many books that people have written about their journies to recovery and what has helped them. As Andrew has mentioned, support can come in all sorts of forms, not just ‘therapy.’

Whilst it can be important to try and work on some of the symptoms of BPD directly, for things to be sustainable in the long run, it’s important to find a sense of meaning and purpose. To put this another way, I think the journey to towards recovery needs to involve working towards how to make ‘a life that feels worth living,’ rather than just reducing symptoms on a list.

Putting this all together, I would encourage people to think about what their idea of ‘recovery’ and a ‘life worth living’ may look like. This may then help you work out what things may need to change to move towards this. It may also help you to think about sorts of supports and/or therapy may fit how you think about your life and where you want it to go.

@Former-Member I’m finding that getting back into writing in my journal helps when I’m experiencing a BPD episode or have experienced something that has made me feel highly emotional. I know that I often feel like I have all of these emotions all bundled up in my head and I want to explode, sometimes in not so safe forms, and by writing it down, I can look at it and then try and make sense of it later on. Once it’s out of my head, I find that it’s less harmful to me and not as scary. I can also use this to show relevant people what was going on to me to help them make sense.

can I ask a question @JulianSpectrum , @AndrewSpectrum , @Former-Member

one of my customers is concerned if BPD is inherited and can be passed on to her grandchildren from their mother ( her DIL)??

@Determined

Thanks i totally blame all my problems on very dysfunctional parents.

I was very talented as a child & got very good grades at school.

Looking back i think my bros have bpd also.

I separated from my family cause of lack of love & support. Then later everytime i tried to connect they triggered me off so i stayed away.

Wrong diagnosis til recently also.

Im just lucky im a strong person. One bros didnt survive.

I still have no contact.

I definitely think with supportive parents this condition would be so much more manageable.

My son is 16 & hes sooooo normal emotionally it fascinates me. So i doubt hes got it

Hey there @Judi9877 thanks for sharing, you're about the fourth person in a month to reiterate how much journalling has helped! I think we should all give that one a crack regardless of dianosis, but so glad to hear how putting the thoughts on paper has had such a positive affect. Thank you.

@Fracturedlight So great to hear the different things that you find useful. Being listened to and heard is so vital and yet sometimes we can struggle to slow ourselves down to actually hear what the person is trying to say and what their experience is.The support from others going through it is often so important in not feeling alone in all of this too.

@BlueBay The short answer is yes, over the past 20 years there have been some huge steps forward in terms of effective treatments for BPD. But I think @JulianSpectrum says it well in his post - there are many roads to recovery. I find meditation and walking super helpful too

@Fracturedlight I think that is why so many of us feel safe and valued in here. Nobody judges as we all have mental illness and understand that we are just people that need to be treated as such, and sometimes we just need to be dealt with a little more gently for our health. Same as a person with a physical illness. I know what it can be like with having physical disabilities as well that no matter what there are always people that want to judge and put down anyone that has something they do not understand and are scared of

Before they got help was it difficult for anyone to accept they needed help? My son won’t get help and I’m not always sure if it is because of his past experiences or whether it is part of his disorder.