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Buddha & The Borderline (2010)

by Kiera Van Gelder(Favorite Author)

4.02 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

1608820602 (ISBN13: 9781608820603)

languge

English

genre

Memoir & Autobiography

publisher

New Harbinger Publications

review 1: I have nothing but wonderful things to say about this book and I appreciate it and the author for writing it more than I can even possibly convey. I am going to try to get a hold of her; Write her a letter of appreciation and gratitude. If you ever wanted to know what having borderline personality disorder (BPD) is like from inside the mind of a person with BPD read this book. It is spot on with my experience for the most part. It is always misleading reading about mental illness from a psychiatric setting. Written by doctors or people that don't have the mental illness they are writing about. No matter how much one studies up on a mental illness, physical illness, addiction, etc, they can never truly know what it is like for the person that is experiencing it. I don't car... moree how many people they have studied or worked with or interviewed or spent time with, I don't care how much they have studied the subject, it is impossible for one to know without experiencing it first hand. That is why this book is so valuable because it was written by a person who is experiencing this mental illness first hand and nothing can replace something so valuable. It may come close, but it's not the same.I am having my boyfriend read this now that I have finished so that he can delve deeper into my experience. I know we will both highly benefit from him reading this book. He will learn more about what it is like for me, about how my brain works, about why I react and act the ways that I do. He will possibly come up with some of his own ideas on how to better handle my freakouts (as I call them) and how to better handle me in general. How to support me better, how to support himself better. He is very excited to read this because I am lucky enough to have a lover that wants nothing but the best for me and wants to understand me and BPD the best that he can.I am soon going to be buying copies for my family members and loved ones so that they may read this book and learn more about me too.Anybody can benefit from this book from those who are trying to understand BPD better or trying to understand a loved one with BPD better or who are just curious about mental illness in general or even just those who are looking for a great memoir- this book is for you!Please read this and please know that at least one other person with BPD out there believes that this is a 100% truthful and accurate account of life with BPD. I did not once feel that she downplayed a single thing or left anything out or added any untrue events or thoughts or feelings.I could gush on and on about how beautiful this book is for its extreme truth and vulnerability because she opened up her entire experience to the world.I've tried to read another memoir of BPD so far and could not get past page 10 because it felt off but this one was just wonderful and I doubt if I will find another BPD memoir to top it.Another reason I appreciate her writing this book is because BPD is still a subject that is either hidden or unknown to most of the world. I can't tell you how hard it is to find information about BPD, support for people with BPD, other firsthand accounts of life with BPD. She is doing such a wonderful thing in spreading the word, helping others learn about BPD or even of it to begin with, and helping others with BPD know that they are not alone and that there is hope and that we can get better despite the overwhelming "evidence" that we can't and the overwhelming negativity we receive from doctors and the general population. THANK YOU Kiera Van Gelder from the bottom of my heart and soul for adding something so valuable to the world.
review 2: Wow. I'm stunned by the author's courage in being honest about her neediness and self-centredness. I knew very little about BPD before reading this book; now I think it must be one of the most difficult mental illnesses around, for both the sufferer and those who care for them. I hope that having read this book about what's happening 'inside' someone with BPD will help me to be more compassionate with people who seem to me to simply be narcissistic and needy.I did hope for a bit more about how Buddhism helped the author in her recovery, given the title of this book, and I'm not sure that I saw much evidence that the author's practices had helped her to develop compassion for others rather than simply for herself, but maybe her writing this book to give a window into the BPD mindset was that act of compassion. Fascinating read, but I'm not sure it's one that I'd recommend for those who have suffered deeply from having someone with BPD in the family. Did anyone reassure the author's mother that she was a 'good enough' mother and that her daughter's illness wasn't her fault? less

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