the buddha & the borderline

“Borderline…feels like I’m going to lose my mind…”  -Madonna

I’ve been meaning to give a shout-out to my girl, Kiera Van Gelder, a talented writer who recently published a memoir “The Buddha and the Borderline” chronicling her adventures with borderline personality disorder (BPD).

It’s hard to put down (even if you don’t know her)…impartial critics and critic friends agree that it’s a “must read”.

Filled with cringe-inducing humor (Chapter 14: “No blow jobs on the first date”), rage (Chap. 1: “Mentally Ill, Suicidal Drug Addict”), and hope (Chap. 21: “Crossing the Mom Divide”), Kiera takes us along on her journey from rock-bottom to redemption.

Here’s a quick random excerpt:

“Right now Buddhism is my answer. The more I immerse myself in it, the more it normalizes every aspect of my suffering and connects me to others. It’s slowly teaching me to work with the craziness in my head, no matter what side of the borderline I’m on. When I say Buddhism is teaching me, I mean more than intellectually…The practices themselves are alive, not just a collection of images or rituals or books. Within this world, BPD isn’t an aberration; it’s simply a name for an experience I and many others have, where we lie at the furthest end of the continuum of pain…”

You can order Kiera’s book on Amazon. Check it out, and let me know what you think.

what would Buddha do?