In thinking about classic BPD symptoms like emotion dysregulation, I felt it might be a good time to once again touch on a tool that was crucial to my teen years and early 20s, crisis after crisis. The DBT TIPP skills are tried and true in-the-moment de-escalation...

Once I was diagnosed, the first thing I had to do was accept that, as a person with BPD or chronic and severe emotion dysregulation, my symptoms are going to cause me to feel intense emotional pain. My brain is built that way and I don’t know how to stop my brain or...

Trigger Warning: the following blog contains material which could be experienced as triggering difficult and painful thoughts and feelings. Please read with caution and consult with a professional clinician as needed. You’ve heard of the nine symptoms and know that,...

What are the benefits of sharing your story about substance misuse with others? Saadia: You get to shake off the shame that comes from thinking that you are the only one to struggle with something. I like the saying: “You’re as sick as your secrets.” You will be...

Warning: The following contains mentions of alcohol that may be triggering to some audiences. When I took drivers’ ed, we passed around a pair of “drunk goggles” that supposedly simulated the effect of alcohol on perception. The blurry, kaleidoscope-y visual sent a...

Warning: The following contains mentions of alcohol that may be triggering to some audiences. Any drinker knows that alcohol can exacerbate the experience of an emotion. Other times, it can numb a feeling entirely. People with borderline personality disorder often...

Warning: The following describes alcohol use and alludes to unwanted sexual contact, which may be triggering to some audiences. ​It was five o’clock in the morning and I was sitting in the car that my mother and I had paid for in full. I was always eager to become...

Have you ever considered that your emotions could be your greatest strength? What if they were the key to unlocking a deeper level of resilience and self-regulation? It might sound far-fetched at first, but as you've journeyed through this blog series, perhaps you've...

Growing up, I was often called “too intense.” I might not always remember who said it, but I’ll always remember the way it felt. I would feel myself shrivel or turn inward, I remember the ruminating thoughts that would spiral in my mind. The word itself felt heavy,...