The Buddha and the Borderline: My Recovery from Borderline Personality Disorder through Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Buddhism, and Online Dating

Kiera Van Gelder

Aug 2010 · New Harbinger Publications

About this ebook

Kiera Van Gelder's first suicide attempt at the age of twelve marked the onset of her struggles with drug addiction, depression, post-traumatic stress, self-harm, and chaotic romantic relationships-all of which eventually led to doctors' belated diagnosis of borderline personality disorder twenty years later.

The Buddha and the Borderline is a window into this mysterious and debilitating condition, an unblinking portrayal of one woman's fight against the emotional devastation of borderline personality disorder. This haunting, intimate memoir chronicles both the devastating period that led to Kiera's eventual diagnosis and her inspirational recovery through therapy, Buddhist spirituality, and a few online dates gone wrong. Kiera's story sheds light on the private struggle to transform suffering into compassion for herself and others, and is essential reading for all seeking to understand what it truly means to recover and reclaim the desire to live.

Ratings and reviews

The similarities I found between my own BPD experiences and Kiera's astounded me. It hits much different written in this way than a reading of the dialectic workbook or I Hate You, Don't Leave Me. I've taken quotes from this book to share with my significant other that I found relevant and helpful. This ended up being an emotional book for me that at points was triggering, and at others inspiring. I've made an appointment to start therapy again after finding I belong in the 'functional borderline' category, only on the line of stage one and stage two. I've also dabbled in Buddhism in the past but this book has also sparked my interest in finding a community and practice that offers me some peace. Thank you, Kiera, for sharing with those of us who needed your story to feel empowered over changing ours.

Buddism is an amazing way to overcome a chaotic mind. She wrote with truth and wrote well.....good read.

So refreshing to hear that one can live whole life with bpd.

About the author

Kiera Van Gelder, MFA, is an artist, educator, and writer diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. An international speaker and advocate, she is featured in the documentary Back from the Edge: Living With and Recovering From Borderline Personality Disorder. She currently lives in Massachusetts at a Buddhist meditation center. For additional information, please visit www.buddhaandborderline.com and www.kieravangelder.com.