Borderline Personality Disorder or BPD is a disorder that causes my emotional baseline (when you are calm) to be higher than the average persons, and it takes longer to get down to that baseline after hitting an emotional high point. Sometimes I have intense mood swings. I was impulsive as a young adult and have always had problems in my everyday relationships. My disorder affects 2 out of every 100 people and is so complex that it affects each person differently. Its causes are hard to place but it has been linked to chemical imbalances, trauma in early life, brain abnormalities, or even growing up in an invalidating environment. It could even be a mixture of all these things.
     I treat my BPD with Dialectical Behavioral Therapy or DBT, One-on-One Therapy, and medication. Every piece of my treatment is vital to my success at leading a “typical” life. I use the term “typical” loosely because everyone’s typical is different. I have learned to handle most everyday social situations effectively and with grace. I learned how to manage the intense emotions and mood swings associated with BPD as well as how to reach a wise mind (an all-knowing, grounded and balanced state of mind) when at a heightened emotional level. Living with BPD just means I need to learn to channel my emotions and use them as tools in my everyday life. I’m still me, just a more informed me, when I follow my treatment plan!

Swallowed Whole by My Emotions is my first publication in book format, so it is close to my heart.

I share personal details about my diagnosis' in my works, in hopes of inspiring or comforting, even if just one person with these challenges.

If that person is you, I hope you resonate with my succession of growth and that this book swallows you whole! See what I did there?

Photos below taken at Webster Duck Pond, Syracuse, New York, USA