Shows
TELOS: A Neurodiversity ConversationRewriting the Narrative with BPD (ft Cynthia Gralla)Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is an often misunderstood form of neurodivergence. In this episode, Aeris sits down with Cynthia Gralla, PhD in Comparative Literature, author, educator, and host of "A Real Affliction: BPD, Culture, and Stigma," to explore BPD through the lens of language, linguistics, and storytelling. This conversation is for anyone with BPD, neurodivergent allies, and anyone seeking to understand mental health and difference better.
2025-09-0838 min
A Real Affliction: BPD, Culture, and StigmaCommunication strategies for people with BPD and their treatment providersHow can people with BPD and their clinicians communicate more effectively and compassionately with each other? In this solo episode, I draw on my personal experiences and my study of narrative medicine to offer tips for people on both sides of the doctor-patient encounter, especially during the initial visit and collection of the patient’s history. I explain why self-advocacy is so important, particularly for those who identify as women.
Rita Charon, Narrative Medicine: Honoring the Stories of Illness
Maya Dusenbery, Doing Harm: The Truth About How Bad Medicine and Lazy Science Leave Wome...
2025-09-0122 min
A Real Affliction: BPD, Culture, and StigmaCommunication strategies for people with BPD and their treatment providersHow can people with BPD and their clinicians communicate more effectively and compassionately with each other? In this solo episode, I draw on my personal experiences and my study of narrative medicine to offer tips for people on both sides of the doctor-patient encounter, especially during the initial visit and collection of the patient’s history. I explain why self-advocacy is so important, particularly for those who identify as women. Rita Charon, Narrative Medicine: Honoring the Stories of Illness Maya Dusenbery, Doing Harm: The Truth About How Bad Medicine and Lazy Science Leave Women Dismissed, Misdiagnosed, and Sick Edvard Munch, The...
2025-09-0122 minA Real Affliction: BPD, Culture, and Stigma“You can't necessarily compare your trauma to someone else's”: Social worker Samantha DellossoHow does the health care system condition how we see our mental health treatment and diagnoses? In this interview—an excerpt from a much longer conversation—I talk with Samantha Dellosso, a social worker, health administrator, and friend of forty years. She and I discuss Medicaid in the U.S., viewing personality disorders along a spectrum, and how adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) don’t necessarily determine who we turn out to be. Alexander Kriss, Borderline: The Biography of a Personality Disorder Bessel van der Kolk, The Body Keeps the Score
2025-08-2833 minA Real Affliction: BPD, Culture, and Stigma“You can't necessarily compare your trauma to someone else's”: Social worker Samantha DellossoHow does the health care system condition how we see our mental health treatment and diagnoses? In this interview—an excerpt from a much longer conversation—I talk with Samantha Dellosso, a social worker, health administrator, and friend of forty years. She and I discuss Medicaid in the U.S., viewing personality disorders along a spectrum, and how adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) don’t necessarily determine who we turn out to be.
Alexander Kriss, Borderline: The Biography of a Personality Disorder
Bessel van der Kolk, The Body Keeps the Score
2025-08-2833 minA Real Affliction: BPD, Culture, and Stigma“You’re talking about me”: Sara from the Bold Beautiful Borderline podcastHow does BPD impact reproductive choices? In this candid interview, Sara Abbott, the host and producer of the #1 Bold Beautiful Borderline podcast, talks with me about how BPD is affecting her decision to have children. We also discuss intergenerational trauma and the stigma she encountered while getting her Master of Social Work degree.
Trigger warning: This episode discusses suicide.
If you are having thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or go to SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for a list of additional resources.
2025-08-1833 minA Real Affliction: BPD, Culture, and Stigma“You’re talking about me”: Sara from the Bold Beautiful Borderline podcastHow does BPD impact reproductive choices? In this candid interview, Sara Abbott, the host and producer of the #1 Bold Beautiful Borderline podcast, talks with me about how BPD is affecting her decision to have children. We also discuss intergenerational trauma and the stigma she encountered while getting her Master of Social Work degree. Trigger warning: This episode discusses suicide. If you are having thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or go to SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for a list of additional resources.
2025-08-1833 min
Bold Beautiful BorderlineGetting an Education with Borderline Feat. Cynthia GrallaToday I'm joined by Cynthia Gralla, an author, writer, lifelong student, and professor who happens to have BPD. Cynthia is host of the podcast A Real Affliction: BPD, Culture and Stigma and today she joins us to talk about how it can be difficult and so important for some to get an education and the strategies for supporting your education when you have BPD. Find her podcast here: https://arealafflictionbpdcultureandstigma.podbean.com/?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAaf5gCvRYyNHhfA3hcLt4XjOWD9780OEo24GruABbYwe7F-JtG9KGr-9PhmNJQ_aem_YUGO1r28YnYV3YOEL_sifA Find her books here: http://book...
2025-08-0453 minA Real Affliction: BPD, Culture, and StigmaStill Life: The Posthumously Published Diary of Lara GilbertWhat can we learn from the posthumously published diary of Lara Gilbert, a young Canadian woman with BPD traits who suffered from complex PTSD in the 1990s? In this episode, I read excerpts from I Might Be Nothing: Journal Writing, a selection of writings from the 3200-page diary of Lara Gilbert, which I read in the archives of the University of Victoria. Lara was a brilliant and talented writer, and I wanted some of her words to be heard. While her story is tragic, her experience is a reminder that life is always hard, no matter which era you...
2025-03-1526 minA Real Affliction: BPD, Culture, and StigmaStill Life: The Posthumously Published Diary of Lara GilbertWhat can we learn from the posthumously published diary of Lara Gilbert, a young Canadian woman with BPD traits who suffered from complex PTSD in the 1990s? In this episode, I read excerpts from I Might Be Nothing: Journal Writing, a selection of writings from the 3200-page diary of Lara Gilbert, which I read in the archives of the University of Victoria. Lara was a brilliant and talented writer, and I wanted some of her words to be heard. While her story is tragic, her experience is a reminder that life is always hard, no matter which era you live...
2025-03-1526 minA Real Affliction: BPD, Culture, and Stigma"I learn about resilience from my garden": Solara Goldwynn of Royal Roads UniversityWhat is the relationship between BPD and food security? BPD and food insecurity are prevalent among university students, and research shows that poor diets, both in terms of insufficient calories and an overreliance on ultra-processed foods, fuel mood dysregulation, depression, and suicidality. I believe that most universities could do more to support student food security, food sovereignty in the community, and overall mental well-being through food gardens. In this interview, I’ll be speaking with Solara Goldwynn, the farm and food systems lead for a food-growing initiative at Royal Roads University, which is dedicated to sustainability and partnerships with lo...
2025-03-0129 minA Real Affliction: BPD, Culture, and Stigma"I learn about resilience from my garden": Solara Goldwynn of Royal Roads UniversityWhat is the relationship between BPD and food security? BPD and food insecurity are prevalent among university students, and research shows that poor diets, both in terms of insufficient calories and an overreliance on ultra-processed foods, fuel mood dysregulation, depression, and suicidality. I believe that most universities could do more to support student food security, food sovereignty in the community, and overall mental well-being through food gardens. In this interview, I’ll be speaking with Solara Goldwynn, the farm and food systems lead for a food-growing initiative at Royal Roads University, which is dedicated to sustainability and partnerships with local In...
2025-03-0129 minA Real Affliction: BPD, Culture, and Stigma“We need a society where we don’t step over mentally ill people”: Discussing bioethics with Lucy YanowWhy do people living with mental illness, including BPD, need to think about bioethics? Because ordinary citizens can now make life-and-death decisions for themselves and others. As laws and regulations change around issues such as involuntary hospitalization and medical assistance in dying, it’s important for everyone to read and watch lectures about bioethics to protect themselves, but it’s essential for those of us suffering from mental health issues. In this second part of my interview with Lucy Yanow, who studies bioethics, we talk about this issue as well as the ultimate unattainability of bodily autonomy. Trigger warning: This epis...
2025-02-1531 minA Real Affliction: BPD, Culture, and Stigma“We need a society where we don’t step over mentally ill people”: Discussing bioethics with Lucy YanowWhy do people living with mental illness, including BPD, need to think about bioethics? Because ordinary citizens can now make life-and-death decisions for themselves and others. As laws and regulations change around issues such as involuntary hospitalization and medical assistance in dying, it’s important for everyone to read and watch lectures about bioethics to protect themselves, but it’s essential for those of us suffering from mental health issues. In this second part of my interview with Lucy Yanow, who studies bioethics, we talk about this issue as well as the ultimate unattainability of bodily autonomy.
Trig...
2025-02-1531 minA Real Affliction: BPD, Culture, and StigmaComplex trauma is in our house now: Courtenay Stallings, author of Laura’s Ghost: Women Speak About Twin Peaks
Why is Laura Palmer a heroine for many of us? Because David Lynch's depiction of her in the Twin Peaks franchise was one of the first and remains one of the most powerful depictions of complex trauma from child sexual abuse. In this interview with professor and writer Courtenay Stallings, we talk about her wonderful book, Laura’s Ghost: Women Speak About Twin Peaks, and how the late, great Lynch catalyzed discussions of the long-neglected topic of abuse -- with which, unfortunately, so many of us with BPD are familiar.
Trigger warning for child sexual abuse...
2025-02-0142 minA Real Affliction: BPD, Culture, and StigmaComplex trauma is in our house now: Courtenay Stallings, author of Laura’s Ghost: Women Speak About Twin PeaksWhy is Laura Palmer a heroine for many of us? Because David Lynch's depiction of her in the Twin Peaks franchise was one of the first and remains one of the most powerful depictions of complex trauma from child sexual abuse. In this interview with professor and writer Courtenay Stallings, we talk about her wonderful book, Laura’s Ghost: Women Speak About Twin Peaks, and how the late, great Lynch catalyzed discussions of the long-neglected topic of abuse -- with which, unfortunately, so many of us with BPD are familiar. Trigger warning for child sexual abuse. Courtenay Stalling’s Laura’s Ghost...
2025-02-0142 minA Real Affliction: BPD, Culture, and Stigma“I thought that mental health problems were something that you caught while young”: Lucy YanowCan recreational drugs be used to treat BPD in controlled environments? In this interview, I talk with Lucy Yanow, who holds a master’s degree in Bioethics and Society and formerly worked as a midwife, doula, and protector of reproductive rights. I ask her about her experience taking ketamine pills for depression and suicidality, but our conversation detours in rich and surprising ways. Lucy opens up about how her family’s history of suicide has affected her. She thoughtfully reflects on intergenerational trauma, the limitations she sees in talk therapy, and weighing the risks of drug therapy against suicidality.
2025-01-1527 minA Real Affliction: BPD, Culture, and Stigma“I thought that mental health problems were something that you caught while young”: Lucy YanowCan recreational drugs be used to treat BPD in controlled environments? In this interview, I talk with Lucy Yanow, who holds a master’s degree in Bioethics and Society and formerly worked as a midwife, doula, and protector of reproductive rights. I ask her about her experience taking ketamine pills for depression and suicidality, but our conversation detours in rich and surprising ways. Lucy opens up about how her family’s history of suicide has affected her. She thoughtfully reflects on intergenerational trauma, the limitations she sees in talk therapy, and weighing the risks of drug therapy against suicidality. Trigger warn...
2025-01-1528 minA Real Affliction: BPD, Culture, and StigmaThe book that saves lives: Mishell Baker’s BorderlineHow can an urban fantasy novel save lives? By depicting a protagonist with BPD who is resourceful, loyal, and heroic. In Borderline, the first book in the Arcadia Project trilogy, author and BPD survivor Mishell Baker does just that. In this interview, her perspectives on her books and her life reveal a woman who has found strength and inner peace after agony. As she says to me, “If you die by your own hand, you don't know if your work was done.”
Trigger warning: This episode discusses suicide.
If you are having thoughts of suicide, call...
2025-01-0144 minA Real Affliction: BPD, Culture, and StigmaThe book that saves lives: Mishell Baker’s BorderlineHow can an urban fantasy novel save lives? By depicting a protagonist with BPD who is resourceful, loyal, and heroic. In Borderline, the first book in the Arcadia Project trilogy, author and BPD survivor Mishell Baker does just that. In this interview, her perspectives on her books and her life reveal a woman who has found strength and inner peace after agony. As she says to me, “If you die by your own hand, you don't know if your work was done.” Trigger warning: This episode discusses suicide. If you are having thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 to reach the...
2025-01-0144 minA Real Affliction: BPD, Culture, and Stigma“People with BPD are not a different kind of person”: Dr. Alexander Kriss, author of Borderline
What can a psychoanalyst learn from patients with BPD? In this interview, Dr. Alexander Kriss, author of the recently published Borderline: Biography of a Personality Disorder, shares insights gained from treating patients with the disorder. We discuss his book, which tells the story of one patient’s recovery while also deconstructing the BPD diagnosis and the broader conceptions of madness and femininity that have created an ever-shifting but ever-present space for people harrying the line between neurosis and psychosis from antiquity to the present day.
Alexander Kriss, Borderline: The Biography of a Personality Diso...
2024-12-1542 minA Real Affliction: BPD, Culture, and Stigma“People with BPD are not a different kind of person”: Dr. Alexander Kriss, author of BorderlineWhat can a psychoanalyst learn from patients with BPD? In this interview, Dr. Alexander Kriss, author of the recently published Borderline: Biography of a Personality Disorder, shares insights gained from treating patients with the disorder. We discuss his book, which tells the story of one patient’s recovery while also deconstructing the BPD diagnosis and the broader conceptions of madness and femininity that have created an ever-shifting but ever-present space for people harrying the line between neurosis and psychosis from antiquity to the present day. Alexander Kriss, Borderline: The Biography of a Personality Disorder Alexander Kriss, The Gaming Mind: A New...
2024-12-1542 minA Real Affliction: BPD, Culture, and Stigma“It's Upon Us to Widen That Lens”: Dr. Merri Lisa Johnson, author of Girl in Need of a TourniquetWhy should we draw on the field of disability studies to envision, treat, and talk about BPD? In this second and final part of my interview with Professor Lisa Johnson, author of Girl in Need of a Tourniquet: Memoir of a Borderline Personality, we explore this question and others, including the connection between BPD and sexuality, why we might diagnose fictional characters with BPD, and the form of her memoir, which “sutured together many types of discourse (medical texts, self-help books, fairy-tale, personal email, autobiographical memory).”
Merri Lisa Johnson, Girl in Need of a Tourniquet
2024-12-0141 minA Real Affliction: BPD, Culture, and Stigma“It's Upon Us to Widen That Lens”: Dr. Merri Lisa Johnson, author of Girl in Need of a Tourniquet“It's Upon Us to Widen That Lens”: Dr. Lisa Johnson, author of Girl in Need of a Tourniquet Why should we draw on the field of disability studies to envision, treat, and talk about BPD? In this second and final part of my interview with Professor Lisa Johnson, author of Girl in Need of a Tourniquet: Memoir of a Borderline Personality, we explore this question and others, including the connection between BPD and sexuality, why we might diagnose fictional characters with BPD, and the form of her memoir, which “sutured together many types of discourse (medical texts, self-help books, fairy-tale, person...
2024-12-0141 minA Real Affliction: BPD, Culture, and StigmaAfter Life and building a life worth remembering with BPD and EMDRWould you choose to hold on to a bad memory for eternity? In this bonus episode, I explain how EMDR therapy and a rewatch of the glorious Japanese film, After Life, made me reflect on memory.
Hirokazu Kore-eda, director, After Life (1998 film)
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.)
Anne Carson, Economy of the Unlost
Marsha Linehan, Building a Life Worth Living
Viet Thanh Nguyen, “In Memoriam”
Bessel van der Kolk, The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the...
2024-11-2218 minA Real Affliction: BPD, Culture, and StigmaAfter Life and building a life worth remembering with BPD and EMDRWould you choose to hold on to a bad memory for eternity? In this bonus episode, I explain how EMDR therapy and a rewatch of the glorious Japanese film, After Life, made me reflect on memory. Hirokazu Kore-eda, director, After Life (1998 film) American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.) Anne Carson, Economy of the Unlost Marsha Linehan, Building a Life Worth Living Viet Thanh Nguyen, “In Memoriam” Bessel van der Kolk, The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma
2024-11-2218 minA Real Affliction: BPD, Culture, and Stigma“A Vulnerability Artist Who Fights Ableism”: Dr. Merri Lisa Johnson on BPDWhat does writing from the frontline of BPD look like? If the author is borderline up-ender Dr. Lisa Johnson, it looks and sounds like a witty, raw, and dazzling conflagration. In this interview, she and I discuss her memoir, Girl in Need of a Tourniquet: Memoir of a Borderline Personality, and share our experiences of navigating academia while being open about our BPD diagnoses.
Merri Lisa Johnson, Girl in Need of a Tourniquet
Merri Lisa Johnson, “Neuroqueer Feminism: Turning with Tenderness toward Borderline Personality Disorder”
Courtney Cook, The Way She Feels: My Life on t...
2024-11-1547 minA Real Affliction: BPD, Culture, and Stigma“A Vulnerability Artist Who Fights Ableism”: Dr. Merri Lisa Johnson on BPDWhat does writing from the frontline of BPD look like? If the author is borderline up-ender Dr. Lisa Johnson, it looks and sounds like a witty, raw, and dazzling conflagration. In this interview, she and I discuss her memoir, Girl in Need of a Tourniquet: Memoir of a Borderline Personality, and share our experiences of navigating academia while being open about our BPD diagnoses. Merri Lisa Johnson, Girl in Need of a Tourniquet Merri Lisa Johnson, “Neuroqueer Feminism: Turning with Tenderness toward Borderline Personality Disorder” Courtney Cook, The Way She Feels: My Life on the Borderline in Pictures and Pieces bell...
2024-11-1547 minA Real Affliction: BPD, Culture, and StigmaMovement therapy for BPD with psychotherapist Ellis AmdurCan movement therapy support people with BPD? In this interview, psychotherapist, licensed martial artist, and acclaimed writer Ellis Amdur describes his success with teaching baduanjin qigong, a Chinese breathing and movement system, to a patient suffering from acute BPD.
If you are having thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or go to SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for a list of additional resources:
Links to Ellis Amdur’ books
Cynthia Gralla, “Double Bind: How Borderline Personality Disorder Tied Me in Knots” published by SLICE in their May 2022 Levity online issue
2024-11-0120 minA Real Affliction: BPD, Culture, and StigmaMovement therapy for BPD with psychotherapist Ellis AmdurCan movement therapy support people with BPD? In this interview, psychotherapist, licensed martial artist, and acclaimed writer Ellis Amdur describes his success with teaching baduanjin qigong, a Chinese breathing and movement system, to a patient suffering from acute BPD. If you are having thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or go to SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for a list of additional resources: Links to Ellis Amdur’ books Cynthia Gralla, “Double Bind: How Borderline Personality Disorder Tied Me in Knots” published by SLICE in their May 2022 Levity online issue Bessel van der Kolk, The Body Keeps t...
2024-11-0120 minA Real Affliction: BPD, Culture, and Stigma“There is no final destination for a human being”: Psychotherapist Ellis AmdurHow do therapists come to think of BPD after a long career? In this conversation with Ellis Amdur—a retired psychotherapist, award-winning writer, and licensed martial artist—he offers his perspective on BPD, including what a background in Jungian psychology taught him about our singular and ever-evolving journeys. Trigger warning: This episode mentions suicide.
If you are having thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or go to SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for a list of additional resources:
Links to Ellis Amdur’ books
Patricia Barry, Echo’s Subtle Body: Con...
2024-10-1531 minA Real Affliction: BPD, Culture, and Stigma“There is no final destination for a human being”: Psychotherapist Ellis AmdurHow do therapists come to think of BPD after a long career? In this conversation with Ellis Amdur—a retired psychotherapist, award-winning writer, and licensed martial artist—he offers his perspective on BPD, including what a background in Jungian psychology taught him about our singular and ever-evolving journeys. Trigger warning: This episode mentions suicide. If you are having thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or go to SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for a list of additional resources: Links to Ellis Amdur’ books Patricia Barry, Echo’s Subtle Body: Contributions to an Archetypal Psychology Victor Frankl, M...
2024-10-1531 minA Real Affliction: BPD, Culture, and Stigma“He was provoking all these symptoms he had wanted to cure”: Nina Shope, author of AsylumHow have power dynamics between doctors and patients changed over the past century and a half? In my second and final interview with Nina Shope, author of the award-winning historical novel Asylum, we talk about the complicated relationship between neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot and his most famous patient as he treated her for hysteria and documented her in photographs during the 1870s. Nina reflects on the photograph of Augustine that she chose to include in her novel, how she avoided flattening historical figures or reducing Augustine to past trauma, and the mythological roots in both the history of female madness a...
2024-10-0135 minA Real Affliction: BPD, Culture, and Stigma“He was provoking all these symptoms he had wanted to cure”: Nina Shope, author of AsylumHow have power dynamics between doctors and patients changed over the past century and a half? In my second and final interview with Nina Shope, author of the award-winning historical novel Asylum, we talk about the complicated relationship between neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot and his most famous patient as he treated her for hysteria and documented her in photographs during the 1870s. Nina reflects on the photograph of Augustine that she chose to include in her novel, how she avoided flattening historical figures or reducing Augustine to past trauma, and the mythological roots in both the history of female madness and C...
2024-10-0135 minA Real Affliction: BPD, Culture, and Stigma“I was fascinated with showing the things behind hysteria that were being erased”: Nina Shope on AsylumWhat did BPD look like in the 19th century? It looked like hysteria, a phenomenon that puzzled doctors and fascinated the public. In this episode, I interview Nina Shope, author of the award-winning historical novel Asylum, which explores the power dynamics between Jean-Martin Charcot, the father of neurology as we know it today, and his most famous patient. In the shadows of this dynamic, we find symptoms and conceptualizations of female illness familiar to those of us who experience or study BPD today.
Nina Shope, Asylum
Christopher Bollas, Hysteria
Georges Didi-Huberman, Invention of...
2024-09-1525 minA Real Affliction: BPD, Culture, and Stigma“I was fascinated with showing the things behind hysteria that were being erased”: Nina Shope on AsylumWhat did BPD look like in the 19th century? It looked like hysteria, a phenomenon that puzzled doctors and fascinated the public. In this episode, I interview Nina Shope, author of the award-winning historical novel Asylum, which explores the power dynamics between Jean-Martin Charcot, the father of neurology as we know it today, and his most famous patient. In the shadows of this dynamic, we find symptoms and conceptualizations of female illness familiar to those of us who experience or study BPD today. Nina Shope, Asylum Christopher Bollas, Hysteria Georges Didi-Huberman, Invention of Hysteria: Charcot and the Photographic Iconography of...
2024-09-1525 minA Real Affliction: BPD, Culture, and Stigma"Insurance companies are breaking the law": Paula Tusiani-Eng of Emotions MatterHow can we access expensive care? In the US, being diagnosed with BPD is often the first step in an odyssey through a complex and unjust health care system. In the second part of my interview with Paula Tusiani-Eng, co-founder of Emotions Matter, she discusses how to get life-saving coverage from your insurer, the wonderful success of her organization's peer support groups, the wild creativity that many of us with BPD have, and why we need an intersectional approach to treating and supporting BPD.
Resources for this episode:
If you are having thoughts of suicide...
2024-09-0125 minA Real Affliction: BPD, Culture, and Stigma"“Insurance companies are breaking the law": Paula Tusiani-Eng of Emotions MatterHow can we access expensive care? In the US, being diagnosed with BPD is often the first step in an odyssey through a complex and unjust health care system. In the second part of my interview with Paula Tusiani-Eng, co-founder of Emotions Matter, she discusses how to get life-saving coverage from your insurer, the wonderful success of her organization's peer support groups, the wild creativity that many of us with BPD have, and why we need an intersectional approach to treating and supporting BPD. Resources for this episode: If you are having thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 to reach...
2024-09-0125 minA Real Affliction: BPD, Culture, and StigmaWhat I wish I’d known about getting a PhD with BPDIn this solo bonus episode, I talk about what I learned while getting my MA and PhD at Berkeley and offer tips for anyone who wants to pursue a higher education degree while managing their BPD. It can be done!
2024-08-2314 minA Real Affliction: BPD, Culture, and StigmaWhat I wish I’d known about getting a PhD with BPDIn this solo bonus episode, I talk about what I learned while getting my MA and PhD at Berkeley and offer tips for anyone who wants to pursue a higher education degree while managing their BPD. It can be done!
2024-08-2314 minA Real Affliction: BPD, Culture, and Stigma“How do I meet other people with BPD?”: Paula Tusiani-Eng of Emotions MatterWhat do people with BPD need? When Paula Tusiani-Eng co-founded a BPD non-profit after the tragic loss of her sister Pamela, she realized that we often need more community support. In this interview, Paula tells me about Pamela’s struggle with BPD in the 1990s and how Emotions Matter has built a community for others like her.
If you are having thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or go to SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for a list of additional resources:
Emotions Matter website
Bea Tusiani, Pamela Tusiani, and...
2024-08-1532 minA Real Affliction: BPD, Culture, and Stigma“I Love Us”: Melanie Goldman on living with and treating BPDHow can people with BPD find their voice? In this candid interview, the radiant and loving Melanie Goldman (@mindovermelanie) tells me her story of lived experience with BPD, from the shock of the diagnosis to the joys of advocacy and reclaiming her voice. She also shares wisdom from her training as a registered psychotherapist and her ultimate goal of treating others with BPD.
2024-08-1551 minA Real Affliction: BPD, Culture, and Stigma“How do I meet other people with BPD?”: Paula Tusiani-Eng of Emotions MatterWhat do people with BPD need? When Paula Tusiani-Eng co-founded a BPD non-profit after the tragic loss of her sister Pamela, she realized that we often need more community support. In this interview, Paula tells me about Pamela’s struggle with BPD in the 1990s and how Emotions Matter has built a community for others like her. Resources for this episode: If you are having thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or go to SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for a list of additional resources: Emotions Matter website Bea Tusiani, Pamela Tusiani, and Paula Tusiani-Eng, Rem...
2024-08-1532 minA Real Affliction: BPD, Culture, and Stigma“I Love Us”: Melanie Goldman on living with and treating BPDIn this candid interview, the radiant and loving Melanie Goldman (@mindovermelanie) tells me her story of lived experience with BPD, from the shock of the diagnosis to the joys of advocacy and reclaiming her voice. She also shares wisdom from her training as a registered psychotherapist and her ultimate goal of treating others with BPD.
2024-08-0151 minA Real Affliction: BPD, Culture, and StigmaIs No Longer Human about BPD—and should we even ask that question?Can we diagnose the narrator of Osamu Dazai’s novel, No Longer Human, with BPD or some other diagnosis? And does it make sense to try? In this bonus summer solo episode, I give my perspective as a Japanese literature scholar and a person with BPD. Osamu Dazai, No Longer Human Osamu Dazai, The Setting Sun Roland Barthes, “The Death of the Author” Shirley Dent, “Don’t ‘Diagnose’ Fictional Characters” Jared D. Fife, “Stuff Psychologists Like—#1. Diagnosing Fictional Characters” Edward Fowler, The Rhetoric of Confession Cynthia Gralla, “Suicide Contagion and the Risks of Literature” Cynthia Gralla, “Dream Girls Gotta Have Agency” Merri Lisa Johnson...
2024-07-1925 minA Real Affliction: BPD, Culture, and StigmaIs No Longer Human about BPD—and should we even ask that question?Can we diagnose the narrator of Osamu Dazai’s novel, No Longer Human, with BPD or some other diagnosis? And does it make sense to try? In this bonus summer solo episode, I give my perspective as a Japanese literature scholar and a person with BPD.
Osamu Dazai, No Longer Human
Osamu Dazai, The Setting Sun
Roland Barthes, “The Death of the Author”
Shirley Dent, “Don’t ‘Diagnose’ Fictional Characters”
Jared D. Fife, “Stuff Psychologists Like—#1. Diagnosing Fictional Characters”
Edward Fowler, The Rhetoric of Confession
Cynthia Gralla, “Suici...
2024-07-1925 minA Real Affliction: BPD, Culture, and Stigma“These are like emotional, psychological Trojan horses": American McGee's BPD RabbitCan a stuffed animal help people to cope with BPD? In this episode, I interview American McGee, the celebrated video game designer and mastermind behind the mental health Plushie Dreadfuls line. We talk about his BPD Rabbit, metaphors and stereotypes, the connection between this bunny and the one in American McGee's Alice, the crowd design process, dark humor, and the controversy surrounding the mental health plushies. Plushie Dreadfuls website Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking-Glass Merri Lisa Johnson, Girl in Need of a Tourniquet George Lakoff on conceptual metaphorsRonald W. Pies on mental illness as a metaphorDonald Winnicott’s concept of tr...
2024-07-1540 minA Real Affliction: BPD, Culture, and Stigma“These are like emotional, psychological Trojan horses": American McGee's BPD RabbitCan a stuffed animal help people to cope with BPD? In this episode, I interview American McGee, the celebrated video game designer and mastermind behind the mental health Plushie Dreadfuls line. We talk about his BPD Rabbit, metaphors and stereotypes, the connection between this bunny and the one in American McGee's Alice, the crowd design process, dark humor, and the controversy surrounding the mental health plushies.
Plushie Dreadfuls website
Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking-Glass
George Lakoff on conceptual metaphors
Ronald W. Pies on mental illness as a metaphor
Donald...
2024-07-1540 minA Real Affliction: BPD, Culture, and Stigma“Folks with BPD Are Some of the Brightest Lights in My Life”: Dr. Sara MaslandWho gets BPD, and are they likely to recover? In this second and final part of my interview with Dr. Sara Masland, she and I discuss the gender distribution for BPD, contemplate the prognosis for people with the disorder based on longitudinal studies (spoiler alert: it’s bright!), and consider what needs to change in medical culture over the next 5 to 10 years. Dr. Masland is a clinical scientist who researches BPD and stigma, a licensed clinical psychologist, an associate professor of psychological science at Pomona College, and an expert in Good Psychiatric Management, a generalist treatment for BPD. Resources for thi...
2024-07-0125 minA Real Affliction: BPD, Culture, and Stigma“Folks with BPD are some of the brightest lights in my life”: Dr. Sara MaslandWho gets BPD, and are they likely to recover? In this second and final part of my interview with Dr. Sara Masland, she and I discuss the gender distribution for BPD, contemplate the prognosis for people with the disorder based on longitudinal studies (spoiler alert: it’s bright!), and consider what needs to change in medical culture over the next 5 to 10 years. Dr. Masland is a clinical scientist who researches BPD and stigma, a licensed clinical psychologist, an associate professor of psychological science at Pomona College, and an expert in Good Psychiatric Management, a generalist treatment for BPD.
R...
2024-07-0125 minA Real Affliction: BPD, Culture, and Stigma“The BPD diagnosis is an entry point to understanding how you can get to recovery”: Dr. Sara MaslandWhy do we need a generalist approach to treating BPD? Because there are nearly 6000 treatment-seeking people with BPD to every certified, specialist clinician in the United States. In this episode, Dr. Sara Masland explains how she is helping to simultaneously reduce stigma and increase access to care by training others in Good Psychiatric Management. Dr. Masland is a clinical scientist, licensed clinical psychologist, and professor at Pomona College, whose research explores such topics as BPD, stigma, and epistemic trust. Trigger warning: This episode mentions suicide. Resources for this episode: If you are having thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 to re...
2024-06-1531 minA Real Affliction: BPD, Culture, and Stigma“The BPD diagnosis is an entry point to understanding how you can get to recovery”: Dr. Sara MaslandWhy do we need a generalist approach to treating BPD? Because there are nearly 6000 treatment-seeking people with BPD to every certified, specialist clinician in the United States. In this episode, Dr. Sara Masland explains how she is helping to simultaneously reduce stigma and increase access to care by training others in Good Psychiatric Management. Dr. Masland is a clinical scientist, licensed clinical psychologist, and professor at Pomona College, whose research explores such topics as BPD, stigma, and epistemic trust.
Trigger warning: This episode mentions suicide.
Resources for this episode:
If you are having th...
2024-06-1531 minA Real Affliction: BPD, Culture, and Stigma“We’re starting young” with fighting stigma: Jessie Shepherd on Millie the CatWhy create a children's book about BPD? This is the second half of my interview with Jessie Shepherd, who is a writer, licensed clinical mental health counselor, licensed professional counselor, and director of Blue Clover Therapy. We talk more about her book for children and adults, Millie the Cat Has Borderline Personality Disorder, and muse on the power of children's literature to combat stigma and stir sympathies.
Episode notes:
Jessie Shepherd, Millie the Cat Has Borderline Personality Disorder
The first part of my interview with Jessie
Charlie Mackesy, The Boy, the M...
2024-06-0117 minA Real Affliction: BPD, Culture, and Stigma“We’re starting young” with fighting stigma: Jessie Shepherd on Millie the CatWhy create a children's book about BPD? This is the second half of my interview with Jessie Shepherd, who is a writer, licensed clinical mental health counselor, licensed professional counselor, and director of Blue Clover Therapy. We talk more about her book for children and adults, Millie the Cat Has Borderline Personality Disorder, and muse on the power of children's literature to combat stigma and stir sympathies. Episode notes: Jessie Shepherd, Millie the Cat Has Borderline Personality DisorderThe first part of my interview with Jessie Charlie Mackesy, The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse Susan Stewart, On Longing: N...
2024-06-0117 minA Real Affliction: BPD, Culture, and Stigma“Every single thing we have to manage comes with a beautiful, positive opposite”: Jessie ShepherdWhat are some of the gifts of BPD? Find out from an adorable cat named Millie. Here, I interview Jessie Shepherd—a licensed clinical mental health counselor, licensed professional counselor, and director of Blue Clover Therapy—about her book for children and adults, Millie the Cat Has Borderline Personality Disorder. Jessie Shepherd, Millie the Cat Has Borderline Personality Disorder
2024-05-1521 minA Real Affliction: BPD, Culture, and Stigma“Every single thing we have to manage comes with a beautiful, positive opposite”: Jessie ShepherdWhat are some of the gifts of BPD? Find out from an adorable cat named Millie. Here, I interview Jessie Shepherd—a licensed clinical mental health counselor, licensed professional counselor, and director of Blue Clover Therapy—about her book for children and adults, Millie the Cat Has Borderline Personality Disorder.
Jessie Shepherd, Millie the Cat Has Borderline Personality Disorder
2024-05-1521 minA Real Affliction: BPD, Culture, and Stigma“Shared experience can be really supportive”: Baylie McKnight of the BPD Society of BCWhat kind of impact can a small organization make on BPD—in its province and globally? In this episode, I find out by interviewing Baylie McKnight, a co-founder of the BPD Society of British Columbia who has lived experience with the disorder, a master’s degree in social work, and a private practice. She tells me about the extraordinary efforts that the BPD Society of BC has made to expand treatment access and support in BC and around the world through online DBT courses, peer support groups, and other programs. Trigger warning: The diagnostic criteria for BPD mention about suicide. Plea...
2024-05-0133 minA Real Affliction: BPD, Culture, and Stigma“Shared experience can be really supportive”: Baylie McKnight of the BPD Society of BCWhat kind of impact can a small organization make on BPD—in its province and globally? In this episode, I find out by interviewing Baylie McKnight, a co-founder of the BPD Society of British Columbia who has lived experience with the disorder, a master’s degree in social work, and a private practice. She tells me about the extraordinary efforts that the BPD Society of BC has made to expand treatment access and support in BC and around the world through online DBT courses, peer support groups, and other programs.
Trigger warning: The diagnostic criteria for BPD ment...
2024-05-0133 minA Real Affliction: BPD, Culture, and StigmaCountering stigma requires encountering stigmaWhy do we need a revolution in the way borderline personality disorder is perceived by the medical field and wider culture? In this first episode of A Real Affliction, host Dr. Cynthia Gralla introduces the interview podcast and her upcoming guests, shares some of her experiences from her decades-long fight with BPD, and explains what needs to change if we are to better support people with this wildly misunderstood disorder.
Trigger warning: This episode talks about suicide.
Resources for this episode:
If you are having thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 to reach...
2024-04-1923 minA Real Affliction: BPD, Culture, and StigmaCountering Stigma Requires Encountering Stigma.Why do we need a revolution in the way borderline personality disorder is perceived by the medical field and wider culture? In this first episode of A Real Affliction, host Dr. Cynthia Gralla introduces the interview podcast and her upcoming guests, shares some of her experiences from her decades-long fight with BPD, and explains what needs to change if we are to better support people with this wildly misunderstood disorder. Trigger warning: This episode talks about suicide. Resources for this episode: If you are having thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or go...
2024-04-1923 minA Real Affliction: BPD, Culture, and StigmaTrailer for A Real Affliction: BPD, Culture, and StigmaThe trailer for A Real Affliction: BPD, Culture, and Stigma introduces this interview podcast about borderline personality disorder and features clips from guests Ellis Amdur (a writer and psychotherapist), Jessie Shepherd (a licensed counselor and author of Millie the Cat Has Borderline Personality Disorder), Paula Tusiani-Eng (co-founder of Emotions Matter), Baylie McKnight (co-founder of the BPD Society of British Columbia), and Dr. Sara Masland (a researcher, clinical psychologist, and professor at Pomona College).
2024-04-0303 minA Real Affliction: BPD, Culture, and StigmaTrailer for A Real Affliction: BPD, Culture, and StigmaThe trailer for A Real Affliction: BPD, Culture, and Stigma introduces this interview podcast about borderline personality disorder and features clips from guests Ellis Amdur (a writer and psychotherapist), Jessie Shepherd (a licensed counselor and author of Millie the Cat Has Borderline Personality Disorder), Paula Tusiani-Eng (co-founder of Emotions Matter), Baylie McKnight (co-founder of the BPD Society of British Columbia), and Dr. Sara Masland (a researcher, clinical psychologist, and professor at Pomona College).
2024-04-0303 min