The BPD Bunch

Have you ever felt like one small thing turned into ten different emotions before you even knew what happened? In this episode, Xannie, Solène, Madhurima and Dan continue their conversation on emotional lability and go deep into what has actually helped them regulate their emotions instead of getting swept away by them. They talk through the skills, mindsets, and reframes that took years to build,...

Have you ever felt like one unanswered text, one cancelled plan, or one disagreement meant your entire relationship was falling apart? For many people living with BPD, emotional pain doesn’t feel “bigger than it should.” It feels completely real. In this episode, Xannie, Madhurima, Dan, and Solène share what emotional lability actually felt like from the inside: the panic, the shame, the explosive...

Have you ever been told, or told yourself, that this is just who you are? That the most you can do is mask it, manage it, survive it? In this episode, Xannie sits down with clinical psychologist and treatment researcher Dr. Shannon Sauer-Zavala to explore one of the most contested questions in BPD recovery: can your personality actually change, or are you just learning to perform differently? Dr....

Have you ever completely fallen apart over something small… only to realize later it wasn’t really about that thing at all? Sometimes emotional overwhelm isn’t caused by one moment. Sometimes it’s weeks of stress, fear, shame, exhaustion, criticism, bad luck, and pressure piling up until one final thing breaks the dam. In this minisode from The BPD Bunch, a side conversation turns into an honest d...

Have you ever changed your entire personality just to keep someone from leaving? In this episode of The BPD Bunch, Xannie, Katja, and Solène welcome new cast member Dan for an honest conversation about BPD, foster care, relationships, parenting, treatment, and what recovery actually looks like when life is still complicated. Dan talks about crashing after a breakup, begging and pleading, losing hi...

Have you ever felt rejected and suddenly found yourself angry before you could even explain why? In this mini-sode of The BPD Bunch, Xannie, Carys, Jack, and Katja respond to a viewer question about regulating anger after rejection. The conversation gets into what can happen when rejection hits an old wound: shame turns into anger, hurt turns into passive aggression, and the body reacts before the...

Have you ever confused emotional intensity with intimacy? In this episode of The BPD Bunch, Xannie, Justin, Andre, Carys, and Mo continue their conversation about BPD and intimacy, this time focusing on what actually helped them build healthier relationships in recovery. They talk about fear, jealousy, abandonment panic, choosing chaotic people because stability felt boring, learning not to punish...

Have you ever felt like losing one person would destroy your entire life… even while the relationship itself was destroying you? In this episode of The BPD Bunch, Xannie, Carys, André, Mo, and Justin talk openly about the intense, chaotic, and often painful relationship patterns that can happen with Borderline Personality Disorder. From abandonment panic and toxic relationship cycles to oversharin...

Can someone with BPD feel other people’s emotions so intensely that it actually starts getting in the way of empathy? In this episode of The BPD Bunch, Xannie, Georgette, André, Solène, and Katja continue their conversation about BPD and empathy by exploring the difference between emotionally feeling with someone and actually understanding what they need. They share their top tips, lessons and ski...

Can someone with BPD care about other people and still behave in profoundly unempathetic ways? In this episode of The BPD Bunch, Xannie, Georgette, André, Solène, and Katja explore the uncomfortable reality that Borderline Personality Disorder can sometimes make people so emotionally reactive, hypervigilant, and consumed by fear that they stop accurately understanding or trusting other people’s em...

Do you struggle to know what you want, stick with a path, or trust your own choices? In this episode of The BPD Bunch, Xannie, Madhurima, Carys and Solène continue their discussion of BPD and self-direction through the lens of the Alternative Model for Personality Disorders (AMPD), exploring how goals, values, identity, relationships, and recovery can all affect the way we build a life. Under the...

What does BPD actually feel like from the inside? In this episode of The BPD Bunch Brunch, meet our new cast member, Justin, a musician navigating life with borderline personality disorder. In this episode, we talk about: • What it was like getting diagnosed with BPD, and why it felt both relieving and complicated • The reality that understanding yourself does not automatically make things easier...

What happens when BPD affects your goals, career choices, and sense of direction in life? In this episode of The BPD Bunch, Xannie, Madhurima, Carys, and Solène talk about self-direction through the lens of the Alternative Model for Personality Disorders. Under the AMPD, difficulties with self-direction are considered part of impairments in self functioning, alongside identity. To meet criteria fo...

How do you actually build a sense of self with BPD? In this episode of The BPD Bunch, Xannie, Carys, Solène, André, and Katja continue the conversation on identity, this time focusing on what’s helped us move toward a more stable sense of self. Still through the lens of the Alternative Model for Personality Disorders (AMPD), we’re looking at identity as something you can actively shape over time....

What does identity instability’s actually feel like in BPD? In this episode of The BPD Bunch, Xannie, Carys, Solène, André, and Katja, start looking at identity through the lens of the Alternative Model for Personality Disorders (AMPD). It’s a way of understanding BPD that focuses more on patterns and functioning, not just labels. Under the AMPD, difficulties with identity are considered part of i...

What does BPD actually look like in real life, and what does recovery really take? In this episode of The BPD Bunch Brunch, Megan shares her lived experience with Borderline Personality Disorder, including identity struggles, painful relationships, self-deception, emotional chaos, and the communication skills that helped her heal. This is an honest conversation about BPD recovery, relationships, t...

Hey… This isn’t the video we planned for today. This past week, I lost my dog. And I needed a little more time than I expected to get back on my feet. I thought about just skipping this upload entirely, but there was something in this experience that felt important to share. Especially when it comes to what recovery from BPD actually looks like in real life. There’s this idea that recovery means t...

So… what even counts as “BPD” anymore? Last week, we explored how the Alternative Model for Personality Disorders (AMPD) moves away from strict categories. This week, we’re taking it further: What does BPD actually look like in this model, and do you even need the label at all? We break down the core of BPD through self and interpersonal functioning, how traits shape the “borderline” pattern, and...

What if Borderline Personality Disorder isn’t just a checklist of symptoms? In this episode of The BPD Bunch, we explore the Alternative Model for Personality Disorders (AMPD), a framework that shifts how we understand BPD from a set of categories to patterns of functioning, severity, and relationships. Joined by leading clinicians in the field, we break down what’s changing, why it matters, and h...

What happens when grief, trauma, and misdiagnosis collide, and it turns out to be BPD? Shaharin shares her story of being sexually assaulted, losing her marriage, struggling with rejection sensitivity, and finally receiving a Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) diagnosis after years of confusion. We talk about: • Being misdiagnosed with grief instead of BPD • Emotional abuse after a mental healt...

In this episode of The BPD Bunch, Xannie and Carys chat with Katja about publishing her first book “Sorry, My Mental Illness Isn’t Sexy Enough for You”, going straight for the parts of BPD people never say out loud: shame, “unsexy” symptoms, misdiagnosis, self-sabotage, and why BPD can look totally different from person to person (quiet vs loud presentations, comorbidities, and stigma). If you’ve...

What actually happens when a relationship involving Borderline Personality Disorder ends... from the exes’ perspective? In this episode of The BPD Bunch, Xannie sits down with Katja, Raf, and their former partners, John and Danni - who are still in each other’s lives - to talk honestly about breakups, impulsivity, communication breakdowns, fear of abandonment, and what recovery actually looks like...

The holidays can hit different when you’re living with Borderline Personality Disorder. In this impromptu holiday episode of The BPD Bunch, Xannie, Georgette and Jack talk honestly about the parts of the season that are rarely acknowledged; financial stress, loneliness, family dynamics, oversharing, feeling “off” at gatherings, and the quiet grief of holidays not looking the way you wish they did....

It’s BINGO TIME!! Xannie, André, Solène, and Katja use a bingo game as a vehicle to share personal recovery wins, experiences, and practical skills that have helped them navigate the complexities of BPD. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn, heal, and celebrate small victories in the recovery journey! Hit that subscribe button and turn on notifications for more insightful content! 🌟 Love what we...

Wrapping up their conversation from Wednesday. Xannie, Carys, Céline, Jack, Darren, and Solène share personal experiences, revealing the challenges that come with maintaining self-care routines amidst the emotional turmoil of BPD. Whether you're a person with BPD or a loved one seeking to understand, this episode is packed with relatable insights and powerful discussions. Discover what self-ca...