with Matana
As we enter into May, Mental Health Awareness Month, we discuss our gratitude at having reached this milestone, one episode at a time. Reaching a 2 year mark is only because of you, our listeners and in this short episode, we invite you to share your story with us.
Lisa Wells is raising a son with Borderline Personality Disorder. As a little boy, her child was diagnosed with ADHD. He was throwing furniture, had to be taken out of school and went through all kinds of treatment. He endured a lot of ridicule, punishment, and rejection from school staff for not behaving in the way they expected. Lisa assumes this contributed to the trauma which led to him to develop BPD and an older teen.
When Brina and Paul began to date, he was magnetic and charming. They had a connection from the first moment together having a drink. People at work had complained about Paul, saying he was aggressive and difficult. Brina never witnessed that side of him until about 6 months into their relationship, after Paul had too much to drink at a party. Not long after, Paul was diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder, after having been together almost 4 years and had just gotten engaged.
Hannah Galliers has navigated through her journey with Borderline Personality Disorder, known in the United Kingdom as Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder (EUPD). Although Hannah’s official diagnosis with BPD was recent, she has been on a healing journey through meditation and mindfulness practices and other therapies for several years.
Debbie DeMarco Bennett grew up in a difficult home situation and moved to foster care as a teen. She went through her own Hell, and chose to go back, to help those who live there. For Debbie, recovery started with a diagnosis.
In this short solo episode, Matana outlines the coming episodes dedicated to discussing Borderline Personality Disorder with those affected by it. From being diagnoses to determining the elusive diagnosis, this crippling disorder causes shame, panic and few known treatment options. The stigma is real, but those suffering need not be alone. Join us in upcoming episodes and hear firsthand how those affected are determined to persevere.
Bracha Goetz walks us through her journey to finding purpose in her life. Her search began at age 12 when she started wondering what the point of anything was and feeling very empty inside. She thought there must be more to life than what those around her do and expected her to do. She began her struggle with food, experimented with drugs and sought out religions and philosophical schools of thought.
Silence has been proven to be important for success. In the silence, the issues we are hiding from come up, and we have to deal with them. If we continue to pretend they don’t exist, we will never grow. We also need time to rest, to recharge, and to reflect on who we are and what we are doing and why. We need time to remember what will feed our souls. Rather than getting caught up in the hurricane of life and doing what we’re told, stop. Think. What do you actually want to do?
Tammy Ozolins is an extraordinary teacher. She returns to tell us of how teachers face an uphill battle in the field, boots on the ground, in the daunting challenge of helping teens who suffer with mental illness. She chooses to highlight the importance of being a friend to a student rather than a disciplinarian. In one instance, this technique resulted in a 6th grade student confiding to her years later, that her support drove him to not only graduate, but to join the marine corps with pride in who he was and what he became.
Paul Cummings had a stroke three years ago and lost his speech, the ability to understand others, the ability to read and write and difficulty moving his muscles. Doctors told him he would never be able to write or speak again.