recovering human connection through rupture and repair

In this soul-stirring episode, we dive into the raw, resonant prose of Amanda Palmer’s article, What it feels like to get divorced—and possibly remarried—at TED 2023. This piece, originally shared on her Substack, captured my heart so profoundly that I wanted to read it aloud and share it with you, creating a moment of reflection for anyone struggling with life’s most complicated emotions. So brew a warm cup of tea, settle into your coziest spot, and let me read you some words that might help you feel a little less alone.Through Palmer’s words, we explore themes of heartbreak, transformation, and resilience. She grapples with the disorienting aftermath of her divorce, the weight of parenting through tumultuous times, and the surreal experience of navigating these emotions against the backdrop of a TED conference. Palmer’s reflections on love, loss, identity, and belonging are both intimate and universal—giving voice to the raw edges of human experience.Episode Highlights and Topics Discussed:Divorce and Reinvention: Palmer’s reflections on ending a marriage and the bittersweet hope of starting anewThe Crisis of Belonging: Exploring humanity’s collective need for connection in a world increasingly defined by isolationThe Power of Pain as a Teacher: Why embracing emotional pain, rather than numbing it, can foster growth and healingMental Health in a Chaotic World: How Palmer’s honesty about grief, anxiety, and the complexities of parenting offers comfort to those facing similar battlesThe Fragility and Resilience of the Human Spirit: From ancient wisdom to modern struggles, how the desire for connection and self-acceptance remains timeless TIME STAMPS 00:00 – 01:53: Intro01:53 – 04:37: Why I chose to read the article on today’s episode / intro of Amanda Palmer and her work04:37 – 50:06: Storytime reading of “What it feels like to get divorced—and possibly remarried—at TED 2023” by Amanda Palmer50:06 – 51:26: Article reflections51:45: Preview of SWSMH 19 BFTB BONUS: SWSMH #19 (preview): seeing the synchronicities: This week’s Stupid Walk is all about listening, but not in the way you’d expect. We’re diving into the concept of synchronicities. In psychology, synchronicity is defined as the occurrence of meaningful coincidences that seem to have no cause. During our walk, I’ll discuss examples of synchronicities in my own life and how they’ve shaped my recovery journey.  RESOURCES·     “What it feels like to get divorced—and possibly remarried—at TED 2023,” full article by Amanda Palmer·     Amanda Palmer’s SubstackCraving more? Become a Premium Submarine. Join an exclusive community and unlock hundreds of hours of members-only content: full-length episodes, deep-dive series, guided meditations, and more—all for the cost of a couple of coffees a month. Start exploring at backfromtheborderline.com. acast+ https://plus.acast.com/s/back-from-the-borderline. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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I don’t want to talk to your personality; I want to talk to your soul. Imagine if your most painful and debilitating mental health symptoms and self-sabotaging behaviors aren’t evidence of 'disorder' or 'dysfunction', but adaptive strategies that once kept you safe. My goal is to help you shift from asking ‘What’s wrong with me?’ to ‘What happened to me?’The word ‘borderline’ in this podcast isn’t about psychiatric labels. It’s about coming back from the inner psychological brink we all experience. Everyone has found themselves on the edge, in that liminal space where the old self falls apart and the new Self emerges. Here, we explore what it means to undergo true emotional alchemy: that ancient and primordial process of falling apart, confronting the underworld of our psyche, and falling back together into someone stronger, wiser, and more whole.Many highly sensitive people who identify with the seemingly never-ending list of diagnostic mental health labels contained within ‘the bible of psychiatry’ (the DSM) share the same underlying sense of being irreparably broken, disconnected from their intuition, and paralyzed by life’s existential questions. I believe the resulting—and perfectly understandable—chronic feelings of emptiness and spiritual starvation are the TRUE causes of our current collective ‘mental health crisis.’ Together, we’ll dive into depth psychology, mythology, human consciousness, critical psychiatry, and the impact of trauma to help you begin the process of emotional alchemy. This exploration will help you get to the root cause of your suffering and free yourself from the toxic shame, limiting beliefs, and mental programming that have kept you locked in the chains of your past.In an era where mental health and spirituality are too often commercialized, I’m not here as a guru with a quick fix to sell you. I don’t believe anyone is ever truly ‘healed’ or ‘cured.’ There is no return to some mythical state of pre-trauma purity, but rather a continuous spiral of unbecoming, unlearning, and transformation. As a fellow seeker, I will be there in your ear, walking alongside you on your path toward wholeness as a sort of parasocial big sister. That, I can promise. By integrating the concepts we explore together, you’ll begin to see that anyone—even you—can come back from the borderline.CRAVING MORE? Visit backfromtheborderline.com to dive into my universe, connect with me, access my Patreon, and discover more about my journey and work. Don’t forget to follow Back from the Borderline so new episodes on Tuesdays and Thursdays automatically drop into your podcast feed. acast+ https://plus.acast.com/s/back-from-the-borderline. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.