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Borderline
Personality Disorder Life Stories
Female with history of abuse
It's hard for me to write about this, knowing
other people will actually read it, opposed to when I write for
myself. :) But... here I go.
From the moment I was born, I was doomed to be dysfunctional. My
father was an alcoholic, and my mother was, and still is, a very
immature, irresponsible, outward appearance oriented person. She's
basically still a teenager at the age of 48. For the first 4 years of
my life, I naturally don't remember much. I do remember however,
feeling like the only person who loved me was my Great-Grandmother. I
was devastated when she died when I was only 3.
We moved, with my mother's inheritance money into an old house in the
country. Here, my father's alcoholism reached its peak. I remember
waking up in the middle of the night, creeping downstairs and watching
them scream and yell. I believed it was all my fault.
My father was very verbally abusive when he was drunk. He would joke
about me, and tell me disgusting things that I shouldn't have been
hearing...such as one night, I was sick, and I woke very late. My
father asked me if I was wearing underwear under my nightgown. I
remember sheepishly replying that no, I wasn't. He then told me I had
better watch out, because his friend would really like that. And then
they all laughed. I was probably 6 at the time. I was always a very
intelligent child, reading at a very young age, speaking at a very
young age and so on. I understood exactly what he meant.
My mother and father got divorced, and I was relieved. My mother and I
lived in the house for awhile, and then began a journey that didn't
end until years later. We moved and moved, I think she was just trying
to find happiness somewhere. Never found it though. So we moved.
I became very manipulative for a little girl. I convinced her to let
me not go to school. One year I missed over 85 days. Yet still, I
passed every year. My mother's weight went up and then down, and then
up again. I myself, gained weight. I was just chubby, but little
children are cruel, and I was made fun of a lot.
My mother went from boyfriend to boyfriend, because I think she
herself has a little bit of BPD, and she desperately needs men in her
life so she feels better. When I was 8 years old, very alone, very
lost... my mother met one man that would end up changing my life. We
moved from our little apartment to his mansion, and everything was
great at first. The roof on this house was connected all the way
around, and led to various windows and rooms. One of those was mine.
Not long after we moved in, this 6'7" man, started climbing in my
window at night, and molesting me. This went on every night for 4
months or so. The abuse was very severe. Not only the sexual, but he
was also very verbally and emotionally abusive. I remember him telling
me that no one wanted me. "No one will ever want you, because
you're just a stupid little pig. You're ugly and worthless, and
everything's your fault. You're nothing to everyone, they all wish you
would die. Everyone hates you Sarah, everyone. You're nothing. You
never will be anything." It goes on.
I became very withdrawn. I showed all the signs of abuse, yet no one
ever picked up on them. Of course not, because they didn't care. I
remember threatening my mom, telling her I was going to kill myself.
Run out into traffic, find a gun and shoot myself. Very childish
threats. She laughed at me. Then she cried. Then she laughed. And she
tried to stop me. I was very confused because she was very confused.
And no one wanted me anyway. The only reason my mother left that
relationship is because somehow, the school became involved. What I
told them, I don't remember. That whole period in my life is a dark
mass. I do remember my 9th birthday though. I accidentally left the
wheel of my bike touching the driveway, when I was called inside. The
man screamed and yelled at me, and locked me in my room. I remember
just sitting on the edge of my bed, staring blankly at the wall,
praying to God to take me away from this place, for the entire day. I
was in there for hours and hours, and then my mom came up, and gave me
a small box with some stickers inside. Happy Birthday. But then she
left, and I was still there. She said she couldn't get him to let me
out.
When we finally left, we moved from shelter to shelter, hiding from
him. But my mom still didn't know what caused it. She's very easily
led, and when the school told her that if we didn't hide, I'd be taken
away, she did what they said. We finally pretty much got away.
I went from school to school, never opening my mouth to talk to
anyone. Some called it shyness, I thought of it as pain.
I had what's technically called something I can't remember, but is
basically a huge blackout about that time during my life. I didn't
remember anything that happened to me. And then, the dreams came.
Soon, I knew. I was 12 then, and very overweight for a child that age.
I told my mother. But she didn't know what to do. She cried and hugged
me, but then told me that somehow it was my fault. I agreed. It must
be. Things like that don't happen to good little girls. Only the bad
ones.
We moved on. I remember waking up every morning to see my mother, with
her face centimeters from the bathroom mirror, crying about how ugly
she was. My mother is an incredibly beautiful woman. She modeled and
all that nonsense earlier in her life. I started to think I was ugly.
I already knew I wasn't worth anything, of course! I must be ugly as
well.
When I was 13, and had moved 16 times in my life, my mother decided I
was too much for her. I was a very confused, angry, hurting person
then, and I took a lot of it out on her. I moved in with my dad, who
had stopped his alcoholism and whatnot.
Things aren't that much better here. I'm 16 now, and every day's a
struggle. I started cutting when I was 14. People say it doesn't help.
But God, it does. It takes so much away from what's inside. It helps
to see that you're alive. So kill the beast, mar the beast, scar that
inner demon that never sleeps.
I was diagnosed with BPD around 15, and I have a wonderful therapist
who understands me as well as she can. I surround myself with friends
who don't truly care for me, or understand me, and I always get hurt.
My first true love happened around when I was 15/16. He was my first.
I told him about my past. Told him how much I needed love and trust
and..him. He cheated on me. I can't blame him now, he was scared. I
would have been scared too. I am scared.
Life is like a constant war with myself. Everything's always so dark,
and I wear this mask that hides me from everyone. I just want so much
to be loved, to be needed, to be wanted. Everything's my fault. I try
again and again, to find someone who loves me, and I get hurt. I
always get hurt. So many people have hurt me, but it must be my fault,
right? The bad girl gets her punishment. Inside my head, my thoughts
run around, bashing against each other, and into the walls of my
brain. I cry, I laugh, I smile, I yell. I never know how I feel. I'm
so scared of abandonment.
My mother left me, by the way. Of course. She moved away with a man,
who abuses her. But she won't listen to me. I hurt inside. I can't
explain the hurt to anyone who hasn't felt it. It's the most intense
pain I've felt in my life. Sometimes I just float right out of my
body, and watch the fake me function. I can't stop it.
I'm on my meds, I've just started a DBT group. Everyone thinks I'm so
much better. I have this one friend, and she's the most beautiful
person I've ever known. She understands me and I her. She's in a
mental hospital right now. But, you know...that makes sense. People
are constantly remarking on how "beautiful" I am. Yet, I
find myself hideous. I hate everything about me, and can't find
anything to love, even when I look. Why would anyone love me? I can't
find a reason. But, I just want someone to, so much. I'm so very
alone. And terrified of my life. I don't remember yesterday, I can't
see tomorrow, and I've spent most of today daydreaming. I want so much
to become something meaningful. I can't fly. My wings drag along the
ground, and I just want something to repair their rips and tears and
let me fly. It's a fight with my eyes to open every morning.
Sometimes, I don't. I wish I didn't have to live, I wish I didn't have
to be one of those "survivors" everyone praises. They say
I'm so strong. Yet, they can't see the weak little girl inside, ruined
and soiled, and crying out for someone to love her. I'm still
invalidated every day. I'm still told I'm going to gain the weight
back, I'm still told that I'm lazy and worthless.
My step mother once put a razor blade on my
stomach and told me to use that because "that would finish the
job". Ah well. Yes, I told my father. He took the razor blade and
never said anything about it again. Besides the fact that she must
have been "pissed". Ah yes. So damage me some more, why
don't you. People think I do things for attention. I admit, that
craving love and affection and a desperate need to be needed may come
off as attention seeking. No one trusts me, they say I lie, twist the
truth around. But everything I see, is different from what they see, I
guess. Because I don't think I lie. Sometimes, I even wonder if
anything ever really happened to me. I don't know what to do, and I
don't think I ever will. But to them, I'm better. So, sure, I'm
better. Just don't look inside. It's a sick place.
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