Navigating Relationships with Borderline Personality Disorder

Cover art for the podcast 7 Days Inside BPD, featuring bold text over a colorful background. The podcast explores Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) through real experiences and expert insights. — Cover for *7 Days Inside* BPD: Navigating Relationships with BPD

Episode Summary

In this episode of 7 Days Inside: Borderline, Kyle Lincoln explores why relationships can feel so intense and unpredictable for individuals with BPD. He explains how struggles with identity, emotional intensity, and fear of abandonment shape relational patterns, making stability difficult to maintain. Using the metaphor of a “solid, flexible self,” Kyle and Kellyn break down key challenges like splitting, boundary difficulties, and the push-pull dynamic that can create turbulence in relationships. Through practical strategies—mindfulness, reflective listening, and boundary-setting—Kyle offers tools to help listeners stay grounded in their relationships without losing themselves. By the end of this episode, listeners will have a clearer understanding of how to build healthier, more stable connections while strengthening their sense of self.

Listen to this Episode

Episode transcript

Transcript, Introduction (Part 1)

Transcript, Understanding Relationship Challenges (Part 2)

Transcript, Tools for Building a "Solid, Flexible Self" (Part 3)

Transcript, A Practical Exercise (Part 4)

Transcript, Wrap-up (Part 5)

Resources for Navigating Relationships with Borderline Personality Disorder

Learn More about Relationships

To read more about the "Solid Flexible Self," Intimacy and Desire: Awaken the Passion in Your Relationship by David Schnarch

YouTube video of Dr. Diane Poole Heller on Healing Attachment Wounds

DBT Skills

"DEAR MAN" Skill – Helps assert needs and set boundaries without damaging relationships.

"GIVE" Skill – Strengthens relationships through validation and communication skills that reduce emotional reactivity.

"FAST" Skill – Focuses on self-respect in relationships, reinforcing the solid, flexible self concept by helping individuals maintain boundaries without guilt.

Boundary Building Skill