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35. “Deconstructing My Own Downfall” (ft. CJ The X)
back from the borderline
English - February 21, 2022 11:00 - 49 minutes - 39.4 MB - ★★★★★ - 394 ratingsMental Health Health & Fitness Education Self-Improvement spirituality podcast cptsd recovery complex trauma trauma healing childhood trauma self sabotage generational trauma jungian psychology depth psychology codependent podcast Homepage Download Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
*Trigger Warning: this episode contains brief mentions of suicide*
About Our Guest: Toronto-based 24-year-old Award-nominated video essayist CJ THE X has blown up on YouTube in just one year, with over 200,000 subscribers and counting. CJ's talents don't stop at YouTube. He is also a musical force to be reckoned with, transmuting his explosive emotions into songs that explore his battle with his mind.
On This Episode: CJ and I sat down to talk about his BPD diagnosis, how he's overcome many of the beliefs and behaviors that kept him stuck in a hell of his own creation, how DBT therapy saved his life, and how he continues to use those skills to help manage his day-to-day life as a self-employed creative carving his unique path.
**To connect with me directly, join the community on Instagram and support the podcast to keep it ad-free, visit www.backfromtheborderline.com **
Below is a summary of topics covered in this episode:
■ CJ’s experience growing up as a child with an active imagination
■ Feeling forced into the “real world” as a teenager
■ His experience being diagnosed with BPD
■ Struggles with suicidal thoughts and behaviors that ended in inpatient psychiatric care
■ Being labeled “high functioning” and not getting taken seriously by psychiatrists
■ Exploring the self-sabotaging behaviors and beliefs that kept him stuck
■ Struggles with fear of abandonment
■ Chronic feelings of emptiness (“feeling like there’s a hole inside that you can never fill”)
■ Navigating feelings of shame and self-hatred
■ The impact of having a lack of distress tolerance
■ How DBT therapy and skills saved his life
■ CJ’s experience and description off the “FP” or “Favorite Person” relationship
■ How everyone can benefit from thinking dialectically
■ How CJ transmutes his feelings into his art
■ How giving back to others and our community can improve our mental health
Connect with CJ: https://cjthex.com/
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