With Great BPD Superpower Comes Great Responsibility

There’s so much information online about the negative side effects of living with borderline personality disorder (BPD) and very little about BPD superpowers. Yep, that's right -- if you or someone you know has BPD, they, or you, probably have superpowers. In this article, I get into one aspect I love about my BPD-having self.

Trauma-Response or BPD Superpower?

Some might call me oversensitive to my environment. But, to be oversensitive, there has to be some sort of agreed-upon normal level of sensitivity, and honestly, I call nonsense. We live in an age of criticism and complexity. Society is questioning binary gender, and the alphabet mafia (i.e., the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, plus [LGBTQ+] community) is more diverse than ever.

So, in light of acceptance culture, I have decided to celebrate my emotional sensitivity. In fact, if you think about it, it’s kind of a superpower. I can legitimately sense what other people are feeling so well; sometimes, I know what someone feels before they do.

If that’s not a superpower, I don’t know what is.

This little ability of mine hasn’t always worked in my favor. For starters, knowing what someone feels before they do is pretty disconcerting for the other person. Especially when I react to an emotion they don’t realize they have. 

I used to have trouble with my reactions. I can usually sense negative emotions much better and faster than positive ones. Sadness, frustration, and disappointment are especially clear. My issue used to be (and sometimes still is) that I react with a fear response. And when I go into a fear state, it's difficult to keep hold of reality and rationality.

BPD Superpower Training

Coping with the feelings triggered by mood changes has not been easy. However, I have learned to avoid being afraid of certain people — no matter what I observe.

Control of my fear-response really helps harness the power of my super-senses. Now that I’m better at observing without reacting, I can put my superpower to good use. I can be more empathetic when I detect sadness. I can gauge when someone starts feeling defensive and offer reassurance.

But most importantly, I get the opportunity to choose my reaction, and I get a few extra moments' notice to do so. What superpowers do you have? Let me know in the comments.