Stacy Pershall on BPD and Suicidality (at OPI Intensive)

It can be difficult at times for clients to feel that the staff working with them truly understand their struggles. How could we know what they are experiencing? How could we understand what it’s like to deal with Borderline Personality Disorder, anxiety, depression, or know the feeling of being in residential treatment? We as staff have learned about disorders, symptoms, and struggles through school, experience and perhaps some of our own personal battles.

What can be most helpful for some, however, is hearing first-hand from someone who has walked in their shoes and stood before where they stand now. This is the experience we were so lucky to share in by having Active Minds’ Stacy Pershall come to visit and speak with us at OPI in our OPI Intensive.

Stacy began her presentation with a video clip of Carl Sagan discussing how we as humans are all made up of matter from the stars in the sky. We all share a piece of each other now and from millions or possibly billions of years ago. It was a strong statement about how we all share commonality, even if it’s in the smallest way.

Stacy was likeable, sincere, engaging, and open to sharing her deepest secrets and struggles. She shared intimate parts of her battle with living with Borderline Personality Disorder and how for years it felt like nothing would do the trick. Her distress began as a young child in a small town where it seemed no one quite understood the depth of her pain. She shared with our clients and staff members about how she wanted something more for herself and to get out into the world to find what that would be. For years she had ups and downs with mood, emotions, and relationships, all of which our clients could relate to in some way.

As Stacy shared her story, clients and team were captivated by her words and listened intently to each aspect of her trials and tribulations, attempts at therapy and treatment, and fear of never feeling any better. I had never seen a room of clients so engaged.

Here are a couple of short clips from her presentation for you to enjoy.

Trigger Warning: The second video contains discussion of a suicide attempt (with no graphic details).

After Stacy finished her narrative with all of us, she welcomed us to participate in a writing exercise. We had big pieces of paper to write on and special markers for an awesome art project yet to come. The anticipation was building!

Stacy gave us all writing prompts and questions that we worked intently on over the next 45 minutes. Stacy stressed to us not to get “too attached” to our papers, or what we were writing, as we continued the exercise. At the end, she asked us to tear off a 2 inch by 2 inch square of any part of our paper and pass it over to her. Everyone complied and then watched Stacy put all our pieces of paper into a fish bowl of water. The colors of all the various markers bled into the bowl and melded together.

Stacy explained that we are all melded together now; just a little piece of each of us are in this fish bowl together. She gave us mini viles to each fill up with the water from the bowl and add in our own glitter stars. This strong statement allowed us to see that we could all connect and share parts of ourselves with each other or just about anyone we open ourselves up to.

Some feedback I received from Stacy’s presentation was that it’s one thing for a staff member or “professional” to tell you and encourage you that you can feel differently. It’s quite another to hear it directly from someone who has lived the struggle and does in fact actually feel differently and experiences hope for a better life. Stacy coming to speak with our clients and team was such a magnificent experience that allowed us all to connect in some way. She shared bright hope for the future of our clients and for the future of treatment itself.

We look forward to her next visit with us in the very near future.

Rebecca DeLeon
MFT Intern under the Supervision of Kim Greeley MFC #31538
OPI Intensive Coordinator

At OPI Intensive for young adults with Borderline Personality Disorder and BPD traits, we intensively integrate DBT as part of your treatment plan. We offer compassionate, clinically sophisticated intensive residential help, including genetic testing to determine the best course for medications, if needed. Rather than a sterile, hospital-like environment, we offer beautiful accommodations in luxury apartments just outside of Los Angeles.  At OPI Intensive, we treat the individual, not the diagnosis.  Our clinical team is made up of a diverse community of passionate, highly skilled individuals working together with you to help you find your joy and express it.   For more information on OPI Intensive residential programs and our measures to help young adults with Borderline Personality Disorder, call us at 866-661-3982 or click HERE to submit an online form. We’ll be in touch promptly.