BPD & Mindfulness: Learning to Be a Peaceful Warrior

BPD Mindfulness: Learning to Be a Peaceful WarriorI remember reading “The Way of the Peaceful Warrior” by Dan Millman, and instantly I fell in love. What is this emotion of love? And how does it distract or guide us towards something more? Who are we as people? What is the core of humanity? These types of critical thinking questions and analysis led me to a major in philosophy and also led me to study mindfulness.

Mindfulness is about self-consciousness. It is about acceptance without judgement. It creates an awareness about paradox, humor, and change. From my interpretation, in life there is the paradox of things we can or cannot do, there is a type of humor in everything working out, and, to quote the philosopher Heraclitus, “The only thing constant is change.”

There are things in our environment that are out of our control, and mindfulness is about recognizing this reality and acting on the greater good for yourself and for others. This often manifests as compassion. At Optimum Performance Institute, Core Mindfulness skills are taught and embodied throughout the program. Failure to Launch issues can be beaten by this type of direction; it ultimately can help us to persist our way out of the darkness. With this internal awakening, with this refuge, one can transgress towards the way of a peaceful warrior.

In our residential treatment, I have observed mindfulness being used throughout daily life. For example, participants are mindful of keeping up with daily chores. There are also instances of interpreting how a roommate is doing or feels about another roommate. Staff usually encourage participants to check in with the other roommate to make sure that what is being interpreted is true. This type of fact checking action comes from one’s Wise Mind: an infusion of reason mind and emotion mind, a path towards the mindset of a peaceful warrior.

By Vanessa Espina, Independent Living Specialist