Publisher's Synopsis
"What will the neighbors think?" "Keep your voice down, or the neighbors will hear you screaming." I never knew The Neighbors, but, more importantly, they never knew my family. Right next door was a house of horror, and they indeed never knew. This is the story that was carefully concealed from you. This is the story that can happen even if you do grow up with neighbors watching.
From author Cindy Collins comes an unblinkingly honest, poignant, and often heartbreaking firsthand account of what it's like to live with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) . . . and the pervasive trauma she endured as a child that led to her descent into the dark world of BPD. Gaslighted by her mother--who cultivated an outward appearance of being the perfect wife and mother--Cindy suffered ongoing sexual abuse by multiple family members, abandonment, and cruelty at the hands of the one person who should have loved and protected her most. The resulting fits of rage, extreme thinking, difficulty maintaining relations, and depression would set Cindy on a path of destruction until she finally found the hope and courage to fight her demons.
Chronicling her childhood of abuse, her diagnosis of BPD in her twenties, and her ultimate road to recovery, Born Under the Gaslight is a memoir like none you have ever read before. Offering a rare and insightful glimpse into the inner struggles of someone who lives with BPD, Born Under the Gaslight is a must-read for therapists, others living with BPD, and anyone wanting to understand the complexities of BPD and how to offer practical and emotional support.
Reviews
"In Born Under the Gaslight, Cynthia Collins has succinctly and vividly portrayed a woman struggling to emerge from a legacy of abuse and trauma occurring against a fundamentally "crazymaking" backdrop. The writing is brutally honest, and the story is heartbreaking as we hear of a life lived in a pinball machine, punctuated by chaos, turbulent relationships, job instability, and other hallmark challenges of borderline personality disorder. Gradually, Collins' path to recovery becomes clearer, showing the importance of love, compassion, and connection in her personal life and therapy. I highly recommend this memoir as an honest, frank portrayal of the challenges many people with borderline personality disorder face."-Alexander L. Chapman, Ph.D., R.Psych.
