Are you a borderland personality?

We’ve written lately about people who detect earthquakes and other natural disasters ahead of time through physical symptoms and changes in their bodies.We’ve referred to these people as planetary empaths. Now D Page recommended  a book by Jerome S. Bernstein called: Living in the Borderland: The Evolution of Consciousness and the Challenge of  Healing Trauma.

Berstein describes his book this way: “There are many people whose experience of reality is outside the mainstream of Western culture; often they see themselves as abnormal because they have no articulated frame of reference for their experience. The concept of the Borderland personality explains much of their experience.”

So we’re wondering how many visiting here consider themselves to fit the borderland personality. Keep in mind the distinction between borderline and borderland personality. The former is a pathology; the latter, possibly an evolutionary personality. As you’ll see, some of the traits fit closely with the experiences of the planetary empaths.

In fact, we’ve already shown the following list of trait to those who wrote that  they felt the recent Mexican-S.Callifornia quake coming. All of them said that they related closely with most of the trails. Two said all of the traits fit. See what you think.

   1. Borderland personalities have a deep and primary connection to nature. Most are more comfortable in relationship with animals than with people.
   2. All have transformational experiences such as communicating with plants and animals and somatic identification with earth’s suffering.
   3. Many have experienced trauma as children or adults. Many have not.
   4. Unlike the Borderline personality, the Borderland personality has a stable identity.
   5. Most hide their Borderland nature – often including from their therapist — for fear of being branded “crazy” or weird. This leads to living parallel and camouflaged lives — their hidden life in the Borderland (which is their primary identification), and their life in the mundane world.
   6. Most feel isolated and lack a sense of community and belonging because they  are unaware that there are many others like them.
   7. All experience their Borderland reality as sacred.
   8. Most tend to be hypersensitive on the somatic level. Many experience  environmental illness. But, many do not.
   9. 100% of all Borderland personalities with whom I have had contact say they  would not give up that connection if they could – even if it were to diminish their suffering.
  10. Although many would identify with being Nature’s “canaries,” most are at a loss as to the imperative for transformation that they have been given



For more about borderlanders, you can go to Berstein’s site.


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29 Responses to Are you a borderland personality?

  1. Susannah says:

    Hi Rob
    The site is http://www.borderlanders.com and on the front page there is a button to the forum which is called "Between Borderlanders".

    Thanks….and we look forward to your posts!!

    Susannah

  2. Trish and Rob MacGregor says:

    Aleksandar – what I meant was that borderlander implies "out there" – and it doesn't seem that these traits and characteristics are so "out there." So maybe what the author is referring to as borderlanders is actually becoming mainstream now.

  3. Aleksandar Malecic says:

    "I'm beginning to think that none of us are borderlanders." https://ofscarabs.blogspot.com/2009/12/ecstatic-postures.html

  4. Trish and Rob MacGregor says:

    Susannah – where's the forum? All I saw was a single post. Is there a URL?

  5. Susannah says:

    Hello I am the moderator for Between Borderlanders Forum. We have some interesting discussions going on so please join us and share the borderlander experience.

  6. Trish and Rob MacGregor says:

    Vicki – thanks! I hope I've got that connection. Some days…well, I wonder! Need to see some dolphins.

    Gypsy -TEXAS? May you cross that state in peace. You have been missed!

  7. GYPSYWOMAN says:

    great post and dialogue – am in the middle of texas ranch country where access to internet is minutes only at a time so will have to wait till i am back in civilization to comment as i would like – miss all of you – see you soon!

  8. Vicki D. says:

    I forgot to mention that I agree that I would not want to give up this connection.

    It is who I am and I am better when I can connect with nature.

    Trish, when I read some of your books I feel you are the same. You get that connection, as with the dolphins.

  9. Trish and Rob MacGregor says:

    I'm beginning to think that none of us are borderlanders – that maybe "borderlanders" are part of the new paradigm shift!

  10. Nancy says:

    I have to admit to being very sensitive to any kind of pain involving animals. I never watch the Animal Planet or Planet Earth because of the violence involving prey. I feel so sad if I see road kill, for a long time afterward. I still see a poor raccoon in my minds eye that wasn't dead and suffering from YEARS ago. I always just thought I was weird that way. I feel the same way about children. Anything defenseless. We saved many turtles while living in Minnesota – I would always make my husband stop so I could remove them from the roadway. Wow, it looks like there are many others that feel the same way. I don't feel so odd. I'm not sure I'm borderland, but maybe just very sensitive to suffering.

  11. Trish and Rob MacGregor says:

    D – I just didn't want Natalie to miss your post!

  12. d page says:

    I don't know how that happened?! so sorry for posting it in the wrong place.
    Here's a copy:
    What Natalie says is true. It's excruciating at times. I am always rescuing lizards, snails, moths, ants, spiders… I even rescued a scorpion from a cat… And hummingbirds, of course. I don't participate in Home Owner's Board decisions to kill anything.

  13. Trish and Rob MacGregor says:

    Vicki – I thought of you when we put up this post!

  14. Vicki D. says:

    Wow, this post completely resonated with me.
    Anyone who knows me would tell you that I am happiest in nature, my husband sometimes calls me Snow White the way the birds will follow me around outside.

    I too have to camouflage it somewhat but luckily where I live our entire community are nature and space lovers but I still hide certain aspects which I've had to do since childhood.

    When we travel and snorkel my kids have admitted they won't always stay too close to me because the fish, stingray, turtles etc. always seem to come up to me (which is true). I find it magical but it can be a bit scary as when I had a school of tarpon become quite interested in me.
    My family also calls me the cat whisperer because I just seem to know what is going on with them and if they ever catch anything I just tell them to drop it and they do. (My cats are primarily indoor and only go out when I do).

    Unfortunately I have had the child traumas and also as adult. I am a bit reclusive, peoples energies can just be so exhausting.

    I will have to read this book.
    Thank you.

  15. Trish and Rob MacGregor says:

    Interesting, Natalie. D page says she's the same way – she posted her comment under the car manifestaiton.

  16. Natalie says:

    I totally agree with Marcus. It is emotionally excruciating at times. Can't even stand to see an insect on it's back and struggling. Can't kill spiders or roaches anymore either.

  17. Trish and Rob MacGregor says:

    Von – have never heard that phrase. It seems to fit! Nancy- you're going to enjoy the book. He talks quite a bit about the collective unconscious.

  18. Von says:

    So that explains it then!thanks.These are what others have named The Fringe Dwellers I'm guessing.

  19. Trish and Rob MacGregor says:

    Linda, welcome, if you've got an interesting synchronicity you would like to share, send us an e-mail.

  20. Raksha says:

    Alexandar: It doesn't sound to me like you have bipolar disorder. If you did you would KNOW–you wouldn't be very likely to have doubts about it. I think it's much more likely that you have ADD/ADHD (attention deficit disorder). The "H" stands for hyperactivity which may or may not be present. One authority on the subject says that virtually ALL ADDers have hyperactive brains, whether they are physically hyperactive or not. Anyway, you might want to read up on it and see if the descriptions fit you.

    The same is probably true for most borderlanders, although I never encountered that word until I stumbled across this blog a few minutes ago. Since it's still not clear to me what a borderlander is, it would be better if I didn't commit myself until I know more.

    I do know I've had more than my share of synchronistic happenings in my life, but most of them have been on the personal level rather than on the global or "prophetic" level. Although I've always felt they were more than "just" personal. They have always seemed to have implications beyond the personal, but that may be because of my acute awareness of the web of connections between people and events. That's something I've always had. And YES, I discovered rather late in life that I'm almost a textbook ADDer. I don't know if I'm a borderlander or not, although from what little I've read here I suspect I probably am. But I really don't know enough yet to make that judgment call.

    –Linda

  21. Nancy says:

    I'm looking forward to reading this book. I'm not sure if I am borderland or not. I'll have to research it some more. I do know that I have inexplicable feelings of sadness that come on very quickly, but not often, and always when something massive happens that involves very large groups of people. I think that is more the collective unconscious. I'll bet many people feel that way, but don't know to look outside themselves to see why. Maybe we would need less antidepressants if people realized their connections to everyone else.

  22. Trish and Rob MacGregor says:

    I like the book so far, debra. Thanks for recommending it!

  23. d page says:

    Thank you for writing about this! It's a newly recognized phenomena, and I know it will help some people to see that there is a way to articulate their unusual qualities.

  24. Trish and Rob MacGregor says:

    Aleksander – #1: I'd say all of that counts. 4: I doubt that you've got bipolar! #10: I think he's referring to borderlanders as people who sense environmental changes before others. Canaries are taken into mines to detect leakage of gas. If the canary dies, the miners don't descend. @ least, that's my interpretation.

  25. Aleksandar Malecic says:

    1. Does writing poetry, drawing and looking into things (paying attention to shapes, details, rust… like it's the most important thing in the world) count?
    2. I've identified myself many times with a plant, a dog, a group of people. Sometimes when I walk I don't feel the border between me and passengers.
    3. I suppose wars and nationalism can be traumatic.
    4. I guess I have bipolar disorder, but I'm not sure.
    5. Sometimes synchronicity can be quite scary.
    6. Actually, when I notice that someone also lives in two parallel worlds (those people with something in their eyes), I in the beginning feel very uncomfortable.
    7. Sacred and scary.
    8. I have headaches very frequently. I've had (felt in my body) mystical experiences many times.
    9. I would if I could. I suppose I'm not a border personality after all.
    10. I don't understand this one.

  26. Marcus T. Anthony says:

    Sounds like an interesting and worthwhile read. There certainly are many people who fit into this category. And yes, it can be difficult talking about it because it doesn't fit in with consensus mainstream science and reality. This is despite the fact that a huge number of people believe in psychic phenomena and things like telepathy and ESP – well over half the population in most studies.

    As the criteria suggest, there is a certain suffering involved in being a Borderland personality. besides possible social exclusion (or just hiding part of who you are), the price is often the ability to feel deeply, not only intuitively but emotionally. That often means a greater degree of emotional vulnerability. As one of my spiritual teachers used to say, "vulnerability is a path to divinity."

    In my workshops I help people activate the dormant areas of their minds, and become more empathic. Again, this requires a deep connection with the emotional body. For in the suppression of emotion, we also suppress the subtle feelings of mystical intuition.

    Marcus

  27. Trish and Rob MacGregor says:

    We downloaded the book yesterday to our Kindle. I'm in chapter 2 and so far, it's interesting.

  28. DJan says:

    I guess I must be one of the "normals" since none of these fit me, except for loving nature. It's a very interesting concept, and I do believe in this evolutionary journey. The book looks very interesting! I'll check it out.

  29. Natalie says:

    I can relate….though, for some reason it pains me to do so. 🙁

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