Fact 4: Emotional Intensity
At the heart of BPD lies emotional intensity. It’s not just about feeling emotions but experiencing them at magnitudes that can be overwhelming. These intense feelings, whether they’re joy, anger, sadness, or affection, often feel like a rollercoaster with towering peaks and steep drops.
What makes this emotional intensity particularly challenging is the rapid oscillation between feelings. A person with BPD can go from feeling euphoric to despondent in a short span. These swift changes can be exhausting, making it difficult to maintain a stable emotional baseline and impacting daily activities and relationships.
Emotional intensity in BPD isn’t merely an amplified reaction to external stimuli. Underlying factors, including a heightened sensitivity to emotions, a heightened reactivity, and a slow return to the emotional baseline, play crucial roles. The world, for someone with BPD, can feel like a place where emotions are dialed up to the maximum, with every incident evoking profound feelings.
While the emotional intensity can be overwhelming, many individuals with BPD develop coping mechanisms, albeit some healthier than others. Some might resort to avoidance, trying to steer clear of situations that trigger intense emotions. Others might lean into these feelings, seeking out high-intensity experiences. Understanding and navigating these coping mechanisms is integral to therapeutic interventions. (4)
