back from the borderline
mollie adler
I don’t want to talk to your personality; I want to talk to your soul. Imagine if your most painful and debilitating mental health symptoms and self-sabotaging behaviors aren’t evidence of 'disorder' or 'dysfunction', but adaptive strategies that once kept you safe. My goal is to help you shift from asking ‘What’s wrong with me?’ to ‘What happened to me?’The word ‘borderline’ in this podcast has nothing to do with psychiatric labels. It has everything to do with coming back from the inner psychological brink we all experience. Everyone has found themselves on the edge, in that liminal space where the old self falls apart and the new Self emerges. Here, we explore what it means to undergo true emotional alchemy: that ancient and primordial process of falling apart, confronting the underworld of our psyche, and falling back together into someone stronger, wiser, and more whole.Many highly sensitive people who identify with the seemingly never-ending list of diagnostic mental health labels contained within ‘the bible of psychiatry’ (the DSM) share the same underlying sense of being irreparably broken, disconnected from their intuition, and paralyzed by life’s existential questions. I believe the resulting—and perfectly understandable—chronic feelings of emptiness and spiritual starvation are the TRUE causes of our current collective ‘mental health crisis.’Together, we’ll dive into depth psychology, mythology, human consciousness, critical psychiatry, and the impact of trauma to help you begin the process of emotional alchemy. This exploration will help you get to the root cause of your suffering and free yourself from the toxic shame, limiting beliefs, and mental programming that have kept you locked in the chains of your past.In an era where mental health and spirituality are too often commercialized, I’m not here as a guru with a quick fix to sell you. I don’t believe anyone is ever truly ‘healed’ or ‘cured.’ There is no return to some mythical state of pre-trauma purity, but rather a continuous spiral of unbecoming, unlearning, and transformation. As a fellow seeker, I will be there in your ear, walking alongside you on your path toward wholeness as a sort of parasocial big sister. That, I can promise.By integrating the concepts we explore together, you’ll begin to see that anyone—even you—can come back from the borderline.CRAVING MORE? Visit backfromtheborderline.com to dive into my universe, connect with me, access my Patreon, and discover more about my journey and work. Don’t forget to follow Back from the Borderline so new episodes on Tuesdays and Thursdays automatically drop into your podcast feed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Jan 22, 2026 • 40min
Escaping the Trap of Perpetual Girlhood (He’s Not “Avoidant,” You’re Just Bored)
“No one’s coming to save you.”That's the hardest sentence I have ever had to learn and integrate, and it’s the only one that actually changed my life.We are living through a strange moment where "healing" has somehow morphed into a refusal to grow the f*ck up. We see it in the "I'm just a girl" memes and the endless obsession with "attachment styles." We’ve convinced ourselves that if we just analyze his trauma enough, or explain our feelings perfectly enough, the mythical door in our minds will open. But the hard truth is that you are likely not dating an 'avoidant' man. You are bored. And you are using 'therapy speak' to avoid the terrifying reality that no one is coming to save you from yourself.This episode is a cold-water slap in audio form. My goal was to create the initiatory rite our culture never gave me. We’ll be discussing the difference between the Maiden who spills her energy everywhere and the Mother who builds a world that can actually hold her.In this episode:· The Trap of Therapy Speak: Why calling him "avoidant" is actually a control fantasy that keeps you stuck.· The Theory of the Clogged Drain: Stop analyzing the blockage and call the plumber.· The Panopticon: How "self-awareness" can actually just be a fancy word for obedience and dissociation.· The "Taylor Swift" Archetype: Why the Puella Aeterna (Eternal Girl) refuses to touch the ground (and reality itself).· The Rescue Party: Breaking the fantasy that fragility equals lovability.✧ WANT THE FULL EPISODE? ✧Every week, I share these extended episodes on Patreon. If what you’ve heard here has helped or intrigued you, the full version is where the real magic happens. Your support keeps my work independent and ad-light. Support from my Patrons is how I fund my life and make sure what I do stays honest, unfiltered, and as listener-powered as possible. Head to patreon.com/backfromtheborderline to sign up today. Search the episode title and keep listening. (Tip for iPhone users: sign up through Safari or Chrome to skip Apple’s extra fees.)✧ SIGN UP FOR THE MOODS WAITLIST AT MOODS.WORLD ✧ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jan 20, 2026 • 1h 9min
why everyone is hot and no one is happy: bodies as product, desire as labor (pt 2)
Dating today feels draining as everyone attempts to optimize their appearances yet still feels disconnected. The podcast explores how cultural pressures turn bodies into projects, affecting genuine intimacy. Topics include the fembot fantasy, the impact of gym culture and dating apps, and rising loneliness amidst constant visibility. It also contrasts real-life values men seek with the unrealistic ideals shaped by media. The discussion highlights the importance of emotional connection and suggests practical shifts to rewild desire and reclaim authentic human interactions.
Jan 15, 2026 • 23min
Sex in the Third Person: Why You Leave Your Body to Watch Yourself Perform
If you have ever felt like you were watching yourself perform intimacy from a camera lens installed in the ceiling, this is the episode you've been waiting for. Together, we’ll be diagnosing a very specific, silent fracture in the modern psyche: the gap between edibility (how delicious you look to others) and appetite (what you actually hunger for).For a generation raised in the digital Wild West, we learned very early on that safety comes from being a "Good Object.” (The goal being to be pleasing and curated.) But the tension required to maintain that image is physically incompatible with the softness required to feel actual pleasure.We’ll go beyond the standard (and extremely played-out) "empowerment" scripts to look at the darker root causes of why we leave our bodies during sex. We explore the "millennial psyop" of early internet conditioning and the concept of functional dissociation.From the esoteric concept of the Eidolon (the phantom double) in Greek mythology to a shocking historical reframe involving Napoleon Bonaparte’s (kinky af) letters, we’ll dismantle every aspect of performative sex. This episode is your permission to stop performing for a ghost and finally inhabit the first person.UNLOCK THE FULL EPISODE ON PATREON, CLICK HERE (or visit patreon.com/backfromtheborderline). To know as soon as we drop the MOODS waitlist, follow us on Instagram at @moods.codex. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jan 13, 2026 • 57min
why everyone is hot and no one is happy: the men women want (part 1)
Modern dating is paralyzed, leaving everyone looking great yet feeling unfulfilled. The podcast dives into common male fantasies, highlighting the gym-shaped hero and the moody romantic. It explores why women are attracted to wounded, intense figures while deeper, more mature connections often feel elusive. Conditioning and cultural narratives push us towards familiar, yet unsatisfactory, patterns of desire. The discussion uncovers the importance of emotional transparency over superficial charm, challenging conventional attractions.
Jan 8, 2026 • 23min
The Voice You’re Using Isn’t Yours
The podcast delves into how the voice inside our heads often isn't truly ours but a product of societal conditioning. It explores the detachment in modern speech and the loss of inner meaning. Historical parallels are drawn, revealing how hollow speech has contributed to cultural decline. The discussion highlights the power of language, tracing its roots back to ancient beliefs about words shaping reality. Critiques of social media emphasize the dangers of conformity and the superficiality of communication today.
Jan 6, 2026 • 1h 10min
The Cool Girl Myth and Trend Culture as Self Abandonment
Explore the dizzying pace of trend culture, where the once-essential quickly becomes outdated. Molly shares her experience in fashion PR, revealing how 'coolness' is crafted and the industry's wasteful practices. Discover the allure of the 'cool girl' myth and its impact on personal identity. She advocates for rejecting imitation in favor of self-possession and creating a personal uniform. Through depth psychology, Molly encourages intentionality in style as a form of rebellion against consumerism and fleeting trends.
18 snips
Jan 1, 2026 • 22min
the cassandra curse: feeling “crazy” when you’re actually right
Dive into the complexities of being highly sensitive, where intuition can feel like a burden. The conversation explores 'The Cassandra Curse,' highlighting how accurately sensing shifts often leads to being labeled as 'crazy.' Discover the cycle of self-sabotage that turns valid feelings into explosive reactions. The discussion offers insights into reclaiming personal power, moving from victimhood to sovereignty. By embracing sensitivity, individuals can transform their struggles into sources of strength.
Dec 30, 2025 • 1h 7min
why you can’t relax: the 5 survival spells running your life
Uncover the five survival spells that shape adult life, from the controlling manager born out of childhood chaos to the hustler mindset of scarcity. Explore how performative identities become a prison and the impact of isolation as armor against vulnerability. Discover practical ways to loosen control, embrace evolving identities, and practice 'enoughness' for genuine rest. Finally, learn how to overcome perfectionism by taking imperfect action and inviting play into your life. Reflecting on these patterns reveals hidden scripts that dictate our ease and connections.
Dec 23, 2025 • 1h 8min
why you’re obsessed with people who can’t love you back
This episode examines limerence not as a personality flaw or a trendy attachment term, but as a learned psychological strategy that begins in childhood. Rather than treating obsession as irrational, we explore how it develops as a way to survive inconsistent, misattuned, or emotionally absent parenting, and how that same strategy later shows up in adult relationships.This phenomenon explains why so many of us become fixated on emotionally unavailable partners and why the end of even a short relationship (or even a situationship) can feel devastating in a way that doesn’t match the actual reality of the situation. It’s why obsession often gets mislabeled as “love” or “passion.” We look at how the mind uses fantasy and idealization to stabilize itself and why emotionally unavailable people reliably trigger these patterns.What This Episode CoversWhat limerence actually is (and what it isn’t)Why obsession often forms around people you barely knowHow childhood coping strategies turn into adult romantic fixationThe role of emotional unavailability and intermittent reinforcementWhy intensity gets confused with intimacy and “fate”How fantasy and projection stabilize the nervous systemThe overlooked spiritual dimension of limerence and devotionWhat it means to finally step out of the pattern without self-blameUNLOCK BONUS EPISODES, VOICE NOTES & THE FULL ARCHIVEJoin the BFTB Patreon community and become a Premium Submarine, where you’ll unlock hundreds of hours of paywalled content I’ve been building since 2021.⟁ Visit backfromtheborderline.com for free resources, updates, and everything else I offer.⟁ Or go straight to patreon.com/backfromtheborderline to join now.Once you’re in, you’ll get a private feed you can add to Spotify, Apple, or your favorite podcast app, so you can listen to every episode I’ve ever released, all in one place. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Dec 18, 2025 • 40min
nick fuentes and the cult of irony
This preview of a Patreon-exclusive episode breaks down exactly how Nick Fuentes functions as a media figure and why his influence persists despite bans, persistent backlash, and public condemnation. Rather than arguing about whether or not he is dangerous, I analyze how his livestreams work in practice. We dig into the role humor plays in his persona, explore chat dynamics his his livestreams, and how irony creates commitment and shared identity among his loyal followers, the Groypers.The episode traces how young men who feel disconnected from institutions and the future itself get absorbed into this kind of online ecosystem and how responsibility and accountability both stay intentionally slippery when everything is framed as a joke. In the premium portion of the exploration, I also examine exit paths and what actually helps people disengage once they’ve been pulled in by these types of dynamics, as well as what this tells us about the broader culture that keeps producing figures like Fuentes.✧ WANT THE FULL EPISODE? ✧Every week, I share these extended episodes on Patreon. If what you’ve heard here has helped or intrigued you, the full version is where the real magic happens. Your support keeps my work independent and ad-light. Support from my Patrons is how I fund my life and make sure what I do stays honest, unfiltered, and as listener-powered as possible. Head to patreon.com/backfromtheborderline to sign up today. Search the episode title and keep listening.(Tip for iPhone users: sign up through Safari or Chrome to skip Apple’s extra fees.) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
