Borderline Shine: A Memoir

A therapist’s story of complex trauma and her remarkable journey to recovery.

When Connie Greshner was eight years old, her father walked into a bar in Ponoka, Alberta, and shot her mother. So began a young life defined by trauma. From Catholic boarding school in Kansas to the streets of the Downtown Eastside in Vancouver, Connie travelled in pursuit of acceptance and belonging. Grief, confusion, and shame manifested as depression, addiction, and promiscuity. Branded chronically suicidal with no hope of recovery by the mental health system, Connie was determined to heal herself and help others. Supported and inspired by exceptional friends, a love of books, and a connection to nature, she finally found her home, purpose, and peace.

In Borderline Shine, Connie breaks the silence and shame of intergenerational violence. With unflinching honesty she chronicles her unique journey through the darkness of suffering to the light of compassion, hope, and recovery.