Borderline Personality Disorder

Hey,

I have been struggling with borderline traits for many years, and they are pretty embedded in me - I understand you when you say it's been showing up a lot lately, and can settle down again.

I was lucky to be able to access a DBT skills group, and have found having those skills helpful, and life has gotten a bit easier to manage with these skills. Still, it does feel a bit sometimes like I will always have to manage it, and I think that is probably a practical reality for me - it will come and go.

Are you able to access a therapist?

Hey @Dk5 @Monarcmarc ,

So glad you asked.

I have lived experience of BPD, and I completed just over 18 months of mentalization based therapy. It was a really slow process and I feel that a lot of the main work was done in the 6 months after therapy when you actually have to utilise a new way of thinking about things.

Since then, I've never gone back at all. With BPD, it's like once you 'recover', you don't really go back... unless of course, there is a major incident, trauma or other conditions alongside BPD.

I found some DBT skills helpful. I never completed a full DBT program though.

ACT was also super super helpful - I think for me, it was more helpful more than DBT

Bottom line, there is no ONE treatment that works for BPD. Everyone is different so it depends on the treatment that aligns most with your need.

Sorry for the long winded response @Dk5 !

One thing though: BPD is VERY treatable.

Thanks for this encouragement.

I have been suggested schema as well, but it's not really taken off the ground for me - as I understand it there is substantial overlap with ACT.

Can you please help me understand what recovery looks like in your experience. You mention the work after you jump out, and I find myself wondering whether I could shift recovery towards a framework of consistently applying the skills, or whether it gets to a point that you're not feeling like that?