Does Living With Borderline Personality Disorder Feel Impossible?
After being diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, are you feeling lost and overwhelmed? Perhaps you’ve read terrible, frightening things about BPD online, and you feel like the whole world is shaming you for emotions you cannot control. You might be struggling to accept this diagnosis. Or, perhaps it seems to confirm your worst fears, making you wonder if it’s even possible for you to have a happy life with borderline personality disorder treatment.
Have you already gone through a string of misdiagnoses and ineffective treatments? After dealing with so much pain, frustration and crushed hope, you might question the point of trying something new.
At the same time, you might know that you can’t go on with this sense of chaos and emptiness. And, if you have engaged in risky behavior or self-harmed in the past, perhaps you are worried that you could hurt yourself again.
More than anything, you might feel vulnerable and exposed—uncertain of who you are and who you want to be. Are you tired of broken relationships, loneliness and self-hate? Are you searching for a way to understand and manage your emotions? Do you wish you could learn how to cope with BPD and feel accepted for the sensitive person you are?
You Are Not Alone, And You Are Not Broken
“People with Borderline Personality Disorder are like people with third-degree burns over 90% of their bodies. Lacking emotional skin, they feel agony at the slightest touch or movement.”
—Marsha Linehan, BPD specialist and creator of dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)
It’s not easy to move through the world when you expect pain around every corner. But, if you’ve been diagnosed with BPD, it’s likely you’ve felt vulnerable and rejected for most of your life.
In fact, professionals believe most people who develop BPD are sensitive by nature—predisposed to feel things intensely. Then, they grow up in an environment that invalidates those strong emotions, causing deep confusion and distress.
For example, if you suffered parental abuse or neglect, you likely came to believe that you and your emotions are not important. However, it’s important to note that not all invalidating environments involve abuse. Even the most well-meaning parents, teachers, peers and loved ones can accidentally invalidate emotions through teasing, criticizing or ignoring. In one way or another, you likely received feedback that made you think your emotions are wrong.
In truth, there is nothing wrong with being a sensitive person, and your feelings are nothing to be ashamed of. You deserve the chance to feel heard and seen, just as you are. More importantly, you deserve an opportunity to develop the healthy emotional coping skills you need to live as your best self.
With Borderline Personality Disorder Treatment, You Can Live With Greater Ease
Quality support for teens and adults with BPD can be difficult to find. If you’ve been searching, “BPD therapist near me,” you’re in the right place. At Suffolk DBT, our team of experienced borderline personality disorder specialists, skilled therapists and psychologists welcomes you just as you are. Our borderline personality disorder specialists aren’t here to shame or judge you, or to tell you who you should be. Instead, we draw from a rich supply of therapeutic skills to help you feel better. With empathetic guidance and expert support, you can find recovery and relief.
As our practice name suggests, we specialize in dialectical behavior therapy for borderline personality disorder, which is the gold standard of personality disorder treatment for individuals struggling with BPD. DBT therapy for borderline personality disorder is extremely effective, in part, because its goal is not to squash or shame your emotions. Instead, a BPD therapist near you works to help you both recognize and accept your feelings, just as they show up.
Then, from that place of acceptance and self-compassion, you can learn new ways to manage and respond to even the most difficult emotions. This opens the door for self-empowerment and positive change. In-person and online DBT therapy for adult or teenage BPD (Borderline Personality Disorder) are available so that you can find exactly what works for you.
Borderline personality disorder therapy involves both group and individual sessions. In a safe, supportive group of people who can share and understand your experience, you get the unique opportunity to learn and practice new coping skills. Here, you can practice mindful, nonjudgmental awareness of the present moment and increase your ability to tolerate distress in moments of pain.
You can also learn how to shift your perspective and understand that your emotions don’t have to control you. In fact, you are capable of changing them and calming yourself down. You can also learn to challenge the black and white thinking that may make people and things seem wonderful or terrible, with no middle ground. Instead, you can learn to accept people and ideas in a broader, more forgiving way.
As you start to develop a new relationship with your feelings, you can also develop new relationships with the people around you. Borderline personality disorder therapy can teach you how to advocate for your needs while respecting the needs of others. You can begin to express how you feel with new honesty and confidence that you have the words to communicate and connect with your loved ones. And, most importantly, you can foster a deep, more compassionate connection with yourself.
In addition to group therapy, individual dialectical behavior therapy sessions offer a great deal of personalized support for your personality disorder treatment. Your borderline personality disorder specialists will invite you to talk about current challenges, especially those related to your mood, behaviors, relationships, thoughts and urges. By talking through these issues, you can start to pinpoint patterns and plan more effective ways to navigate challenges in the future.
A BPD therapist near you will also offer between-session phone coaching. When you are feeling distressed and stuck, you can reach out to your therapist and get the support you need to apply your new skills in the present moment.
Altogether, this specialized DBT for borderline personality disorder treatment program is specifically designed to help you enjoy a better quality of life. It is possible to both embrace your sensitivity and celebrate new resilience. It is possible to be kinder to yourself.
You may have questions or concerns about therapy for borderline personality disorder…
I’ve already been through so many diagnoses and treatments. How do I know this personality disorder treatment will help?
BPD is a widely misunderstood disorder, even among mental health professionals. If you’ve been misdiagnosed and subjected to treatments that only made you feel worse, DBT might seem like the last resort. We understand how frustrating and frightening this can feel.
Still, we strongly encourage you to give DBT for borderline personality disorder a chance. This is widely regarded as the best treatment for BPD, and we are confident that you will have a different experience. You can learn how to manage your emotions and build better relationships. You can learn to create a better life.
I’ve self-harmed in the past. If I’m honest with you about that, will you send me to the hospital?
No. At Suffolk DBT, our goal is to prevent future hospitalization. To do this, we focus on understanding the self-harming behavior and its function in your life.
Many people don’t self-harm because they want to die—in reality, they want to find relief. But, when you don’t know other ways to express and manage painful emotions, self-harm can feel like the only option.
During DBT therapy, you can discover new ways and DBT Skills to find the relief you’re longing for. For example, we can help you realize that even the most overwhelming feelings have a beginning, middle and an end. You can learn how to tolerate distress and soothe yourself with DBT self help techniques until the painful moments pass.
You’ll just say you can’t help me.
If you are searching for a “BPD specialist near me” or “Counseling near me”, Suffolk DBT offers a wide range of mental health services near NYC. Here, you don’t have to fear judgment or abandonment. We know that can be hard to believe, especially if you’ve been hurt by mental health professionals in the past.
The truth is, DBT therapy treatment for borderline personality disorder requires commitment. Our borderline personality disorder specialists are fully committed to your well-being. If you are equally committed, then this personality disorder treatment can absolutely help. With your therapist by your side, you can move into a lighter, more peaceful life.
You Deserve Relief And Connection
Borderline personality disorder treatment can help you navigate your world. Experienced with in-person and online DBT therapy for BPD (Borderline Personality Disorder), specialists at Suffolk DBT are trained to assist you in the challenges you face. If you are ready to try something new, we are ready to help. If you are seeking DBT programs on Long Island or Manhattan, NYC, call Suffolk DBT at 631-515-7855 and schedule an appointment today. Suffolk DBT also offers DBT therapy online.
If you are searching for a Borderline Personality Disorder therapist in or around the 10019 zip code, Suffolk DBT proudly provides quality dialectical behavior therapy, a form of cognitive behavioral therapy, at their offices in Manhattan and Long Island, New York and online. Their experienced therapists specialize in adult and teenage BPD. Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) skills and treatment can help you or your kids to manage emotions and work through life’s challenges. Suffolk DBT Manhattan and Long Island offer a free screening call so you can get started right away.
