If you are like many others living with borderline personality disorder (BPD), you know what it's like to be overwhelmed by intense and fluctuating emotions; to have difficulty with relationships; and to constantly struggle with troubling thoughts and behaviours. BPD can be especially difficult to treat, though there are ways to gain control over your symptoms and live a happier, healthier life.
Expanding on the core skill of dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT), Mindfulness for Borderline Personality Disorder will help you target and successfully manage many of the familiar symptoms of BPD. Inside, you will learn the basics of mindfulness through specific exercises, and will gain powerful insight through real-life stories from people who have BPD. If you are ready to take that first step on the path toward wellness, this book will be your guide.
"Aguirre and Galen have written a lucid, elegant, and practical book. Speaking directly to the individual with borderline personality disorder, they offer accessible explanations and instructions for applying ancient mindfulness practices to current suffering, destructive urges, waves of emotional pain, and endangered relationships-all in the service of building a life worth living. The authors are effective, even ingenious, in showing how to use each of the six core mindfulness skills in dialectical behavior therapy to address each of the painful features of borderline personality disorder, which include feelings of emptiness, identity disturbances, episodes of dissociation and paranoia, and self-hatred. The vignettes are true-to-life, the explanations of neuroscience and Buddhism are understandable, the prescribed practices are immediately useful, and the whole package is presented with a maximum of clarity, a minimum of jargon, and a tone of compassion. I can't wait to prescribe this book to my patients; indeed, I think it has already made me a better teacher!"
- Charles Swenson, associate clinical professor of psychiatry, University of Massachusetts Medical School, with a private practice of psychiatry and psychotherapy in Northampton, MA
"Until relatively recently, there has been little to relieve the pronounced suffering of those living with borderline personality disorder. In their lucid and deeply compassionate book, Blaise Aguirre and Gillian Galen explore how mindfulness-the essential strategy in dialectical behavior therapy, developed by preeminent psychologist Marsha Linehan-can open the doors to genuine healing. This informative and accessible guide includes a rich set of mindfulness exercises and short case studies to bring inner ease, resourcefulness, and freedom. Whether you experience borderline symptomology, have loved ones who struggle with this condition, or are a therapist seeking to enhance your skills, this book will provide you with invaluable support and inspiration."
- Tara Brach, PhD, author of Radical Acceptance and True Refuge
"Finally, a practical guide for helping individuals improve their BPD symptoms by applying the core DBT skill of mindfulness. Aguirre and Galen have applied mindfulness to borderline personality disorder in a unique and precise way. This is a book many people suffering from BPD can use to improve the quality of their lives."
- Michael Roy, LCSW, founder and executive director of Clearview Women's Center for Borderline Personality Disorder
"Aguirre and Galen have provided an outstanding contribution to those practicing, learning, or teaching mindfulness. Both the concepts and examples equally serve the novice and the expert, making the book a must-have resource for everyone. Every personal, professional, and public library should have this book on its shelf."
- Perry D. Hoffman, PhD, president of the National Education Alliance for Borderline Personality Disorder