Hello everyone, Is there anyone out there with a personality disorder? I'd love to get your insight on some things. How useful was therapy for you? In short, my story is that I've had quite a traumatic childhood that resulted in me being all messed-up Yes, my story is not different than most of you. After a few researches on the internet, the borderline personality disorder seems to be exactly what I have. I have heard therapy would be the best way to recover from it, but I do not want to attend therapy mostly because: I don't want to talk about my childhood. It hurts to dig up those memories. They are already too present in my mind, and I often relive them. I don't want to think about it, basically Another thing that hurts me is my boyfriend's position : he is very supportive and absolutely kind, but let me tell you a bit about him : he's only had two girls in his life, myself and R., and R. suffered from Post traumatic-stress disorder. He had a good relationship with her but I don't want to put him in this scheme again in which he has to support his gf. i do not want to be a burden to him, because I am scared that he wishes for another kind of relationship than the past two he's had and leaves me. (haha, fear of abandonment: typical of people with BPD!) * So should I get past this reluctance and be brave enough to go and talk about my situation with a psychiatrist? If your experience was also too hurtful to talk about, how have you managed to let it out? And in general, is therapy really effective? Did you feel a difference between before and after? Any insight, experience or comments are welcome. Thank you for reading, (*hug*) Sheena Ps : * I only allow myself to laugh about it because I am feeling pathetic and hopeless I am not making fun of anyone else but me, so I hope you were not offended by it.
You should definitely go see a therapist. Try and put your concerns aside. They will help you deal with your past, which while painful, can help you and those you have relationships with in the long run.
Therapy is difficult and can in the short term make you feel worse, like you said because of bringing up and reliving past traumas. In the long term though, it should be very beneficial. I'd say give it a go.
I don't have a personality disorder, myself, but I've got anxiety and depression and if you feel you have issues that are holding you back or causing you problems in your life I would definitely suggest you try therapy. There are different kinds of therapists and some will dig deep into your past, but others focus more now on how to cope with your day to day life. When I first started seeing my therapist we talked some about my past and my life so she could get a sense of how that has sort of formed who I am now, but now we mostly talk about strategies and coping mechanisms for the present. It does hurt to bring up painful memories or even to talk about difficult feelings, but in the long run I'd say it's worth it, so I'd say give it a shot. I'd also caution against self-diagnosing. You can bring up to the therapist that you think you have borderline, it's probably a good idea to share that, but they may or may not end up agreeing.
Therapy can certainly help, but try to find one who understands BPD and has a good reputation and track record.
Thank you so much Anonym, TheStormInside and PatrickUK for your answers Each answer is convincing me more and more to go see someone about whatever I have (whether it's BPD or not, because there's clearly a lot that could be done to improve my life!)
I've been in therapy for the past couple years for Post Traumatic Stress disorder and I'd have to suggest the best therapy of them all, I tried cognitive, hypnosis, talk therapy, the works, but I suggest finding a therapist certified in EMDR therapy, you will process painful memories and gain so much insight and positivity out of it you will feel like you've been living a lie your whole life from how much better you will feel from it, and it will be painful because the type of therapy brings up all the painful emotions and thoughts from these memories, so its going to be the hardest thing to go through, but in the end you will be the you you were supposed to be before all the crazy shit in your life happened, it works for personality disorders and any other mental disorder, i would also suggest since its borderline that you look into a therapist certified in DBT (dialectical behavioural therapy) I'm only saying this because I've dated a few women who had Borderline and its the most affective sometimes without medication too!
I am getting so much support from all of you! thank you so much! I've never had so many responses on one post! And thank you for your very useful answer, Sexwax! I had never heard of EMDR therapy, but I'd like to give it a try if it's as miraculous as you make it sound. You have all convinced me. I will try therapy Thank you all so much!
