Hi everyone,

I know we have a lot of posts asking for help - I just thought I'd share a success story since I've been in remission for 8 months now.

Here's things I've tried along the way, I hope someone finds these useful. :)

I'm 45. I got diagnosed at 40 and have been in different types of therapy for 5 years. It does get better, though there will be ups and downs along the journey and sometimes it sucks because it’s hard work. But, it was hard work that has been worth it to me.

Here is what helped me:

Therapies – these all “added together” for me to help in different ways, so I recommend trying different therapy modalities along the way.  I used: DBT (really helpful for SH/SI, dissociation management, and practicing skills to help reduce emotional reactivity.) Then I did EMDR and prolonged exposure therapy for PTSD/cPTSD.  Then I did exposure and response prevention (ERP) for OCD using the NOCD app.  Now I am in IFS and schema therapy to help heal underlying emptiness and fear of abandonment and attachment issues.

TMS - TMS Therapy: What It Treats, Benefits, Side Effects, and Costs (healthline.com) – I am antidepressant resistant so this helped when I was experiencing bouts of MDD.

Medications: Lamictal and Abilify have both helped me as mood stabilizers in the past

 YouTube and Websites:

Dr. Daniel Fox psychologist on YouTube: (1) Dr. Daniel Fox - YouTube.  Highly recommend to start here, has lots of great videos on cluster B disorders such as BPD.  He also has several reasonably priced (20$) workbooks that helped.  Additionally you can find videos for parents/partners here.

Specifically useful videos:

Jealousy https://youtu.be/dMOlbpu1WJc

For family members:              BPD Strategies & Techniques for Parents & Partners (youtube.com)

Splitting: https://youtu.be/_iTin96PdX8?si=ELO4i6JTpez27oyU

Anger: https://youtu.be/qQs48V1NQQk

Dissociation: https://youtu.be/96sTz5N_5io?si=daNIu6jZ_bBnJK4R

BPD severity: https://youtu.be/k7tICsQMdDI?si=cD_7w0iSR5f5tgIL

Favorite person: https://youtu.be/iLKTVvBjnsk?si=JGgFasUo37SRnFJ_

Kati Morton therapist on YouTube: (1) Kati Morton - YouTube.  Helps with general therapy tips.  Great videos on rejection sensitivity dysphoria.

Crappy Childhood Fairy on YouTube: (1) Crappy Childhood Fairy - YouTube.  Has a lot of interesting ideas on childhood trauma and limerence.

Heide Priebe therapist on YouTube:            (1) Heidi Priebe - YouTube.  Fabulous resources for limerence, attachment theory, and toxic shame.

Pete Walker, M.A. Psychotherapy (pete-walker.com) Great resource for cPTSD, which is often co-existing with BPD.

IFS Buddy Chatbot (ifs-therapist.vercel.app) – great therapy bot using IFS modality – you can chat with it about how you’re feeling and really helps tuning in to emotions

Home - Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) Tools – great website that lays out DBT tools and how to use the modules [per my DBT group we did the modules in this order and it helped:  Mindfulness then Distress Tolerance then Mindfulness again then Emotional Regulation then Mindfulness again, then Interpersonal Effectiveness.]

Skill specific: DEAR MAN DEAR MAN Skill - Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) Tools

Nightmare protocol: Nightmare Protocol | DBT Self Help

System Speak Community – good community and podcast for those with DID diagnosis, and even though I don’t carry that diagnosis, it helped me with identifying depersonalization/derealization symptoms.

Live Meetings - ITR (intherooms.com) – free meetings for 12-step groups, including ACA and CODA

I Am Always Stuck in My Own Head - YouTube – healthygamergg

Dr Michael Greenberg - Rumination is a compulsion (#252) - The OCD Stories | Podcast on Spotify – good podcast on rumination/OCD