Mindfulness for Borderline Personality Disorder

Blaise Aguirre and Gillian Galen, both based out of Harvard Medical School, have written a book that is one part guide, one part Buddhist manual, and one part scientific compendium. That may sound like almost too much to cover in a mere 181 pages of text, but the authors pull it off splendidly. Mindfulness for Borderline Personality Disorder: Relieve Your Suffering Using the Core Skill of Dialectical Behavior Therapy is meant to improve the lives of those living with or touched by Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). The science flows and the narration is easy to read; the guide is helpful rather than overbearing, and the interspersing of Buddhist philosophy provides a big-picture perspective on the human condition. The authors give a description and breakdown of BPD, and highlight new advances in the neurobiology of the disorder. In my own struggle to manage emotions more effectively, this book has helped. Many pages resonated with me not only because I have taken several courses in mindfulness meditation, but also because I can identify with some of the patterns of behavior displayed by those living with BPD. Mindfulness meditation, as the book points out, is not about sitting on a cushion for three hours a day or chanting “ohm” in an attempt to slap bliss over every emotion. On the contrary, mindfulness meditation encourages recognition of the wide palate of human emotions, but also keenly encourages one not to fixate on these temporary feelings. Work in mindfulne...
Source: Psych Central - Category: Psychiatry Authors: Tags: Book Reviews Borderline Personality General Psychology Psychotherapy Relaxation and Meditation Aguirre Behavior Therapy Big Picture Blaise Bliss Borderline Personality Disorder Buddhist Philosophy Compendium Core Skill Denial Source Type: news