Mindfulness for Borderline Personality Disorder offers a new, mindfulness-based approach to emotion regulation and the common symptoms associated with BPD.
Blaise Aguirre, MD, is an assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. He is expert in child, adolescent and adult psychotherapy, including dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), and psychopharmacology. He is medical director of 3East at Harvard-affiliated McLean Hospital. Dr. Aguirre has been a staff psychiatrist at McLean since 2000 and is widely recognized for his extensive work in the treatment of mood and personality disorders in adolescents. He is the author of Parenting Your Child with Autism: Practical Solutions, Strategies, and Advice for Helping Your Family, Biographies of Disease: Depression, Borderline Personality Disorder in Adolescents, A Complete Guide to Understanding and Coping When Your Adolescent Has BPD, and Helping Your Troubled Teen: Learn to Recognize, Understand, and Address the Destructive Behavior of Today's Teens and Preteens.Gillian Galen, PsyD, is an instructor in psychology at Harvard Medical School. She is the assistant director of training and senior psychologist at 3East the Harvard-affiliated McLean Hospital-a unique, residential DBT program for young women exhibiting self-endangering behaviors and borderline personality traits. She specializes in adolescent psychotherapy, including DBT. She has a particular interest in using mindfulness and yoga in the treatment of BPD and other psychiatric illnesses. Dr. Galen has been a registered yoga instructor since 2008.
"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 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, MD, associate clinical
professor of psychiatry, University of Massachusetts Medical
School, with a private practice of psychiatry and psychotherapy in
Northampton, MA
"Bringing together dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), biological
science, and mindfulness traditions with their own clinical wisdom,
Aguirre and Galen offer a comprehensive user's guide for managing
the mental anguish associated with borderline personality disorder
(BPD). Whether already experienced or brand new to DBT, those
recovering from BPD will find their insights and practices
invaluable for growing in self-acceptance and effective living. I
highly recommend this book to individuals who feel trapped in a
life of suffering."
--Seth R. Axelrod, PhD, associate professor in the
department of psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine
"This small gem of a book takes the reader on a quiet, but powerful
journey of healing as the practice of mindfulness is systematically
applied to the core problem areas of borderline personality
disorder. The authors show exactly how one can take a life filled
with suicidal thoughts and self-destructive behaviors and change it
by applying mindfulness skills to underlying dysregulation of
emotions, thoughts, behaviors, relationships, and experiences of
self. They do this through clear explanations, step-by-step
instructions, and excellent case examples. By the end, one has a
deep appreciation of the central role of mindfulness practice in
overcoming borderline pathology and building a live worth living.
It also offers actual clinical skills to help patients develop
mindfulness skills where it counts. This is an invaluable book for
sufferers of BPD and for all who work with them."
--Don Ross, MD, medical director of the Retreat at
Sheppard Pratt and clinical associate professor of psychiatry at
the University of Maryland
"Blaise Aguirre and Gillian Galen's book offers positive coping
skills and real inspiration to people working to move beyond the
suffering arising from their struggles with BPD. This clear
presentation of the practices of mindfulness and loving kindness
ties in closely with their work as dialectical behavior therapists,
and is a most valuable contribution."
--Sharon Salzberg, author of Lovingkindness:
The Revolutionary Art of Happiness, and cofounder of the
Insight Meditation Society
"Mindfulness for Borderline Personality Disorder is an
indispensable book for anyone suffering from BPD. Packed with
innovative techniques and ancient wisdom, it answers the
often-asked question, how can mindfulness help me with specific BPD
symptoms? Aguirre and Galen have successfully answered this
question with an exceptional book full of concrete exercises and
personal examples. They teach us how to build the muscle of
mindfulness in all areas of our lives, uniting mindfulness skills
with practices of compassion, meditation, and self-reflection. I've
found this book to be an essential companion to Marsha Linehan's
Skills Training Manual for Treating Borderline Personality
Disorder, complimenting and expanding on the critical
foundation of core mindfulness by helping us apply awareness and
compassion to ourselves, our relationships, and the world we live
in. My copy of Mindfulness for Borderline Personality
Disorder is already highlighted and dog-eared after only one
reading, and I am certain this valuable book will be an enduring
resource and inspiration for all those on the path of BPD
recovery."
--Kiera Van Gelder, author of The Buddha and
the Borderline
"Aguirre and Galen use their combined years of experience working
with teens and young adults diagnosed with BPD to produce an
excellent book for consumers, family members, and professionals.
They review various aspects of mindfulness and how it can help
individuals diagnosed with BPD reduce their suffering while
increasing their capacity for pleasure and joy. The authors provide
helpful instructions on how to set up a formal mindfulness practice
as well as how to practice mindfulness in daily living. I commend
the authors for taking sophisticated content about mindfulness and
borderline personality disorder and making it easy to understand
and apply."
--Alec Miller, cofounder of Cognitive and
Behavioral Consultants of Westchester and Manhattan and professor
of clinical psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Montefiore
Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY
"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
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