Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) makes it difficult for people to manage their emotions and handle relationships.
Therapy is a helpful way to learn how to control these emotions and build better relationships.
In Atlanta, there are different types of Therapy for BPD in Atlanta, such as Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), which can help a lot.
This guide will show you the best therapy options in Atlanta for treating BPD and explain how they can help people feel better and live healthier, happier lives.
Understanding BPD and Its Symptoms
Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is a mental health condition that affects how people think and feel about themselves and others.
People with BPD often have very strong emotions, have trouble with relationships, and worry a lot about being abandoned.
They might find it hard to control their feelings, which can lead to sudden mood changes, impulsive actions, and difficulty keeping healthy relationships.
Some signs of BPD are feeling empty or like something is missing, having trouble with how they see themselves, and feeling really angry or sad.
People with BPD may struggle to manage their emotions, which can make them do things without thinking, like taking risks or having big emotional outbursts.
Sometimes, they might hurt themselves or even threaten to commit suicide when their emotions feel too overwhelming.
The Importance of Therapy for BPD
Therapy is like having a really good coach who helps people with BPD learn how to handle their big, overwhelming feelings.
Without this help, BPD can make life really tough – it becomes hard to keep friends, do well at school or work, and deal with everyday problems.
This can make people feel really sad and stressed out a lot of the time.
BPD therapy is like going to school to learn special skills for dealing with emotions.
Instead of letting feelings take over and make you do things you might regret, therapy teaches you better ways to handle when you’re upset, angry, or scared.
It’s like learning how to be the boss of your emotions instead of letting them be the boss of you.
The really cool thing about BPD therapy is that it doesn’t just help you manage tough times – it actually helps you feel happier and more confident in general.
You learn awesome skills like staying calm when things get stressful, understanding what you’re feeling and why, and talking to people in ways that make relationships stronger instead of causing fights.
What to Expect from BPD Therapy
When you start therapy for Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), the first thing the therapist will do is ask you questions to understand how you’re feeling and help set goals for your treatment.
BPD therapy usually has a plan and can last a few months or even years, depending on how strong the symptoms are and how well you’re doing.
A common type of therapy for BPD is called Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT).
In DBT, you’ll learn how to pay attention to your feelings (mindfulness), control your emotions, and get better at dealing with others.
You’ll also work on ways to stop doing things that might hurt yourself or others and how to handle stressful situations better.
In therapy, you’ll have both one-on-one sessions with your therapist and group sessions where you practice with other people who are working on the same things.
Therapy for BPD can be hard at times, but it helps you get better at understanding your feelings, having better relationships with others, and leading a happier life.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
DBT is like a really good toolbox for people with BPD who have super strong emotions that feel hard to control.
A doctor named Dr. Marsha Linehan created DBT to help people stop doing things that hurt themselves when they get upset, like cutting or acting without thinking first.
The main idea behind DBT is learning how to accept yourself the way you are right now, while also working to change the things that make life harder.
DBT teaches four super important skills that work like superpowers for handling tough situations:
- Mindfulness is like being a calm observer of your own feelings. Instead of getting swept away by anger or sadness, you learn to notice what you’re feeling without judging yourself for it. It’s like watching clouds pass by in the sky – you see them, but you don’t get caught up in them.
- Distress Tolerance teaches you what to do when everything feels terrible and you want to do something dangerous or hurtful. It’s like having an emergency kit of safe things to do when you’re really upset, so you don’t make choices you’ll regret later.
- Emotional Regulation helps you figure out what you’re feeling and why, then teaches you how to turn down the volume on those big emotions. Think of it like having a remote control for your feelings – you can’t always change the channel, but you can adjust how loud they are.
- Interpersonal Effectiveness is about getting better at talking to people and making friends. It teaches you how to ask for what you need, say no when you need to, and keep relationships healthy and strong.
In Atlanta, lots of therapists know how to teach DBT skills.
They offer both one-on-one sessions and group classes where you can practice with other people.
DBT is really good at helping people with BPD because it gives them real tools they can use every day to feel better and get along better with others.
Many people who learn DBT say it helps them feel more in control of their lives and happier overall.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is another powerful therapy used to treat individuals with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), particularly those who have experienced trauma.
EMDR helps individuals process and heal from traumatic memories by using guided eye movements.
The therapy is based on the idea that traumatic memories can become “stuck” in the brain, causing ongoing distress.
EMDR aims to “unlock” these memories, allowing the brain to process them in a healthier way.
During EMDR sessions, a therapist guides the individual through recalling painful memories while using bilateral stimulation, such as following the movement of the therapist’s fingers or hearing alternating tones.
This stimulation helps the brain process the traumatic event, reducing its emotional charge.
Over time, this can lead to a significant reduction in emotional distress related to past traumas.
For people with BPD who have a history of trauma, EMDR can be particularly effective.
It allows them to process past experiences that may be contributing to their current symptoms, such as emotional instability, impulsive behavior, and relationship difficulties.
Many therapy centers in Atlanta offer EMDR for individuals with BPD, helping them find relief from trauma and work toward healing.
Mentalization-Based Treatment (MBT): Understanding Your Feelings Better
MBT is a special kind of therapy that helps people get better at understanding their own feelings and thoughts.
It also teaches them how to understand what other people might be thinking or feeling.
This is really helpful for people with BPD because they often have trouble figuring out what’s going on in social situations and keeping friendships strong.
Think of “mentalizing” like being a detective of your own emotions.
MBT teaches you to stop and think about why you feel a certain way or why you acted the way you did.
For example,
If someone with BPD gets really upset when a friend doesn’t text back right away, MBT helps them understand that maybe their friend was just busy, not ignoring them on purpose.
The therapy works by helping people slow down and think before they react.
Instead of jumping to conclusions or getting really emotional right away, MBT teaches you to pause and ask yourself:
“What am I feeling right now?”
and
“What might the other person be thinking?”
This makes it easier to handle tough emotions and get along better with family and friends.
MBT usually happens in two ways: one-on-one sessions with a therapist and group sessions with other people learning the same skills.
Transference-Focused Therapy (TFT): Understanding How Past Relationships Affect You Now
TFT is a special kind of therapy made just for people with BPD.
It works by looking really carefully at how you and your therapist get along together, and then figuring out how your past relationships with family or friends might be affecting how you feel and act today.
The main idea is that once you understand these patterns, you can start making better choices about how you handle your emotions.
During TFT, you and your therapist pay close attention to something called “transference” – which is when you accidentally treat your therapist the same way you treated important people from your past.
Maybe you expect them to leave you or get mad at you, just like someone else did before.
By talking about these feelings, you can discover hidden emotional problems, like being scared people will abandon you or not feeling good about yourself.
TFT works really well for people who have trouble keeping friendships or who don’t understand why they get so upset sometimes.
Schema Therapy: Fixing Old Thinking Patterns That Cause Problems
Schema Therapy helps people with BPD find and change really deep thinking patterns called “schemas” that started when they were kids.
Think of schemas like invisible rules in your brain that tell you things about yourself or the world, but sometimes these rules are wrong and hurtful.
For example,
Someone with BPD might have a schema that says “I’m not good enough” or “people always leave me,” which makes it hard to have good relationships when they grow up.
In Schema Therapy, you and your therapist work together like detectives to find these hidden negative thoughts and prove they’re not true.
The goal is to replace the bad thinking patterns with better, healthier ones that actually help you feel good about yourself.
The therapist uses lots of different fun activities like acting out situations and using your imagination to help you deal with sad things that happened in the past and heal those emotional hurts.
Schema Therapy works really well for people with BPD who have super strong emotional reactions and trouble keeping friends or family relationships steady.
By fixing these deep-down thinking problems, people can feel more balanced and stable emotionally.
Costs and Insurance Coverage for BPD Therapy in Atlanta
The cost of therapy for Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) can vary depending on the type of treatment and the therapist’s experience.
In Atlanta, therapy sessions typically range from $100 to $250 per session, depending on the therapist and the treatment type.
Specialized therapies like DBT and EMDR may cost more due to the training required for these approaches.
Insurance coverage for BPD therapy depends on the individual’s insurance plan.
Many health insurance plans help pay for mental health treatment, including therapy for BPD.
But it’s important to talk to your insurance company to know exactly what they will cover.
Some therapists in Atlanta may also offer lower prices for people who don’t have insurance or who are struggling with money.
If you don’t have insurance, there are community health centers in Atlanta that offer therapy at a lower cost.
You can check these places and ask the therapist about payment options to find what works best for you.
Although therapy for BPD can cost money, it can be very helpful in the long run, making life easier and better to manage.
Moving Forward with Therapy
Picking the best therapy for BPD can make a huge difference in helping people control their big emotions and get along better with family and friends.
Atlanta has some really good therapy options like DBT, EMDR, and Schema Therapy that are specially made to help people understand what they’re feeling and deal with BPD symptoms in much healthier ways.
The really exciting news is that with the right help and support, people with BPD can live much happier and more stable lives.
The most important thing is to look at all the different therapy choices available, find the one that feels right for you, and then start working toward feeling better.
It might take some time, but getting the right therapy can truly change someone’s whole life for the better.
Take the first step today, reach out to a therapist in Atlanta, and start your path to emotional well-being.
