Resources

Please see below for resources which I have found to be helpful. As Rosie Cappuccino points out in her book, there is no end to the literature which suggests those with BPD are manipulative, or can have narcissistic traits (one branch of BPD solely focuses on narcissistic symptoms, but I don't feel the terminology is helpful at all.)

Talking about DBT, a book by Rosie Cappuccino. This is really good resource for those wanting a relatable description of the nine criteria as well as those wishing for a way to be in the right frame of mind to talk to their family or friends about it.

DBT & Me is a Podcast with Kate Sherman & Michelle Henderson. I listened to the episodes of this podcast a lot when I was first exploring the symptoms as well as how DBT could help in a practical way to self regulate my emotions. They explore Half-Smile/Willing Hands, Emotions, Check the Facts, Effective Re-Thinking and Paired Relaxation, Ride the Wave/Urge Surfing, Living Dialectically. With a number of their episodes they explore the importance of disrupting the body's reinforcement of a certain emotion and how we can trick the body into relaxing. If we can master this, we can stop some of the build up of tension within our bodies and this can give us the space which we need to step back from the urgency and the full force of the emotion which we can so easily 'become.'

Progressive Muscle Relaxation- Excel at Life

This was one of the first resources I found and which continues to be part of my nightly routine. Within the audio you are asked to tense and release certain muscles in your body. At first I was sceptical and didn't think it would ever work. I always have had difficultly falling asleep and can't shut off my thoughts and it wasn't unusual to still be trying 2 or three hours later. Within 3 or 4 months I was able to fall asleep so much easier. It also helps during the day as I can notice when my muscles are tense and notice what parts of my body tell me that I am anxious or angry even when I'm not sure myself.

Excel at Life Website and their Apps also have some great resources for tackling the symptoms for depression and anxiety. Audios also include Emotion Training, Grounding, Rational Thinking Improvement.

Certain meditations such as John Davisi- Calming Intense Emotions, can help to let go of difficult emotions.

The Dialectical Behaviour Therapy Skills Workbook by Matthew McKay (Author), Jeffrey C. Wood (Author) This is best to buy as a book as it is a workbook which you can write on and use to explore your journey of recovery as well as help to diagnose.  

EDMR Therapy

This is a therapy which may be more useful to those who find that talking to someone about the past doesn't alleviate it. For those of use who ruminate, it can simply re-awaken the emotion and open us up to fresh injury. EDMR helps to alleviate the pain we associate with a particular word or trigger and we don't have to talk about past traumas in quite so much detail.