Q. When my mother who suffers from BPD tells me about the way she feels, symptoms, hopelessness, I have a short attention span. I wrote to you recently about DBT and was pretty set against it. I’m now having second thoughts. My withdrawal, isolation has gone on for three months now. I know there’s an addicting quality to this type of lifestyle. It’s like don’t join the world, stay secluded. I’ve been going to work but its going through the motions.
Sometimes it feels like there’s a switch in me that says, it’s O.K. to come out now. But I’m experiencing a lot of resistance today. I wonder if these DBT sessions can touch this resistance. Does Dr. Heller believe in these types of therapies?
A. Yes. Retraining the brain is what it’s all about. There are different ways to do it. Since we are the total of our thoughts, particularly the last 21 days, changing the way we think is crucial. Take a look at the affirmations section of the Website.
I’m a huge believer that the meds have to be right before any therapy can do it’s job. You basically described getting caught in a comfort zone – a comfort zone full of misery, but a comfort zone none the less. Suffering doesn’t make like any easier, and it’s never a good answer. Neither is isolation – temporary prevention of pain, long term worsening of pain.