Struggling To Maintain Healthy, Stable Relationships?
Have impulsivity, emotional swings, and fear of rejection and abandonment been commonplace in your life lately? Did you experience a past traumatic event that you never truly healed from? Do you constantly feel anxious and insecure in your relationships?
Perhaps you’ve endured your fair share of gaslighting, love-bombing, and manipulation and are tired of navigating the waters of what feels like an emotionally abusive relationship. Or maybe you’ve been stuck in a trauma bond for so long that you don’t remember what it’s like to feel safe and loved.
Personality Disorder Symptoms Manifest In A Variety Of Ways
Borderline personality disorder (BPD) and narcissistic personality disorder (NPD) can affect people in many different and unique ways.
If you suffer from BPD you may be enduring emotional dysregulation, dissociation, chronic feelings of emptiness, avoidance, or clingy behavior. Perhaps you feel disconnected from your thoughts and actions. You may also have difficulty with your self-image, often adopting different identities or roles according to different situations.
On the other hand, if someone has NPD they may display a lack of empathy towards you and others, have no concept of boundaries, excessive need for admiration, arrogance, and a sense of entitlement.
Sometimes in life, certain things happen that are too much to handle on our own. Whether you suffer from Borderline personality disorder or you suspect your partner or loved one of having Narcissistic personality disorder, therapy can guide you toward recovering from trauma and learning valuable coping skills.
You’re Not Alone — Personality Disorders Are More Common Than You May Think
It’s estimated that one in every 100 people, or 1.4 percent of people living in the US experiences BPD. That’s nearly four million people. Of the four million, 75 percent are women, as they display their emotions more freely than men do. (1) Additionally, BPD is very frequently misdiagnosed as bipolar disorder because of the similarity in symptoms.
Approximately five percent of people have NPD. That means one in 200 people or 0.5 percent of the US population, has the disorder. Approximately 75 percent of people with NPD are men, however, the number could be higher because it is far less likely to be reported. (2)
While personality disorders like BPD and NPD can certainly present challenges, in therapy, individuals can heal from the trauma that created them in the first place.
Personality Disorders Are Birthed By Trauma
As a child, experiencing trauma like neglect, emotional, physical, or sexual abuse, or being exposed to long-term distress can result in the onset of BPD symptoms later in life. Trauma can profoundly influence your psychological and emotional well-being, which often leads to developing negative coping mechanisms and patterns of behavior associated with BPD.
Similar to BPD, those with NPD are likely to have experienced traumas early on in life. If they grew up in a household where the parenting styles were inconsistent and unpredictable, overly authoritarian, or perfectionistic, these could influence the development of narcissistic traits.
Fortunately, counseling with Pinkerton Psychotherapy can help you fully understand BPD or NPD and how the symptoms are affecting your life, as well as find effective ways to help you heal.
Therapy For Borderline Personality Disorder Or Narcissistic Personality Disorder Can Help You Experience Fulfilling Relationships
We understand it may be difficult to seek help because of how complex or misunderstood your situation may feel. Having BPD, or a relationship with someone who has NPD is challenging and confusing without the right guidance and support.
Our gentle therapists here at Pinkerton Psychotherapy want you to feel comfortable exploring your feelings, thoughts, and concerns in a safe space created to honor and validate your experiences.
Our Approach
The most common and effective treatment methods we use are Inner Child Work Therapy, Internal Family Systems (IFS), and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT).
Inner Child Work Therapy allows us to heal childhood traumas, identify maladaptive thought and behavioral patterns, develop self-compassion, and rebuild a positive sense of self.
Internal Family Systems (IFS) focuses on understanding and healing various parts within your internal system and how they contribute to the symptoms associated with the personality disorder.
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) incorporates emotional regulation, distress tolerance, and mindfulness practices to address challenges faced by those enduring BPD and NPD.
During BPD sessions, your therapist will also use talk therapy where you can learn coping skills to deal with mood swings, control impulsive behavior, boundary work, and self-damaging behaviors.
If you are diagnosed with NPD, through talk therapy, we can help you to learn more about the disorder by reducing grandiose and distorted thoughts with more positive and realistic ones.
Our ultimate goal in therapy is to give you the support and proper resources you need to experience healthy relationships not controlled by BPD or NPD.
Perhaps You Still Have Concerns About Personality Disorder Therapy…
I have shame about my BPD and many therapists have not helped me. I feel hopeless about ever having a healthy relationship.
Our compassionate, trained therapists can work with you to abolish the shame and resolve the trauma that caused the disorder to develop. You can learn healthy boundaries and coping skills coupled with behavior modification techniques that will help you to experience healthy relationships.
My wife/husband says I am a narcissist but I am not. I am here because they made me come to prove her she/he wrong.
Seeking therapy regardless of the issue, is always a step in the right direction. Most people with NPD will never seek therapy. That would suggest admitting a problem or having accountability — both of which are absent with NPD. However, a trained therapist can diagnose you correctly and identify where you may fall on the spectrum of narcissism.
I can’t end my relationship with a narcissist nor can I heal if I end it.
The trauma bond is painful, but at Pinkerton Psychotherapy we are experienced and can assist in healing from this. You will learn how to set boundaries and recognize red flags to avoid toxic relationships in the future.
You Can Have Healthy, Happy Relationships
If you’re tired of emotional dysregulation, impulsivity, manipulation, and trauma controlling your relationships, Pinkerton Psychotherapy can offer you a way to experience love the way you desire.
You no longer have to feel defined by a personality disorder. To get started on your healing journey, call our office at (713) 800-6999 or email us for more details.
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(1) https://www.talkspace.com/mental-health/conditions/articles/borderline-personality-disorder-vs-narcissism/#:~:text=People%20with%20NPD%2C%20for%20example,as%20“bad”%20or%20worthless.