How DBT Can Be a Game-Changer for BPD

This episode explores the powerhouse toolkit of Dialectical Behavior Therapy: what it is, how it works on the brain, and why it's so often recommended.

Join us for a balanced, evidence-based look at the therapy that promises a “life worth living,” where we share our own experiences with the skills that changed everything. We keep it real about the criticisms, the time commitment, and practical options if you can’t access a full program.

Whether you're living with BPD, supporting someone who is, or just curious about life-changing coping skills, this episode is packed with practical takeaways and hope.

Trigger Warning: We mention sensitive topics. Take care and pause if you need to.

🌱 Have questions, stories, or something you’d like us to cover? We’d love to hear from you. Email us at bpddiariespodcast@gmail.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and let’s keep the conversation going.

🎧 Looking for meditations made for emotional regulation, BPD, and more? Check out Empowered Heroes for meditations created with love & care: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@Empoweredheroes⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Also available on ⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify at Empowered Heroes Meditations⁠⁠⁠⁠.

If you’d like more support in your journey toward BPD recovery, Steff offers 1:1 sessions using evidence-based tools from DBT and Mindfulness to help you heal. Email for a free 30-Minute Consultation:

📩 steff@bpdsupport.org or check out the website: www.bpdsupport.org

📚 Referenced Research Includes:

Cristea, I. A., Gentili, C., Cotet, C. D., Palomba, D., Barbui, C., & Cuijpers, P. (2017). Efficacy of psychotherapies for borderline personality disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Jama psychiatry, 74(4), 319-328. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2016.4287

Goodman, M., Carpenter, D., Tang, C. Y., Goldstein, K. E., Avedon, J., Fernandez, N., ... & Hazlett, E. A. (2014). Dialectical behavior therapy alters emotion regulation and amygdala activity in patients with borderline personality disorder. Journal of psychiatric research, 57, 108-116. doi:10.1016/j.jpsychires.2014.06.020.

Kliem, S., Kröger, C., & Kosfelder, J. (2010). Dialectical behavior therapy for borderline personality disorder: a meta-analysis using mixed-effects modeling. Journal of consulting and clinical psychology, 78(6), 936. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0021015

Linehan, M. (1993). Cognitive-behavioral treatment of borderline personality disorder. New York: Guilford Press.

Linehan, M. M., Armstrong, H. E., Suarez, A., Allmon, D., & Heard, H. L. (1991). Cognitive-behavioral treatment of chronically parasuicidal borderline patients. Archives of general psychiatry, 48(12), 1060-1064. https://doi.org/10.1001/archpsyc.1991.01810360024003

Linehan, M. M., Comtois, K. A., Murray, A. M., Brown, M. Z., Gallop, R. J., Heard, H. L., ... & Lindenboim, N. (2006). Two-year randomized controlled trial and follow-up of dialectical behavior therapy vs therapy by experts for suicidal behaviors and borderline personality disorder. Archives of general psychiatry, 63(7), 757-766. https://doi.org/10.1001/archpsyc.63.7.757

Schnell, K., & Herpertz, S. C. (2007). Effects of dialectic-behavioral-therapy on the neural correlates of affective hyperarousal in borderline personality disorder. Journal of psychiatric research, 41(10), 837-847. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2006.08.011

Stoffers-Winterling, J. M., Storebø, O. J., Kongerslev, M. T., Faltinsen, E., Todorovac, A., Jørgensen, M. S., ... & Simonsen, E. (2022). Psychotherapies for borderline personality disorder: a focused systematic review and meta-analysis. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 221(3), 538-552. Doi:10.1192/bjp.2021.204

Vonderlin, R., Boritz, T., Claus, C., Senyüz, B., Mahalingam, S., Schmelz, J., ... & Bohus, M. (2025). Trauma-focused dialectical behavior therapy: study protocol for a randomized controlled multi-center trial in online and face-to-face formats. Borderline Personality Disorder and Emotion Dysregulation, 12(1), 15. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40479-025-00294-3