Loving Someone with BPD

What does it really mean to love someone with Borderline Personality Disorder*? In this powerful episode, we flip the lens, not just on living with BPD, but on loving someone who does.

BPD is often misunderstood, and so are the relationships surrounding it. Partners, friends, and family are sometimes labeled as "enablers," or warned that people with BPD are “toxic” or “manipulative.” But what’s the reality behind the stigma?

🌱 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 guided meditations made for emotional regulation, BPD, and more? Check out our YouTube channel Empowered Heroes for free meditations created with love and care: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@Empoweredheroes⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Also available on ⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify at Empowered Heroes Meditations⁠⁠⁠⁠.

📩 For support on your BPD recovery journey with DBT-based skills and Mindfulness practices, email me for a free 30-Minute Consultation: ⁠steff@bpdsupport.org⁠ or check out the website: www.bpdsupport.org

*If you or someone you care about is struggling with symptoms of BPD, know that you’re not alone. Support is out there, and healing is absolutely possible.

📚 Referenced Research Includes:

Bouchard, S., Sabourin, S., Lussier, Y., & Villeneuve, E. (2009). Relationship quality and stability in couples when one partner suffers from borderline personality disorder. Journal of marital and family therapy, 35(4), 446-455. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1752-0606.2009.00151.x

Daley, S. E., Burge, D., & Hammen, C. (2000). Borderline personality disorder symptoms as predictors of 4-year romantic relationship dysfunction in young women: addressing issues of specificity. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 109(3), 451. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-843X.109.3.451

Gunderson, J. G., Weinberg, I., & Choi-Kain, L. (2013). Borderline personality disorder. Focus, 11(2), 129-145. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.focus.11.2.129

Fitzpatrick, S., Liebman, R. E., & Monson, C. M. (2021). The borderline interpersonal-affective systems (BIAS) model: Extending understanding of the interpersonal context of borderline personality disorder. Clinical psychology review, 84, 101983. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2021.101983

Lavner, J. A., Lamkin, J., & Miller, J. D. (2015). Borderline personality disorder symptoms and newlyweds’ observed communication, partner characteristics, and longitudinal marital outcomes. Journal of abnormal psychology, 124(4), 975. https://doi.org/10.1037/abn0000095

Miano, A., Grosselli, L., Roepke, S., & Dziobek, I. (2017). Emotional dysregulation in borderline personality disorder and its influence on communication behavior and feelings in romantic relationships. Behaviour research and therapy, 95, 148-157. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2017.06.002

Navarro-Gómez, S., Frías, Á., & Palma, C. (2017). Romantic relationships of people with borderline personality: A narrative review. Psychopathology, 50(3), 175-187. https://doi.org/10.1159/000474950