Finding Meaning and Purpose with BPD

Can a painful life also be one that's potentially meaningful?

The diagnosis of borderline personality disorder is often characterized by a lot of loneliness and emptiness.

Many people wonder what to do with their lives or are curious about what a life worth living even means for them. Finding purpose and meaning, however, can make a significant difference in the amount of hopefulness and satisfaction we experience in everyday life.

Beginning October 1, I'll be teaching an interactive online course that is designed to help you to find or create meaning in your own life. Throughout the month, you'll be asked to complete 12 different activities that I hope will inspire you. What happens next is up to you!

This course is open to persons diagnosed or in recovery from BPD, family members, and mental health professionals. If you are interested in creating a deeper, richer, and more meaningful life then this course is great place to start.

The books we'll be using for this course are:

Man's Search for Meaning
The Happiness of Pursuit: Finding the Quest that Will Bring Purpose to Your Life

I'll also be using information and ideas from:

The Feeling of Meaninglessness: A Challenge to Psychotherapy and Philosophy
Something Other Than God: How I Passionately Sought Happiness and Accidentally Found It
Wounds Not Healed by Time: The Power of Repentance and Forgiveness

Please note that you do not need to purchase these books in order to participate in the course.

Questions? I'm happy to answer to them. Please feel free to email me at amanda@hopeforbpd.com.

The cost is just $39. Click here to register today.

30 Days (+1) of Mentalizing

I'm proud to announce the second cycle of a pilot program I'm calling 30 Days of Mentalizing, will begin on August 1.

This peer-led psychoeducation opportunity will allow participants to learn about Mentalization Based Treatment (MBT)—an evidenced-based therapy. Through a daily e-mail, subscribers will be encouraged to engage in a variety of activities that help promote mentalizing—the ability to better understand our own thoughts and emotions and those of others.

MBT was originally created to treat borderline personality disorder but has now been adapted to help family members of those diagnosed with BPD. Valerie Porr—author of Overcoming Borderline Personality Disorder: A Family Guide to Healing and Change—has even called MBT the "missing piece" of dialectical behavior therapy.

Increasing our capacity to mentalize may help us to:

• develop our social cognition skills
• begin to eliminate misunderstandings with those we care about
• be more aware of how our behaviors can affect others 
• connect in more meaningful ways 
• better understand our world

The pilot is open to individuals with a diagnosis of a mental illness, family members, and mental health professionals. Please note, however, that 30 Days of Mentalizing is not a therapy program nor is it intended to be a substitute for treatment, care or consultation with a licensed healthcare professional. If you are wondering if this psychoeducation program may be appropriate for you, please ask your healthcare provider.

This psychoeducation program is limited to 30 participants and costs just $15. Subscribers will be asked to fill out an anonymous survey at the end of pilot and will be entered into a drawing to receive a $50 gift certificate from either Amazon.com or iTunes.

Registration is now closed for 30 Days (+1) of Mentalizing. If you'd like to be placed on the waiting list for the next cycle, please let me know by e-mailing amanda@hopeforbpd.com.