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Back From The Borderline

PREMIUM: The impact of insecure attachment and childhood trauma (interview with personality disorder specialist Jen Roters)

Note: This is an OG episode of BFTB. For some of my older episodes, I’ve decided to archive them and make them available only for Premium Submarines. Enjoy this throwback episode. Original air date: 10/12/21


Original episode description: Among the symptoms of borderline personality disorder (BPD), insecurity in one's sense of self and relationships is often seen as a core feature. Fearing abandonment, alternating between idealizing and devaluing others (splitting), and rapidly shifting between moods, people who identify with BPD seem to share some of the basic elements of individuals with what’s known as an "insecure attachment style." In this episode, I had the opportunity to sit down with Jen Roters, a doctoral candidate of psychology at Brock University, where she has dedicated over ten years of her life to the study of childhood adversity related to attachment and personality disorder development.


Questions answered in this episode:


■ How different attachment styles influence borderline personality disorder

■ What are DBT skills and how can they be used for BPD recovery?

■ Can men have BPD?

■ How to help someone with BPD during an episode

■ What is an anxious attachment style?

■ What is emotional invalidation?

■ The role of childhood trauma and adverse childhood experiences in the development of BPD

■ BPD in teenagers

■ The Biosocial Theory of Borderline Personality Disorder

■ The Relationship Between BPD and Dissociation


Recommended resources:


Film | The Dhamma Brothers (documents the stories of a group of prisoners as they enter a meditation program)

Book | Healing the Shame that Binds You by John Bradshaw

Book | Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life: The New Acceptance and Commitment Therapy by Steven Hayes

Book | Building a Life Worth Living: A Memoir by Marsha Linehan


Disclaimer: information contained in this podcast episode is for educational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for treatment or consultation with a licensed mental health professional.

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