Therapy for Bipolar and Borderline Personality Disorders

Bipolar and Borderline Personality Disorders involve significant challenges with emotional regulation, identity, and relationship stability. From a Self Psychology perspective, these struggles often relate to early experiences in which important emotional needs were not consistently understood or met. In my Manhattan practice, therapy provides a steady and supportive environment where greater stability and self-understanding can develop over time.

Bipolar Disorder: More Than Mood Swings

Bipolar Disorder is not simply about changing moods—it affects energy, perception, and one’s sense of continuity. Periods of elevation may function as attempts to escape feelings of emptiness or vulnerability, while depressive phases can bring heaviness and self-doubt. Our work focuses on recognizing relational and emotional patterns that accompany these shifts, while strengthening the internal supports that promote steadiness.

Borderline Personality: Navigating Emotional Intensity

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) often involves intense emotions, sensitivity in relationships, and uncertainty about identity. Many individuals experience a deep longing for connection alongside a fear of loss or abandonment. Therapy focuses on building a more secure and cohesive sense of self, allowing relationships to feel less destabilizing and more sustaining.

Shared Clinical Themes

• Relational Splitting: Learning to see oneself and others in more balanced, integrated ways rather than all-or-nothing terms.
• Identity Instability: Strengthening a stable inner sense of self that does not shift dramatically across situations.
• Emotional Surges: Developing the ability to stay present with intense feelings without being overwhelmed.
• Impulsive Coping: Understanding impulsive actions as attempts to regulate distress, and finding safer alternatives.

A Reflection on Resilience

"Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars."
— Kahlil Gibran

The Path Toward Stability

Our work combines empathic understanding with practical skill-building to support long-term change:

1. Strengthening Self-Cohesion

We work toward a more integrated sense of self so that emotional experiences feel connected rather than fragmented.

2. Developing Emotional Regulation

Drawing from Self Psychology and DBT-informed tools, we build strategies for managing intense feelings before they become overwhelming.

3. Understanding Emotional History

Exploring past relational experiences can bring clarity and reduce self-blame, replacing it with insight and self-compassion.

4. Building Healthier Relationships

As inner stability grows, relationships often become less conflict-driven and more supportive and reciprocal.