Review
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""Mindfulness for Borderline Personality Disorder "is an indispensable book for anyone suffering from BPD.
Packed with innovative techniques and ancient wisdom, it answers the often-asked question, how can mindfulness help me
with specific BPD symptoms? Aguirre and Galen have successfully answered this question with an exceptional book full of
concrete exercises and personal examples. They teach us how to build the muscle of mindfulness in all areas of our
lives, uniting mindfulness skills with practices of compassion, meditation, and self-reflection. I've found this book to
be an essential companion to Marsha Linehan's "Skills Training Manual for Treating Borderline Personality Disorder,"
complimenting and expanding on the critical foundation of core mindfulness by helping us apply awareness and compassion
to ourselves, our relationships, and the world we live in. My copy of" Mindfulness for Borderline Personality Disorder
"is already highlighted and dog-eared after only one reading, and I am certain this valuable book will be an enduring
resource and inspiration for all those on the path of BPD recovery."
--Kiera Van Gelder, author of "The Buddha and the Borderline"
"Mindfulness for Borderline Personality Disorder "is an indispensable book for anyone suffering from BPD. Packed with
innovative techniques and ancient wisdom, it answers the often-asked question, how can mindfulness help me with specific
BPD symptoms? Aguirre and Galen have successfully answered this question with an exceptional book full of concrete
exercises and personal examples. They teach us how to build the muscle of mindfulness in all areas of our lives, uniting
mindfulness skills with practices of compassion, meditation, and self-reflection. I've found this book to be an
essential companion to Marsha Linehan's "Skills Training Manual for Treating Borderline Personality Disorder,"
complimenting and expanding on the critical foundation of core mindfulness by helping us apply awareness and compassion
to ourselves, our relationships, and the world we live in. My copy of" Mindfulness for Borderline Personality Disorder
"is already highlighted and dog-eared after only one reading, and I am certain this valuable book will be an enduring
resource and inspiration for all those on the path of BPD recovery.
Kiera Van Gelder, author of "The Buddha and the Borderline""
Until relatively recently, there has been little to relieve the pronounced suffering of those living with borderline
personality disorder. In their lucid and deeply compassionate book, Blaise Aguirre and Gillian Galen explore how
mindfulnessthe essential strategy in dialectical behavior therapy, developed by preeminent psychologist Marsha
Linehancan open the doors to genuine healing. This informative and accessible guide includes a rich set of mindfulness
exercises and short case studies to bring inner ease, resourcefulness, and freedom. Whether you experience borderline
symptomology, have loved ones who struggle with this condition, or are a therapist seeking to enhance your skills, this
book will provide you with invaluable support and inspiration."
Tara Brach, PhD, author of Radical Acceptance and True Refuge"
Finally, a practical guide for helping individuals improve their BPD symptoms by applying the core DBT skill of
mindfulness. Aguirre and Galen have applied mindfulness to borderline personality disorder in a unique and precise way.
This is a book many people suffering from BPD can use to improve the quality of their lives."
Michael Roy, LCSW, founder and executive director of Clearview Women s Center for Borderline Personality Disorder"
Aguirre and Galen have written a lucid, elegant, and practical book. Speaking directly to the individual with borderline
personality disorder, they offer accessible explanations and instructions for applying ancient mindfulness practices to
current suffering, destructive urges, waves of emotional pain, and endangered relationshipsall in the service of
building a life worth living. The authors are effective, even ingenious, in showing how to use each of the six core
mindfulness skills in dialectical behavior therapy to address each of the painful features of borderline personality
disorder, which include feelings of emptiness, identity disturbances, episodes of dissociation and paranoia, and
self-hatred. The vignettes are true-to-life, the explanations of neuroscience and Buddhism are understandable, the
prescribed practices are immediately useful, and the whole package is presented with a maximum of clarity, a minimum of
jargon, and a tone of compassion. I can t wait to prescribe this book to my patients; indeed, I think it has already
made me a better teacher!
Charles Swenson, MD, associate clinical professor of psychiatry, University of Massachusetts Medical School, with a
private practice of psychiatry and psychotherapy in Northampton, MA"
Bringing together dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), biological science, and mindfulness traditions with their own
clinical wisdom, Aguirre and Galen offer a comprehensive user s guide for managing the mental anguish associated with
borderline personality disorder (BPD). Whether already experienced or brand new to DBT, those recovering from BPD will
find their ins and practices invaluable for growing in self-acceptance and effective living. I highly recommend
this book to individuals who feel trapped in a life of suffering.
Seth R. Axelrod, PhD, associate professor in the department of psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine"
This small gem of a book takes the reader on a quiet, but powerful journey of healing as the practice of mindfulness is
systematically applied to the core problem areas of borderline personality disorder. The authors show exactly how one
can take a life filled with suicidal thoughts and self-destructive behaviors and change it by applying mindfulness
skills to underlying dysregulation of emotions, thoughts, behaviors, relationships, and experiences of self. They do
this through clear explanations, step-by-step instructions, and excellent case examples. By the end, one has a deep
appreciation of the central role of mindfulness practice in overcoming borderline pathology and building a live worth
living. It also offers actual clinical skills to help patients develop mindfulness skills where it counts. This is an
invaluable book for sufferers of BPD and for all who work with them.
Don Ross, MD, medical director of the Retreat at Sheppard Pratt and clinical associate professor of psychiatry at the
University of Maryland"
Blaise Aguirre and Gillian Galen's book offers positive coping skills and real inspiration to people working to move
beyond the suffering arising from their struggles with BPD. This clear presentation of the practices of mindfulness and
loving kindness ties in closely with their work as dialectical behavior therapists, and is a most valuable contribution.
Sharon Salzberg, author of Lovingkindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness, and cofounder of the In Meditation
Society"
Mindfulness for Borderline Personality Disorder is an indispensable book for anyone suffering from BPD. Packed with
innovative techniques and ancient wisdom, it answers the often-asked question, how can mindfulness help me with specific
BPD symptoms? Aguirre and Galen have successfully answered this question with an exceptional book full of concrete
exercises and personal examples. They teach us how to build the muscle of mindfulness in all areas of our lives, uniting
mindfulness skills with practices of compassion, meditation, and self-reflection. I've found this book to be an
essential companion to Marsha Linehan's Skills Training Manual for Treating Borderline Personality Disorder,
complimenting and expanding on the critical foundation of core mindfulness by helping us apply awareness and compassion
to ourselves, our relationships, and the world we live in. My copy of Mindfulness for Borderline Personality Disorder is
already highlighted and dog-eared after only one reading, and I am certain this valuable book will be an enduring
resource and inspiration for all those on the path of BPD recovery.
Kiera Van Gelder, author of The Buddha and the Borderline"
Aguirre and Galen use their combined years of experience working with teens and young adults diagnosed with BPD to
produce an excellent book for consumers, family members, and professionals. They review various aspects of mindfulness
and how it can help individuals diagnosed with BPD reduce their suffering while increasing their capacity for pleasure
and joy. The authors provide helpful instructions on how to set up a formal mindfulness practice as well as how to
practice mindfulness in daily living. I commend the authors for taking sophisticated content about mindfulness and
borderline personality disorder and making it easy to understand and apply."
Alec Miller, cofounder of Cognitive and Behavioral Consultants of Westchester and Manhattan and professor of clinical
psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY"
Book Description
----------------
Mindfulness for Borderline Personality Disorder offers a new, mindfulness-based approach to emotion
regulation and the common symptoms associated with BPD.