Does anyone get better

I don't mean in the sense that they are just better able to control their actions, but I mean genuinely improve their feeling of contentness/happiness? I'm starting schema therapy next week and the only thing that's keeping me going is that this will significantly improve my life. But I'm worried that the results will be disappointing and then I'll have no hope left. Has anyone with BPD experienced signficant improvement after getting treatement or know someone who has?

I have BPD, I've received treatment and I am on meds for my erratic moods and aggresiveness.
People say I appear better, I don't feel like I am. But, I am able to watch my mouth a bit better.

It's tough. I saw the light of "betterness" for about two months DURING the five months that I've been diagnosed with BPD - during this time there was no impulsivity, no self-injury, a good general outlook on life, and I was walking in my faith. Then I crashed with some thought of "What's the point?" Dangerous, that one could come spiraling down so quickly! But I have hope that things can get better, because I saw it in myself for a time.
~ Wolfy

1. You have to WANT and BELIEVE in the therapy. It's not a magic trick where you come in, a spell is cast upon you and it all is rainbows and sunshine from then on.
2. ... I thought I had several points to share...

Well, anyway. You are the key to getting better. If you want, you will work hard along with the therapy and I believe if you do, you will get better. Again, thing will not magically be all better. You will learn to understand some things and when you'll be more aware of them, you'll learn to control it better. <--- (best case scenario)

I wish you good luck and no relapses....

I had no professional therapy. Just myself. and I do get "better", but then something comes crashing down and I'm crazy again....

chowyunphattie wrote:Has anyone with BPD experienced signficant improvement after getting treatement or know someone who has?

15 years ago I struggled to get through most days. Now there are extended periods - like weeks - when I'm content, even happy. Keep trying - you can learn something from any therapist..

You do and will get better. You can work through your own "stuff" with the help of therapy. Its may be a slow process but if you are patient you will get better. IMO after a certain point with the knowledge and understanding that you have garnered you may decide that its time to look forward and be better. Take a look at your attitude toward getting better, what do you believe?

I really want to get better. It's just a question of what better means. I want to get through a day not just without sobbing uncontrollably, but also just being content and happy to be alive. I want to have meaningful relationships. I want to feel the extreme joy that I sometimes do. I am starting schema therapy next week. I'm putting a lot of stock into it and see this as hopefully a life-changing step. I just worry that I'm overestimating the impact it can have.

chowyunphattie wrote:I really want to get better. It's just a question of what better means. I want to get through a day not just without sobbing uncontrollably, but also just being content and happy to be alive. I want to have meaningful relationships. I want to feel the extreme joy that I sometimes do. I am starting schema therapy next week. I'm putting a lot of stock into it and see this as hopefully a life-changing step. I just worry that I'm overestimating the impact it can have.

Yea, you might wanna watch out, because it sounds to me like it's all or nothing for you with that upcoming therapy. Better to have little hope and be pleasantly surprised rather than have high hopes and be disappointed. Try not to think about the therapy working or not. Be in the moment and engage in it and you will see with time. Ex. "meaningful relationships" - you can't have that if the other person isn't on the same wavelength as you are. No matter your mental state...

###$ yeah! I still have some ways to go, but I got SO MUCH BETTER. And without meds! (diagnosed BPD)
Here are some tips that really helped me!

1. Realize that you have an illness and that the symptoms are not YOU. They're like a scab, once it's healed if falls and never come back, it's not a part of your skin, of your entity.
2. Realize that you have SO much more power than you think. The mind can accomplish amazing things. Mindfulness and meditation is the gym of the brain. Practice everyday.
3. Chow down on literature on your illness, I feel like 50% of the behaviors I learned were symptoms and had no idea they were, disappear just upon learning about them.
4. Don't be afraid to tell the people around you about what you have! It's not always easy but coming up to someone with a "I apologize for my irrational behavior, you know I have a disorder and I'm sorry I acted wrongly with you, I can see that now" will impress people so much they will WANT to help you!!
5. Use logic against instinct. We're the only one who need to do this you know moving in with a lover you had for 2 weeks is irrational, even if it feels SSSOO RRIIGHHT so use your brain!

I hope these help you and seriously, don't lost hope there is an end game, but there will be a million relapse, the important part is to believe!! If you believe you will be unstoppable! I think I started believing the day that I was in the more pain I ever been and I just thought to myself "it makes NO ######6 sense that someone would be born without the ability to be happy since it's pretty much the purpose of life".

To answer your question: ABSOLUTELY!!! and its amazing.

The above post gave really great tips, I will share some of the things that helped me as well.

I completely absorbed myself in BPD. I read every article, books, research studies, etc I could get my hands on. I am a mental health counselor and I work with many individuals with BPD as well, so technically, I had to learn about the illness not just from a subjective perspective, but from an objective point of view. And I began to look at myself objectively, from the outside looking in. I began to learn my triggers (I kept one of those mood chart calendars apps) and I would keep track of my moods, when they would change, what time of day, what circumstances, what people would cause it, etc. I learned that over-stimulation was a huge trigger for me. I began to work my life around my triggers. I also recognized romantic relationships are a huge trigger for me (so I was celibate and NO DATING for 2 years). That, by far, helped me the MOST. Being completely single and unattached to a man has strengthened my relationship with myself in ways I never could have imagined possible. If I could recommend anything in your recovery, it would be that. My insecurities melted away, my mood swings, my anxiety, my abandonment fears, my worthlessness, my self-harming, my anger, my hate, my extreme irritability, all of it gone! It was replaced by a renewed sense of self, self-love, self-respect, self-worth, a strong relationship with God. I can now name a 100 things I love about myself and can't think of ONE thing I dislike about me (this was actually an assignment given by a psychiatrist). I got to this point all without ANY medication or therapy (I'm not suggesting this for you or anyone else - just saying what worked for me) and I re-dedicated myself to a healthier diet and lifestyle which just increases my self-esteem and confidence.

So in a nutshell:
1.Be single while you're recovering - you should avoid distractions from your relationship with you.
2. Absorb yourself in your diagnosis so that you learn everything there is to know about yourself.
3. Learn your TRIGGERS!! and then work your life around them.
4. Strengthen your spirituality. It helps you to get outside of your own head and your own problems. Mindfulness is an awesome practice and can be done anytime/anywhere.
5. Figure out what your purpose is and pursue it with all your might regardless of the naysayers.
6. Spend time with yourself. Have conversations with yourself out loud as you would a friend. Become your own best friend. Laugh at the silly things you do. Discover the awesome qualities about yourself. All of this will start to attract great, positive things/people into your life.
7. BOUNDARIES, BOUNDARIES, BOUNDARIES - figure out what yours are, and stick to them!
8. Be Selfish! Your life is on the line - you are allowed to absorb yourself in YOU and your treatment and recovery right now. Don't feel guilty and don't apologize for this.
9. Don't run from the new person you will become: This is a difficult one. As you begin to feel healthier and whole, it will feel foreign and uncomfortable, you will want to relapse. Keep going. When you live with self-hate, self-harm and self-destruction for so long, you get used to it and its all you know. Take comfort in getting to know the new you. Grieve the old you and thank her/him for being strong enough to endure so much to get you to this point.
And understand that is what you are: STRONG. Not many people can live the lives we've endured and we're still here, still standing. It will get better if you keep standing.

Hope this helps someone!