Many people with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and trauma struggle to find good therapy, and therapists who are effective to work with. While it is very possible to treat Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and trauma and offer people tremendous relief, that can be hard to find. In this post, I discuss Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and trauma, and how the two are linked and how to find helpful therapy.

In this blog post, I’m talking with my colleague and good friend, Sarahi Gutierrez, about the 10 Assumptions of Survivors. I personally consider Sarahi quite the expert in DBT. She is so masterful at engaging in this intervention, so I wanted to get her insight into how these assumptions can shape how we engage with survivors in the world and in the community, how we can engage with ourselves, and why these are so important.

Dr. KELSEY HARPER, Psy.D., is a practicing psychologist, writer, podcaster, and sexual assault survivor with a background in community work and activism. Her unique path to psychology, profound lived experiences, and inherent creativity have given her a vast perspective and razor-sharp discernment when it comes to treating her clients.

These are assumptions (or beliefs) that we should make an active choice to ascribe to as a way of interacting with survivors that’s actually helpful and effective and truly sees survivorship for what it is. Understanding that survivorship is a very unique experience and the transactions that survivors have with the outside world significantly influence their recovery is crucial. When the environment can hold beliefs about survivors that are more accurate, effective, and true to their experience, we can be more effective at helping survivors, dismantling rape culture, and ending sexual violence altogether.

Online trauma therapist Kelsey Harper, Psy.D. share why one of the more notable core values that she holds as a survivor and as someone who works with other survivors is to believe all survivors. It is one of the first podcast episodes Dr. Harper published back in 2021 on her podcast, Initiated Survivor.

DBT Trauma Therapy (aka Trauma Focused DBT) and how we apply DBT to trauma and trauma recovery

There are two main topics that I want to touch on in this conversation:

1. What is a skillful approach to trauma recovery using DBT skills?

2. What is DBT prolonged exposure (DBT PE)? How is it applied? How is it functional?

Online DBT therapist Kelsey Harper, Psy.D., talks about Dialectical Behavior Therapy, or DBT and how DBT skills help trauma survivors calm distress right now. Dr. Harper shares how incorporating DBT skills into therapy can help calm trauma symptoms, and support ongoing trauma therapy.

Three stages of trauma recovery are what we generally see in any recovery process from an observational standpoint. Whether intentional or unintentional, we find that these stages are consistent and best facilitate a process of moving from victim to survivor or from surviving to THRIVING!

The three stages of trauma recovery include: 

1. Establishing safety

2. Remembrance and mourning

3. Integration and reconnection

Georgia Durante. This incredible individual is a former stunt woman and model, business owner, mother, survivor, and so much more. Georgia has such a compelling story that needs to be heard. I sat with her as she talked about her account, explained some of the things she learned throughout her journey, and shared her perspective on how she survived multiple traumas.

3 Stages of Trauma Recovery. Let’s dissect the 3 stages of trauma recovery, what trauma recovery may look like, and specific theories around these stages. Ultimately, when talking about recovery stages or theories, we have this idea of moving from one stage to another consecutively. These 3 stages of trauma recovery don’t operate entirely linearly.

Online trauma therapist, Kelsey Harper, Psy.D. talks about EMDR which stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. EMDR is an evidence-based trauma treatment. EMDR uses a specific approach to help guide someone safely through processing a traumatic experience. It helps their mind finally catch up to the present moment and feel a sense of relief that the trauma is no longer a present threat.

If you are ready to explore sexual trauma recovery and building resilience as a trauma survivor, you need to know your options for trauma healing. This post covers what trauma recovery looks like, who are trauma survivors, and skills to cope with trauma recovery.