group therapy for EUPD

[Cedrus]

Hi,

Was just wondering if anyone has done any group therapy before for EUPD? If so, how did you find it? And did anything in particular help you to talk?

I'm really quite frightened. I went to a IP theraputic community roughly 8 years ago but I struggled immensely with the group therapy aspect (i rarely spoke). Furthermore I'm just rubbish at talking in groups.

The PD service where I live runs a course for 18 months which consists of twice weekly group therapy and a key worker session fotnightly. I'll get to have some group sessions to test the water first but I'm immensely scared. I know it would probably be really helpful though.

Also, I don't actually think I have EUPD and I'm scared too that if people in the group are actively self harming then it will trigger it off in me. I find I ruminate a lot about self harm before I go through with it, but if people are constantly talking about it, how am i meant to escape it? Can anyone relate to that part?

[sherlock holmes]

I did group DBT where we were all diagnosed with EUPD (BPD). I had a group session and an individual session weekly. In the group session we talked about the DBT skills and practiced those that we were able to in the setting. It was mostly focused on the skills and how we could apply them. The individual session was for talking about things like urges to harm, talked about how we found trying to use the skills, we had diary sheets to fill out daily and other things like a chain analysis after incidents. So really the only triggering stuff was talked about in private.

Do you think that's how it'll work where you're going?

[in_BPD_hell]

That's the same as offered to me.
I've opted to try individual first purely for same reason as you about the self harm. I find I like to 'fit in' & worry it would be a competition for me to do worse, although the therapist reassured me that type of behaviour was strongly discouraged.
Hope it helps you xx

[property]

I did a 20 week course for EUPD/BPD called STEPPS and there was very little talk of self harm really, there were about 9 of us and we spoke more about feelings and emotions and thoughts rather than actions.
Also, not everyone in my group self harmed, as although many with BPD do self harm, not everyone does.

I did complete STEPPS - but I did not enjoy it or learn much sadly, but that's because of who I am rather than the course/therapy :)

[RemoteControl]

Hi,

Ive done DBT before, but I'm also currently doing a different kind of therapy.

DBT before was much like others have said, the group was just to talk about skills and kind of like a lesson at school where you learn things.

The group therapy I've having now is group once a week and individual once a week and its totally different. The idea of this group is that you all sit in a circle and talk about how things are - you can say as much or as little as you want (there are 2 therapists present in the group and they often encourage you to talk if you're very quiet - theyll say like 'youve been very quiet today' - but if you still don't want to say anything you don't have to). The group talks about all different things, including trauma they have been through, current things that are upsetting them, relationships with family and friends, childhood - literally anything you want to talk about (but with an emphasis on talking about how you feel). In my experience though self harm has only come up a couple of times and I've been there for 7 months now. Once it was me that brought it up.

So I guess I'm saying that it's a possibility, but it might not happen as much as you think it will - all depends on the people in the group and what their problems are and what people start talking about.

I doubt what you will be doing is DBT as DBT is very specific in that it is group once a week and individual once a week, so I imagine it will be a different kind of therapy. The one I am doing is called psychodynamic therapy and I have found it ten million times more helpful than DBT.

I hope it goes well. Sounds like you've been given a good opportunity there.