Strategies using EMDR with Borderline Personality Disorders

Developmentally borderline personalities tend to be fixated between two or three years of age. Higher functioning persons with this diagnosis fall within the three year old range.

Traits
identity confusion
splitting
emotionally labile
Feeling abandoned by primary caregiver.
rage attacks
all or nothing thinking, black or white
double bind in family reinforced for failing, need continued rescuing, helps defends against fear of abandonment
intense unstable relationships
Cutting

Recent research indicates EMDR using eye moments will help reduce or stop cutting behavior.

Strategies
Stabilization- Usually a broken relationship triggers abandonment anxiety and will bring a person into treatment. Use Resource Development created by Andrew Leeds to enhance functioning and stabilization. When you install the safe place have the client recall their highest level of functioning when their self esteem was high and they felt good about themselves. Anchor the moment, so the individual has access and can replay in moments of feeling labile.
Since abandonment is an underlying issue, target earliest memories of abandonment and have the anchored adult self go back in time and rescue the hurt abandoned child. Take time with this process going too fast may destabilize the client.
Take time with resourcing the patient before you start targeting the early deprivation and abandonment issues.
Target the different traits for processing using EMDR. For example use the float back technique to identify the earliest memories of rage attacks process past, present and future. Abandonment anxiety when the client started to experience success.