Lost in the Mirror: An Inside Look at Borderline Personality Disorder [Paperback]

Persons with borderline personality disorder (BPD) have often been abused physically, psychologically, or sexually; most are women. Moskovitz describes variations of the condition and how it affects patient, family, and friends. The sufferer may experience guilt, self-hate, suicide, self-mutilation, and other symptoms and signs, and Moskovitz provides several patient histories to bring BPD to life. No case is more considerable than that of Sara, which Moskovitz parcels out in segments at the ends of chapters--a tactic that first seems artificial and confusing but cumulatively makes a greater impression than it would if presented whole. Moskovitz is especially adept with analogies, using everyday situations to clarify his points rather than just adorn the text. He imparts that while there is no drug just for BPD, some drugs help with specific symptoms, and he dispenses practical advice to family and professionals as well as patients. William Beatty --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

This is a book where empathic insights. clinical wisdom and therapeutic optimism will usefully inform anyone who is interested in understanding BPD patients. This book . . . is distuinguished by a dedicated effort to convey vividly and understandale a great deal about people with the disorder. Readers will be rewarded with welcomed appreciation. (Tina Beychok Psychiatric Times )

Moskovitz is especially adept with analogies, using everyday situations to clarify his points rather than just adorn the text. He imparts that while there is no drug just for BPD, some drugs help with specific symptoms, and he dispenses practical advice to family and professionals as well as patients. (Booklist )

Moskovitz offers a coherent picture of this disorder as a distinct syndrome...the author conveys, in a very empathetic and touching way, his understanding of what it feels like to be borderline. (Meir Winokur The Jerusalem Post )

Mention the word "borderline" and you're sure to see smiles fade and demeanors bristle. Lost in the Mirror [is] an excellent field guide into the exploration of this mysterious condition. Moskovitz views borderline personality disorder as being rooted in past trauma and closely linked to dissociation disorders. Together, the therapist and the patient embark on the task of discovering and sorting through these memories, piecing them together to form a sensible whole. (Chris Dunn, PhD Professional Counselor )

Mention the word "borderline" and you're sure to see smiles fade and demeanors bristle. Lost in the Mirror [is] an excellent field guide into the exploration of this mysterious condition. Moskovitz views borderline personality disorder as being rooted in past trauma and closely linked to dissociation disorders. Together, the therapist and the patient embark on the task of discovering and sorting through these memories, piecing them together to form a sensible whole. (Chris Dunn, PhD Professional Counselor )

Explores the frightening world of BPD patients and helps readers understand their pain.

Lost in the Mirror peers into a black and white world of extreme emotions and turbulent relationships. The inhabitants of this world experience their lives from moment to moment, grasping for shreds of identity to connect each fragment of experience to the next. Because they have little awareness of the texture and flow of human emotions, painful emotions, such as loneliness and fear, may seem endless and intolerable. Their need to escape this pain leads to desperate, impulsive, and frequently self-defeating behaviors.

Lost in the Mirror explores the origins of Borderline Personality Disorder and offers its sufferers a framework for beginning to heal. While the first edition focused on the dynamics of the psychotherapeutic relationship that underlies all good treatment, this edition elaborates on the kinds of psychotherapy that are practiced today. It describes mainstream approaches, such as psychoanalytic psychotherapy, cognitive therapy, and behavior therapy, as well as innovative treatments, such as Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT).

EMDR, a technique for neutralizing the emotional impact of traumatic events, has infused my own practice of psychotherapy with new vitality and has expanded my understanding of the connections between past experiences and current emotions and behavior. DBT, a comprehensive treatment approach designed specifically for patients with BPD, offers to restore balance to a world of extremes and to help patients learn to regulate emotions and control self-destructive impulses.

For those of you who are new to Lost in the Mirror, I welcome you to learn about what it feels like to live with this painful condition. For those who have returned to learn more, I invite you to explore the most recent innovations in pharmacological and psychotherapeutic treatments and to explore the abundant resources now available for continuing your education about Borderline Personality Disorder.

Dr. Richard A. Moskovitz earned both his undergraduate degree and his M.D. at Harvard University. After psychiatric residency at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and eight years on the University of Florida College of Medicine faculty where he was Associate Professor, he has spent the past sixteen years in private practice. Dr. Moskovitz has appeared on Prime Time Live and on A&E’s The Unexplained. Lost in the Mirror grew out of his passion for teaching and years of clinical experience with patients with BPD.