Splitting, Roller Coasters, and Re-Learning the Mind/Body Apparatus

Another one of the most common issues in Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) goes by the name of “splitting”. And probably also one of the most annoying parts of the disorder, simply because it happens so frequently and easily distorts the lens of our perception. It might be comparable to having your stereo volume constantly turned up to nine or ten, when you (and those around you) would be satisfied with five or six. Of course, you would also have a harder time making proper sense of things and communicating when the volume is cranked, which is exactly what occurs when “splitting” is taking place.

In cognitive behavioural theory, the types of thinking consistent with “splitting” are called “black or white”, or “all or nothing”. This generally means that a person would describe events and people as either “all good”, or “all bad”, and that the nuances of those events and people are not considered or entered in the equation of perception. But when there is a perceived threat (real or not) and the nervous system prepares for fight, flight, or freeze, there is also a natural narrowing of perception that allows for quick/survival-based decision-making. However as stated, the problem here is that the sense of threat for those with BPD is regularly exaggerated, and interacting with the world on those terms makes for many problems and heartache.

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