I stumbled across MBT (mentalization based therapy) in my search for DBT. Developed in the UK by Peter Fonagy and Anthony Bateman, it is based on the idea that people with BPD have disorganized attachment patterns and failed to develop the capacity to mentalize within an attachment relationship. Mentalization is the process by which we implicitly and explicitly interpret the actions of oneself and others as meaningful on the basis of intentional mental states. I read the books, looked at the published outcomes, and chose DBT. I felt that I already lived very much inside my own head, and only DBT would get me out of my head and living my life.

At the NEA_BPD conference last month, several demonstrations and comparisons of MBT and DBT were recorded and put online. I listened to the MBT and DBT sessions found here. Both sessions had the same ‘client’ who brought the same problem to therapy. What struck me most was how much more laughter there was in the DBT session…

Advertisement