Splitting is one BPD symptom that can cause the most problems in daily life. In short, it is our brain’s inability to hold opposing thoughts so we see the world in terms of black and white. It is part of the main symptom which is Cognitive Distortions, but this symptom can be so troublesome I thought it deserves its own page and so here we are. We will find out a little more detail on what it is, how you can stop it and what sorts of treatment there are for it…
What is the BPD Symptom of Splitting?
While you could see it as an error of the brain it is, in fact, a defence mechanism that happens to protect us from certain situations or conversations. What happens is you “Split” your mind to the point that there is no middle ground. Someone is either the best person in the world or the most hateful person in the world, or a situation is the best thing that ever happened to you or the absolute worse. You might be thinking you know of a few people we a mindset like that who don’t have BPD, but it is the extremes we take it to that causes the biggest problems.
What Can Cause Splitting?
A ‘split’ in our thought process is usually triggered by ourselves and is not necessarily triggered by something in the outside world, but more often than not it is “someone” who triggers it rather than “something”. If could be something someone says, something they email you, text you or just the way they look or smile at you, but splitting especially happens when that person does something you dislike, so they go from your friend to someone you might want to cause injury to just to get them away from yourself, which brings me nicely onto the next question…
How Bad Can Splitting be?
While most the time it will cause little more than a split in your relationship with a friend or a loved one, it can be so much worse than that. One of the worst situations is when someone will start to push back and argue with you as in your brain they will forever be wrong or evil. This is always going to end badly for the person without BPD as it will often end in explosive anger.
Sadly it is often what happens after these slitting situations occur that are the real low points as this can cause thoughts of self-harming or in darker minds the thoughts of suicide. Do keep an eye on yourself after splitting and if your thoughts grow a little darker do seek professional help immediately.
How Can I Stop Splitting?
While you could argue the only way to truly manage it is to go through a treatment of talking therapy or something similar it can be easily managed by simple breathing calming. By simply taking a moment to step back and look at the situation and the thoughts you are projecting can turn a bad situation into a neutral one. As with this symptom or indeed any symptom you are struggling with if things get out of hand or you no longer feel in control do speak to a professional.
Well, I hope this has answered your question. As always with any posts/pages on this site, we would love to hear from you in the comments below. Is this a question you wanted answering? Are there any questions you have relating to BPD that we have not covered? If so please leave a comment to if you want more privacy do please to get in touch with us via the Contact page.
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