A New Strategy for Treatment of Borderline Personality Disorder

Yukio Ishizuka M.D.

  “Borderline Personality Disorder can be predictably overcome through ‘Breakthrough Intimacy’ – closeness between committed couples far greater than their previous maximum experiences, without drugs, and often within 6 months.” 

Method: Lifetrack therapy works with couples (the patient, his/her partner in life) bringing them far closer than their previous maximum level, guided by their own daily self-rating on 41 parameters, that allow accurate graphic tracking via Internet of subtle changes in their personalities during each therapy session. This approach frees the therapist from transference (counter-transference) issues, which is the principal obstacle in treatment of borderline personality disorder. Working in three-way teamwork, the therapist actively helps the couple to achieve closeness far greater than their previous maximum level, overcoming waves of symptom spikes (anxiety, anger, physical-symptoms, depression, and psychosis) until they disappear by exhaustion, usually without medications, as couples undergo personality transformation.

Jane (22 year-old with BPD) 

Jane, a student in her early 20’s became tense and irritable, suffering from irregular menstrual periods, nausea, apathy, crying spells, bouts of depression with suicidal thoughts, and frequent explosive rage against her boyfriend Tim, kicking, striking, biting, and throwing things at him. She had been going out with him for 2 years and had started living together a year ago, when her troubles started. Her therapy was conducted once weekly (one hour) with her boy friend participating in every session over 6 months.

(Symptom – First Month)

Her symptoms spiked repeatedly during the first month of therapy as shown in her self-tracking graph below.

(Progress – First month)

The graph below tracks Jane’s overall progress during the first month of therapy, showing each advance of her intimacy with her boy friend provoked sharp spike of defense (symptoms) provoking setback. However, her intimacy recovered from each setback, reaching higher peaks than before.

 

(Progress – 2 months)

By the end of the second month of therapy, her intimacy reached 40 (four times her previous maximum of 10), while defense (symptoms) diminished by exhaustion.

(Progress – 6 months)

By the end of 5th months of therapy, elements of her intimacy reached 100 and the scale was readjusted with 10 as new previous maximum.

Results: The patients typically go through distinct 4 stages of personality transformation, with stage-IV representing complete transformation.

 

 

(4 Stages of Personality Transformation)

 

 

Of  the 182 BPD diagnosis confirmed patients, 15% reached stage-IV, 12 % reached stage-III, and 12% reached stage-II at the time of termination. 15% improved without going through typical four stages.

 

However, 23% remained in stage-I and 35% remained in stage-0 at the time of termination.

 

 

75% of those who did poorly (stage I and 0) were without partners. Thus, the above results may be nearly twice better, if these patients without partners are excluded from the calculation of the results.  

 

Invitation for Free Lifetrack Therapy Webinars will be sent to you, if You leave your name and email address. Contact: Yukio Ishizuka M.D. dri@lifetrack.com  www.lifetrack.com  www.lifetrack.com/news  (Blog)

Lifetrack Therapy – Treating Personality

Yukio Ishizuka M.D.

“Psychiatric Symptoms are caused by personality”

“Psychiatric symptoms (such as anxiety, anger, physical symptoms, depression, and symptoms of borderline personality disorder) can be predictably eliminated by transforming personality through ‘Breakthrough Intimacy’ – Closeness between committed couples far greater than their previous maximum experience.”

Method: Lifetrack therapy works with the patient and his/her partner in three-way teamwork, bringing them far closer than ever before, guided by their own daily self-rating on 41 parameters that allow accurate graphic tracking via Internet of subtle changes in their personalities and dynamic mental status during each therapy session. The therapist actively helps the couple to think, feel, and act in such ways that their closeness will increase, provoking and overcoming waves of symptom spikes (defense) until they disappear by exhaustion, as the couples undergo personality transformation.

 

Results: Of the 1,170 patients treated over the last 20 years, 48% reached a level of adjustment beyond their previous best level. Among those, 31% reached up to twice, 24% reached up to three times, 20% reached up to four times, 16% reached up to five times, and 7.6% reached up to ten or more times their previous maximum level according to their own daily subjective self rating. Of those who failed to reach their previous maximum level before termination, 75% showed improvement in their overall adjustment, and 77% showed reduction of their symptoms. However, 24% were worse and 22% had more symptoms when they prematurely terminated therapy.

 

 

Of the 48% who exceeded previous maximum… Of the 51% who failed to reach their previous maximum…

Invitations for Free Lifetrack Webinars will be sent to you, if you send your name and email address.

Contact: Yukio Ishizuka M.D. dri@lifetrack.com www.lifetrack.com

www.lifetrack.com/news (Blog) Tel: +1(914)967-6210

Dear Colleague:                                                       10/7/07

It was exciting to be a part of ISSPD Congress with you in the Hague
on ‘Development and Changeability of Personality Disorders.’ I have
enjoyed learning, meeting, and participating at the congress. I was
honored to have been given a chance to present my paper,
‘Breakthrough Intimacy - Transforming Borderline Personality
Disorder.’
I have learned during the congress that competing approaches, such as
Schema, Mentalization, DBT, and TFT have produced significant
reduction of symptoms of BPD, to less than 50% of original level.
However, I also learned that underlying personality structure
remained essentially unchanged despite successful treatments.

A well known science columnist Sharon Begley wrote in Newsweek just
before the ISSPD Congress, a scathing article chiding psychiatry not
having reached even 20th century compared to the rest of medicine,
mired in DSM which remains to be ever-growing list of ’symptoms’ with
little progress made in identifying the true cause of psychiatric
disterss and developing more effective treatments.

The fact that the best minds in psychiatry have labored hard for so
long with relatively modest outcome beggs the question that we may
have been barking up the wrong trees, and that we may benefit from a
fresh reorientation in our thinking about mental disorders and the
way we treat them.  However, we have all made heavy investments in
our own trainings and have established our own unique ways we help
our patients over the years, building comfort and confidence as well
as enormous inertia against trying anything even slightly different,
not to mention a radical change in our thinking and doing our work.
However, it may be the time that we seriously question if we may have
inadvertently ‘boxed’ ourselves within constraints that have hindered
our progress, limiting our therapeutic productivity.

These constraints in my view may include, ‘Disease Model’ and
traditional Newtonian (‘objective, analytical, and scientific’)
approach and unending searching for ‘precise and specific diagnosis’
represented by the history of DSM, ‘chemico/techono-dependency such
as on drugs, EEG and Brain imaging that are tantalizing but still too
non-specific’, and fixation on ‘one-on-one psychotherapy’ tradition
as in psychoanalysis. The most fundamental problem however, has been
the absence of clear definition of therapeutic goals beyond symptoms,
against which the results of each patient in therapy can be measured
by the most important observer, the patient, on a daily basis.

As a result of an unconventional and fortunate career trajecotory, I
have stumbled out of the ‘box’ and developed and tested an
unconventional approach called Lifetrack therapy that overcomes the
above constraints, producing impressive results in treating many
challenging psychiatric conditions, including borderline personality
disorder, that costitntutes a great majority of my patients in my
private practice. I am writing to you today, eager to share my
experience and to submit it to your trial.

I would like to send you my invitations for free Webinars starting on
October 12th, at 3:00 pm EST (Evening hours in Europe) and Lifetrack
Newsletter that will keep you informed of the new developments in
Lifetrac therapy. 

Traditional therapies remain focused on relieving target ‘symptoms’,
or ‘disorders’ listed in Axis-I of the DSM. In Lifetrack Therapy,
psychiatric symptoms such as anxiety and depression are not
considered ‘diseases’ and the ‘cause of distress’, but ‘mere signals’
that the mind sends out when one’s past experience and current
capability to cope – determined by one’s existing personality – is
being exceeded. Thus, distress and well-being are considered to be
‘natural and inevitable consequences’ of interaction between the
existing personality of the individual and life challenges.

Accordingly, Lifetrack Therapy attempts to transform the patient’s
personality in such ways that the consequence of the above-mentioned
interaction would become ‘well-being’ rather than distress,
eliminating the real cause of psychiatric distress, and making
symptoms - such as anxiety, anger, physical-symptoms, depression, and
symptoms of borderline personality disorder - unnecessary.

A Lifetrack therapist works in a three-way team with the patient and
his/her partner in life. The team is guided by a daily subjective
self-rating by the couple according to a quantifiable model of
personality and total psychological adjustment. The patients’ daily
self-rating data on 41 parameters are turned into 26 line graphs to
track and analyze subtle changes in their personalities and mental
status via Internet, during each therapy session. This has made it
possible for the therapists to work with patients over the phone just
as effectively as in face-to-face sessions, giving the therapist and
the patient global reach and full mobility.

BPD patients: (182 Diagnosis confirmed BPD among 1,170)

Of the last 182 BPD diagnosis confirmed BPD patients, among the above
general patient population of 1170, 41% reached a level of adjustment
beyond their previous maximum level. 8 % reached a level more than
twice, 15 % reached more than three times, 4 % reached more than four
times, 26 % reached more than five times, and 26 % reached more than
ten times, their previous maximum level of adjustment, according to
their own daily subjective self-rating.

Of those who failed to reach their previous maximum level of
Adjustment (59% of total), 68 % showed improvement in their overall
adjustment, and 80% showed reduction in their symptoms at the time of
their typically premature termination.

However, 29% showed reduction of overall adjustment, and 18 % showed
aggravation of their initial symptoms at the time of termination;
often during the initial stage of therapy, when symptoms typically
surge.
 

The above calculations include patients who came without partner and
remained alone. Those patients account for about 75% of poor outcome.
Thus, if single patients are excluded from the above calculations,
the result may be twice better (I look forward to present such
results and further progress in 2 years in New York).

Lifetrack Therapy has worked well with patients with severe, acute,
and chronic symptoms of anxiety, anger, psychologically induced
physical symptoms, depression, and symptoms of borderline personality
disorder, which constitute a majority of the my patients in private
practice. In fact, I spend more than 80 % of my time in theapy with
one or two borderline personalities, since I work with couples and
some couples are borderline personalities on both side.

I am eager to share with my colleagues the exciting experience with
Lifetrack, and am offering special free Lifetrack Therapy Webinars to
encourage you to try Lifetrack therapy, and to replicate or better my
results.

I am also offering free patient tracking via Internet, until my
Lifetrack server becomes satulated, or the cost becomes unbearable,
since the Lifetrack project over the last 20 years has been entirely
financed by my private practice revenue. Each and every patient
treated with Lifetrack is a clinical trial, leaving comprehensive and
consistent record of his/her daily condition for you to review,
analyze, and research, while building a growing body of data on
Lifetrack therapy. Lifetrack leaves no place to ‘hide’ for the
patient, the partner, and the therapist. However, it leaves
unquestionable evidence of improvements according to the patients’
own daily self-rating.
So far, Lifetrack therapy does not have control group comparisons
with other methods, making academic journal publication difficult if
not impossible. However, I have self published eManuels and other
educational material which are available at my website;
www.lifetrack.com > ‘Whats New and Available from Lifetrack’ .

I well understand doubts and reluctance that many of you may feel,
since Lifetrack therapy ’sounds too good’ and challenges your
long-held beliefs, and heavy investments you have already made.
However, I believe that a breakthrough such as this one should not
and cannot be ignored, for the sake of patients worldwide, who may
benefit from this new approach, and satisfaction and fulfillment that
Lifetrack therapy can bring to the therapists.
 

With my best regards,

Yukio Ishizuka M.D.

 

APA Annual Meeting in San Diego;

Lifetrack paper, ‘Breakthrough Intimacy - Treating Personality’ was well received with more than 100 colleagues from all over the world attending, followed by extended questions and answers. Lifetrack booth was visited by more than 250 colleagues who expressed interest in learning more about this unconventional approach to treatment.

The paper discussed results of 1,172 patients treated with Lifetrack method over the last 20 years, with 48% of the patients exceeding their previous maximum level of adjustment according to their own daily subjective self-rating scores on 41 parameters. Of those who failed to reach their previous maximum level of adjustment (51%), 75% showed improvement in their adjustment, and 77% showed reduction of symptoms when they prematurely terminated therapy. However, 24% showed reduction of overall adjustment level, and 22% showed increased symptoms when they prematurely terminated therapy.

 ’An Alternative Approach to Treatment of Psychosomatic (Somatoform) Disorders.’

Ojbective: To demonstrate through 2 classic case examples (1. Severe Multiple Somatoform Disorder, 2. Severe and Persistent Physical Symptoms in Borderline Personality) that somatoform disorders can be predictably overcome through ‘Breakthrough Intimacy’ - closeness between committed couples far greater than their previous maximum level. The result of this study supports an alternative approach in treating somatoform disorders.

Method: Lifetrack therapy works with couples (the patient and his/her partner in life) bringing them far closer than ever before, guided by their own daily self-rating on 41 parameters that allow accurate graphic tracking via Internet of subtle changes in their personalities during each therapy session. Working in three-way teamwork, the therapist actively help the couple to achieve closeness far greater than their previous maximum level, overcoming waves of symptoms spikes  (such as psychologically induced physical symptoms) until they disappear by exhaustion, as the couple undergo personality transformation.

Results: Of the 1,170 patients treated with various diagnoses (all of them showing varying degree of physical symptoms) over the last 20 years, 48% reached a level of adjustment byeyond their previous maximum level, far beyond symptom elimination. 31% reached a level more than twice, 24% reached mre than three time, 20% reached more than four times, 16% reached more thant five times, and 7.6% reached more than ten times their previous maximum level of adjustment according to their own daily sbjective slf-rating, improving beyond symptom elimination. Of those who failed to  reach their prvious maximum level at premature terminations, 75% showed significant improvement in their overall adjustment level, and 77% showed significant reduction of their symptoms. However, 24% showed significant reduction of overall adjustment level, and 22% showed aggravation of their initial symptoms at the time of their termination during the intial phase of therapy, when symptoms typically worsen. The above calculations include patients who came without partner and remained alone, accounting for 75% of poor outcome. Thus, if patients without partners are excluded from the above calculations, the results may be twice better.

Conclusion: Somatoform disorder (Psychologically induced physical symptoms) can be better understood and treated as the consequence of one’s personlity, which can be transformed through ‘Breakthrough Intimacy.’  The results of this study over the last 20 years show that psychologically induced physical symtoms can be better understood and treated as natural and inevitable consequence of interaction between life challenges and personality, which can be transformed through ‘Breakthrough Intimacy.’ The traditional ‘disease’ concept of somatoform disorder must now be overcome to substantially improve therapeutic productivity.

 ’An Alternative Approach to Treatment of Anxiety.’

Ojbective: To demonstrate through 2 classic case examples (1. 6-year-old panic attacks, 2. Posttraumatic Stress Disorder) that anxiety symptoms can be predictably overcome through ‘Breakthrough Intimacy’ - closeness between committed couples far greater than their previous maximum level. The result of this study supports an alternative approach in treating anxiety disorder.

Method: Lifetrack therapy works with couples (the patient and his/her partner in life) bringing them far closer than ever before, guided by their own daily self-rating on 41 parameters that allow accurate graphic tracking via Internet of subtle changes in their personalities during each therapy session. Working in three-way teamwork, the therapist actively help the couple to achieve closeness far greater than their previous maximum level, overcoming waves of symptoms spikes  (such as anxiety) until they disappear by exhaustion, as the couple undergo personality transformation.

Results: Of the 1,170 patients treated with various diagnoses (all of them showing varying degree of anxiety) over the last 20 years, 48% reached a level of adjustment byeyond their previous maximum level, far beyond symptom elimination. 31% reached a level more than twice, 24% reached mre than three time, 20% reached more than four times, 16% reached more thant five times, and 7.6% reached more than ten times their previous maximum level of adjustment according to their own daily sbjective slf-rating, improving beyond symptom elimination. Of those who failed to  reach their prvious maximum level at premature terminations, 75% showed significant improvement in their overall adjustment level, and 77% showed significant reduction of their symptoms. However, 24% showed significant reduction of overall adjustment level, and 22% showed aggravation of their initial symptoms at the time of their termination during the intial phase of therapy, when symptoms typically worsen. The above calculations include patients who came without partner and remained alone, accounting for 75% of poor outcome. Thus, if patients without partners are excluded from the above calculations, the results may be twice better.

Conclusion: Anxiety disorder can be better understood and treated as the consequence of one’s personlity, which can be transformed through ‘Breakthrough Intimacy.’ The results of this study over the last 20 years shows that anxiety can be better understood and treated as natural and inevitable consequence of interaction between life challenges and personality, which can be transformed through ‘Breakthrough Intimacy.’

 ’An Alternative Approach to Treatment of Depression.’

Ojbective: To demonstrate through 3 classic case examples (1. acute suicidal depression, 2. 7-year-old chronic depression, 3. severe treatment resistant depression) that depression can be predictably overcome through ‘Breakthrough Intimacy’ - closeness between committed couples far greater than their previous maximum level. The result of this study supports an alternative approach in treating depression.

Method: Lifetrack therapy works with couples (the patient and his/her partner in life) bringing them far closer than ever before, guided by their own daily self-rating on 41 parameters that allow accurate graphic tracking via Internet of subtle changes in their personalities during each therapy session. Working in three-way teamwork, the therapist actively help the couple to achieve closeness far greater than their previous maximum level, overcoming waves of symptoms spikes  (such as depression) until they disappear by exhaustion, as the couple undergo personality transformation.

Results: Of the 1,170 patients treated with various diagnoses (Nearly all of them showing varying degree of depression) over the last 20 years, 48% reached a level of adjustment byeyond their previous maximum level, far beyond symptom elimination. 31% reached a level more than twice, 24% reached mre than three time, 20% reached more than four times, 16% reached more thant five times, and 7.6% reached more than ten times their previous maximum level of adjustment according to their own daily sbjective slf-rating, improving beyond symptom elimination. Of those who failed to  reach their prvious maximum level at premature terminations, 75% showed significant improvement in their overall adjustment level, and 77% showed significant reduction of their symptoms. However, 24% showed significant reduction of overall adjustment level, and 22% showed aggravation of their initial symptoms at the time of their termination during the intial phase of therapy, when symptoms typically worsen. The above calculations include patients who came without partner and remained alone, accounting for 75% of poor outcome. Thus, if patients without partners are excluded from the above calculations, the results may be twice better.

Conclusion: Depression can be better understood and treated as the consequence of one’s personlity, which can be transformed through ‘Breakthrough Intimacy.’ The results of this study over the last 20 years shows that depression can be better understood and treated as natural and inevitable consequence of interaction between life challenges and personality, rather than as ‘disease.’ We must overcome ‘disease’ concept of depression to substantially improve our therapeutic productivity with depressive disorders.

This paper was presented at the APA (American Psychiatric Association) Annual Meeting in San Diego, May 2007.

(Abstract)

Objective: At the conclusion of this presentation, the participants should be able to;

1. Recognize personality as the cause of psychiatric distress.

2. Define, quantify, and track on 41 parameters, the patient’s personality change, using 5 key Lifetrack models and Lifetrack Total Adjustment Sheet.

3. Track and interpret the patients’ daily progress during therapy sessions either in person or by phone.

4. Work with the patient and his/her partner in three-way teamwork, bringing them far closer than they have ever been, according to their own daily self-rating, overcoming waves of defense (symptom spikes) until symptoms disappear by exhaustion.

(Summary):

Objective: To demonstrate that ‘Breakthrough Intimacy’ - closeness between committed couples far greater than their previous maximum experience can predictably transform couples’ personalities, eliminating psychiatric symptoms such as anxeity, anger, physical-symptoms, depression, and symptoms of borderline personality disorder, without medications and often within 6 months. The results of this study supports an alternative undrestanding of psychiatric distress as natural and inevitable consequence of interaction between ones’s personalty and life challenges, offering an alternative and effective treatemtnt through personality transformation.

Method: The patient and his/her partner perform daily subjective self-rating on 41 parameters to record daily changes in their psychological adjustment, according to a quantifiable model of personality and positive mental health.

The couples’ daily self-rating is tracked graphically via Internet, providing accurrate and comprehensive data to guide the therapist and the patients. Working in three-way teamwork, the theapist actively help the couples to achieve closeness far greater than their previous maximum experience, overcoming waves of symptoms (anxiety, anger, physical-symptoms, derpession, and symptoms of borderline personality disorder) until they disappear by exhaustion, as the couple undergo personality transformation.

Results: Of the 1,170 patients treated for vaiours symptoms over the last 20 years, 48% reached a level of adjustment byeyond their previous maximum level, far beyond symptom elimination. 31% reached a level more than twice, 24% reached mre than three time, 20% reached more than four times, 16% reached more thant five times, and 7.6% reached more than ten times their previous maximum level of adjustment according to their own daily sbjective slf-rating. Of those who failed to  reach their prvious maximum level at premature terminations, 75% showed significant improvement in their overall adjustment level, and 77% showed significant reduction of their symptoms. However, 24% showed significant reduction of overall adjustment level, and 22% showed aggravation of their initial symptoms at the time of their termination during the intial phase of therapy, when symptoms typically worsen. The above calculations include patients who came without partner and remained alone, accounting for 75% of poor outcome. Thus, if patients without partners are excluded from the above calculations, the results may be twice better.

Conclusion: Psychiatric symtoms of distress can be better understood and treated as the consequence of one’s personality which can be transformed through ‘Breakthrough Intimacy’ - closeness between committed couples far greater than their previous maximum experience. The resutlts of this study over he last 20 years prove that traditional ‘disease’ concept of psychitric disterss must now be overcome to substantially improve our profession’s therapeutic productivity.

Visit www.lifetrack.com > ‘What’s New and Available from Lifetrrack’ for free Lifetrack Newsletter subscription and schedules of upcoming Lifetrack Webinars (WebSeminars).

This paper, ‘Breakthrough Intimacy - Transforming Borderline Personality’ was presented at the Xth ISSPD (International Society for Study of Personality Disorder) Congress in Hague on 9/20/2007.

(Abstract):

Objective: To demonstrate that borderline personality disorder can be predictably overcome through ‘Breakthrough Intimacy’ - closeness between comitted couples far greater than their previous maximum experiences. The result of this study supports an alternative approach in treatment of borderline personality disorder.

Method: Lifetrack therapy works with couples (the patient, his/her partner in life) bringing them far closer than ever before guided by their own daily self-rating on 41 parameters that allow accurate graphic tracking via Internet of subtle changes in their personalities during each therapy session. This approach frees the therapist from transference/countertransference issues, which is the principal obstacle in treatment of borderline personality disorder. Working in three-way teamwork, the therapist actively helps the couple to achieve closeness far greater than their previous maximum level, overcoming waves of symptom spikes (anxiety, anger, physical-symptoms, depression, and psychosis) until they disappear by exhaustion, usually without medications, as couples undergo personality transformation.

Resuts: The patients typically go through four distinct stages in the process of personality transformation, with stage-IV representing complete transformation. Of the 182 BPD diagnosis confirmed patients, 15% reached stage-IV, 12% reached stage-III, and 12% rached stage-II at the time of termination. 15% improved without going through typical four stages. However, 23% remained in stage-I, and 35% remained in stage-0 at the time of termination. 75% if those who did poorly (stage-0 and stage-I group) came to therapy without partners. Thus, if patients without partners are excluded from the above calculations, the results may be twice better.

Conclusion: Symptoms of borderline personality disorder can be better understood and treated as the consequence of one’s one’s personality, which can be transformed through ‘Breakthrough Intimacy.’

Visit www.lifetrack.com > ‘What’s New and Available from Lifetrrack’ for free Lifetrack Newsletter subscription and schedules of upcoming Lifetrack Webinars (WebSeminars).