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What can you come to us with?
Personality and behaviour disorders
Emotions reach extremes, relationships end abruptly, and self-esteem changes from one day to the next. Personality disorders are about exactly that: lasting patterns that get in the way of life and of closeness. At the Unique practice in Warsaw we work on changing them, calmly and over the long term.
Book a visitPersonality is a relatively stable way of experiencing yourself, responding to emotions and building relationships. It takes shape over years and is different in each of us. We speak of a disorder when certain patterns become so rigid that they start to get in the way of life, work and closeness.
For many people the phrase "personality disorder" sounds like a label for life. In practice it refers to entrenched strategies that once helped you survive in difficult conditions. They can be changed, though it takes time and regular work.
The strategies that once protected you may be limiting you today. But they do not have to stay with you forever.
Do you recognise yourself in this?
If you recognise a recurring pattern in yourself, it is worth examining it together with a specialist.
Talk to a psychologist- Your emotions reach extremes and change faster than you can keep up with them.
- Your relationships can be intense, but they end abruptly and follow a similar pattern.
- You react strongly to signs of rejection, even when none was intended.
- You sometimes feel empty, or lack a clear picture of who you are.
- You act impulsively and then regret your decisions or your words.
- Criticism, even kindly meant, knocks you off balance for a long time.
- You demand perfection of yourself and treat every deviation as a failure.
- You find it hard to let go of control and trust that someone else will do it well enough.
- Anger builds up in you faster than in others and you find it hard to stop.
What do we work with?
Borderline personality
What it is
Borderline personality, also called emotionally unstable personality, involves experiencing emotions very intensely and finding them hard to regulate. It is marked by a strong fear of rejection and an unstable image of oneself.
How it may show up
The symptoms include abrupt mood swings, impulsiveness in decisions and behaviour, a sense of emptiness, intense but unstable relationships and heightened reactions to signs of abandonment. In some people self-harm also appears as a way of coping with tension.
How therapy helps
We work on recognising and regulating emotions, on stability in relationships and on a more coherent sense of self. It is work spread over a longer period, but it brings real change to everyday functioning.
Obsessive-compulsive personality and perfectionism
What it is
Obsessive-compulsive personality involves an excessive need for control, order and predictability. High standards can be an asset at first, but in time they begin to sabotage work, rest and relationships.
How it may show up
Paralysing perfectionism (for instance putting off tasks for fear of doing them imperfectly), difficulty delegating and letting go, rigidity in plans and guilt while resting. A frequent consequence is overload and burnout.
How therapy helps
We examine what this need for control serves and what it is meant to protect you from. Therapy consists of lowering the cost of the pattern while keeping what is valuable in it: reliability and consistency.
Narcissistic personality
What it is
Narcissistic personality involves a fragile sense of self-worth compensated for by a need for recognition and admiration. Behind the outward confidence there is usually an enormous sensitivity to criticism.
How it may show up
Difficulty accepting feedback, a need to have one's exceptional status confirmed, a limited capacity to see another person's perspective and relationships based on judgement and comparison.
How therapy helps
People come to us both recognising this pattern in themselves and having left a relationship with a narcissist and trying to regain trust in their own judgement. In both cases we work on self-worth and on the way relationships are built.
Aggressive behaviour
What it is
Anger is a necessary emotion, because it signals that a boundary has been crossed. We speak of a problem when it builds disproportionately fast, finds an outlet in behaviour you later regret and leaves damage in relationships.
How it may show up
Outbursts out of proportion to the situation, a raised voice, harsh words said in the heat of the moment, aggression directed at objects, tension that lingers in the body. The cycle is characteristic: suppressing emotion, accumulation, an outburst, and then shame and guilt.
How therapy helps
We teach you to recognise the early signals of rising anger, before it reaches the point where it is hard to control. We also look at what often stands behind aggression: helplessness, fear, a sense of injustice. The work also covers repairing relationships that suffered along the way.
What does therapy for personality disorders involve?
Working on entrenched patterns takes time and regularity. In return you can gain a lasting change for the better, because it concerns not only the symptoms but the way you experience yourself and your relationships.
- 1
We examine the patterns
Among your experiences we look for situations that end in a similar way: conflicts, break-ups, decisions made under the influence of emotion - and the repeated behaviour that leads to them.
- 2
We get to the causes
We look at the conditions in which a given way of reacting was needed. This is usually the moment when self-blame begins to fade.
- 3
We test new responses
Step by step you introduce different ways of reacting and try them out in real situations. The therapeutic relationship is a safe place to practise.
Patterns can be changed
If the same difficulties keep returning in one relationship and situation after another, it is worth finding out what they have in common. Book a consultation in Warsaw or online and let us talk about what keeps repeating.
Pick a slot in our calendar here
The booking calendar is only available in Polish. Prefer to book in English? Call or write to us and we will arrange it.
The booking calendar is only available in Polish. Prefer to book in English? Call or write to us and we will arrange it.
Most frequent questions about personality disorders
Can borderline personality disorder be cured?
In many people the symptoms diminish significantly, and some stop meeting the criteria for the diagnosis. The greatest changes usually concern impulsiveness and stability in relationships. Psychotherapy is the primary and best documented form of help here.
Who makes the diagnosis of a personality disorder?
The diagnosis is made by a psychologist or a psychiatrist after longer observation and conversation, usually over several meetings. To begin therapy, however, you need neither a ready diagnosis nor a referral.
How long does psychotherapy for personality disorders take?
We usually speak of work counted in years, because it concerns patterns entrenched over most of a lifetime. The first changes, especially in coping with emotions, can nevertheless be felt after a few months of regular meetings.
Is a personality disorder a diagnosis for life?
No. The diagnosis describes a current way of functioning, not an unchanging trait. Research on borderline personality shows that personality patterns change under the influence of therapy and of life experience.
How do I know whether I am in a relationship with a narcissist?
One signal is a constant feeling of being inferior, having to compete for attention and doubting your own reading of a situation. It is worth remembering that a diagnosis concerns the person who comes to the practice, not someone they describe. In therapy we deal above all with how that relationship has affected you.
How do I handle anger day to day?
It helps to notice tension in the body earlier, to pause before reacting and to limit the situations in which exhaustion accumulates. These are short-term measures, though. Lasting change requires working on what the anger masks: most often helplessness or fear.
Where can I find therapy for personality disorders in Warsaw?
You are welcome at our practice in Ursynow and for online consultations. We work with adults and young people from the age of 15, in Polish, English and Spanish.