Values clarification — identifying what matters most to you at the deepest level — is a cornerstone of ACT therapy for borderline personality disorder and provides direction when borderline personality disorder removes other navigational tools.
Why Values Matter for Borderline Personality Disorder
Borderline Personality Disorder often disconnects us from our values through avoidance, withdrawal, and reduced capacity. Reconnecting with values provides:
- Direction when borderline personality disorder has eliminated other motivation
- Meaning that persists even through difficult borderline personality disorder periods
- A basis for action independent of how borderline personality disorder makes you feel
Clarifying Your Values with Borderline Personality Disorder
Ask yourself: 'If my borderline personality disorder were less present, what would I be doing more of? What kind of person would I be?'
Values are not goals (achievable and done) but ongoing directions: being a present parent, creating beauty, contributing to others.
Values-Based Action in Borderline Personality Disorder
ACT therapy teaches: act according to values even when borderline personality disorder is present. Small values-aligned actions, despite borderline personality disorder, are more sustainable than waiting for borderline personality disorder to lift first.