Course Content

This reading course delves into the multifaceted nature of self-injurious behavior, particularly in individuals with borderline personality disorder, exploring its neurobiological, developmental, and therapeutic dimensions. It begins by elucidating the adaptive role of pain perception in alerting organisms to potential threats and progresses to examine the interplay between physical and emotional pain, highlighting the neurological overlap between them. The text underscores the crucial role of affect regulation in self-injury, proposing therapeutic strategies such as dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) and psychodynamic therapies to enhance distress tolerance and emotion regulation skills. Moreover, it emphasizes the significance of the therapeutic relationship in fostering a more integrated sense of self and promoting adaptive responses to emotional experiences, especially in individuals with a history of trauma or neglect. Throughout, the narrative underscores the complexity of self-injury and advocates for holistic therapeutic approaches rooted in both neurobiological understanding and psychosocial support.

  • Understand the psychological functions and motivations underlying self-harm behavior, including its role in emotion regulation and its potential reinforcement through multiple interconnected lines of causation.

  • Explore the potential neuropsychological underpinnings of self-injurious behavior, particularly focusing on its affect-regulatory function, to facilitate a deeper comprehension of why individuals engage in self-harm and to inform therapeutic interventions.

  • Examine the neurophysiological basis of pain perception and its role in signaling danger and promoting survival, particularly focusing on the interplay between physical and emotional pain and the activation of neural circuits involved in affect regulation.

  • Investigate the developmental and psychological factors contributing to the preference for self-injury as a means of managing emotional pain, including the impact of early attachment experiences on emotion regulation and self-concept formation, and the potential escalation of self-injurious behaviors over time leading to increased vulnerability to negative outcomes such as suicidal ideation and attempts.

  • Evaluate the effectiveness of therapeutic interventions, such as dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) and psychodynamic therapies, in reducing self-injurious behaviors in individuals with borderline personality disorder, focusing on their impact on affect regulation and amygdala hyperactivity.

  • Explore the role of the therapeutic relationship in facilitating the development of a more fully integrated sense of self and the utilization of affective states in a healthy manner, particularly in individuals with a history of parental neglect or emotional trauma, emphasizing the importance of emotional validation and exploration of neurological representations of pain and emotions within a supportive framework.

Course curriculum

    1. The Neuropsychological Analysis of Self-Injurous Behavior by Derrick L. Hassert

    2. Introduction

    3. Introduction Quiz

    4. Emotional Pain and Physical Pain: Little Difference to the Brain

    5. Emotional Pain and Physical Pain Quiz

    6. Addressing Self-injury Through Developing the Self

    7. Addressing Self-injury Through Developing the Self Quiz

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