logo
episode-header-image
Feb 2025
1h 53m

Transference Focused Psychotherapy, Bord...

DAVID PUDER, M.D.
About this episode

In this episode, Dr. David Puder interviews Dr. Frank Yeomans, a leading expert in Transference-Focused Psychotherapy (TFP) and personality disorders, to explore the treatment of Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD). They discuss object relations theory, identity diffusion, splitting, and the therapeutic relationship in TFP. Dr. Yeomans shares clinical insights on working with paranoid, devaluing, and omnipotent transferences, highlighting how therapists can navigate idealization, devaluation, and therapeutic neutrality. They also compare TFP with other psychodynamic approaches and discuss the role of aggression in mentalization and personality integration.

  • Learn how TFP helps patients develop a stable identity
  • Understand the differences between BPD and NPD treatment
  • Explore the role of transference in psychotherapy

Tune in for a deep dive into psychodynamic therapy with one of the field’s top experts!

By listening to this episode, you can earn 2.0 Psychiatry CME Credits.

Link to blog

Link to YouTube video

Up next
Sep 26
Understanding Real Event OCD: When the Past Fuels Obsession
In this episode, Dr. David Puder is joined by OCD specialist Kevin Foss to dive deep into Real Event OCD, which is a form of obsessive-compulsive disorder where real past experiences become the focus of endless rumination, guilt, and shame. Together, they unpack the symptoms, rea ... Show More
1h 7m
Sep 16
Identity Diffusion
In this episode, Dr. David Puder and Mark Ruffalo dive into the history and theory of identity diffusion, from Kernberg’s structural model and Gunderson’s work on BPD to Akhtar’s clinical descriptions. We explore how identity diffusion shows up in patients’ lived experiences—feel ... Show More
1h 37m
Aug 29
Cannabis and Depression, Anxiety, PTSD, Sleep, and Cognitive Function Update and Review
In this episode, we explore the latest 2025 research on cannabis and mental health. Our discussion covers how cannabis use impacts depression, anxiety, PTSD, sleep, cognitive function, and cannabis use disorder (CUD). While many patients report short-term relief from symptoms, st ... Show More
1h 10m
Recommended Episodes
Jun 2024
lessons from the borderline (how BPD is a disorder of relationship, NOT of personality) [preview]
Borderline personality disorder is often stigmatized, with a significant number of professionals within the industry regarding borderline patients with contempt. As one psychiatrist told anthropologist Tanya Lurhmann, “if you’re talking to a patient and it feels like your interna ... Show More
28m 45s
Dec 2024
Encore - What is borderline personality disorder? With Carla Sharp, PhD
Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is one of the most frequently diagnosed personality disorders, and one of the most misunderstood. Carla Sharp, PhD, of the University of Houston, discusses how BPD is diagnosed, defined and treated, how family members can help children and ad ... Show More
37m 32s
Sep 30
338. The psychology of borderline personality disorder (BPD)
Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is one of the most misunderstood mental health conditions, clouded by stigma and misinformation. In this episode, we take a compassionate, research-based look at what BPD really is, where it comes from, and how people living with it can find ... Show More
58m 27s
Aug 2020
Understanding Histrionic Personality Disorder
In today's episode of Mental Health // Demystified, Dr. Tracey Marks discusses another Cluster B personality disorder: Histrionic personality. Histrionic personality disorder is A pattern of excessive emotionality and attention seeking, beginning by early adulthood and present in ... Show More
13m 21s
Oct 2024
Without Emotional Skin: Understanding Borderline-Level NPD
In this episode, Dr. Ettensohn draws on psychodynamic dimensional models of personality development to describe narcissism and NPD at the borderline level. Characterized by identity diffusion, blurred boundaries, and disrupted internal experience, borderline personality organizat ... Show More
40m 2s
Feb 2023
BPD Diagnosis Stories - The BPD Bunch S2E1
Xannie, Alex, Darren, Sophie, Georgette and Mo tell the stories of how they were diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. The Bunch chat about what it felt like to find out they had BPD,  what they learned from the experience, and how they might approach seeking a diagnosi ... Show More
45m 33s
Nov 2020
Bright Light & Dark Therapy for Bipolar Disorder
Dr. Tracey Marks Dr. Marks is a general and forensic psychiatrist of 20 years, whose mission is to increase mental health awareness and understanding by educating people on psychiatric disorders, mental well-being and self-improvement. She believes that insight creates change, bo ... Show More
13 m
May 2024
BPD Recovery & Treatment: What We Know Now - Interview w/ Dr. Lois Choi-Kain - The BPD Bunch BRUNCH
Xannie and Alex sit down with Dr. Lois Choi-Kain to talk in-depth about what we currently know about BPD Recovery and Treatment! Dr. Choi-Kain is the Director of the Gunderson Personality Disorders Institute at McLean Hospital, and an associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard ... Show More
1h 2m
Jul 2023
Rejection Sensitivity in Borderline Personality Disorder
Cluster BThis show aims to educate the audience from a scientifically informed perspective about the major cluster B personality disorders: narcissism, histrionic, borderline, and antisocial. References: Berenson, K. R., Downey, G., Rafaeli, E., Coifman, K. G., & Paquin, N. L. (2 ... Show More
11m 51s
Apr 2025
Surviving BPD & Sexual Assault - The BPD Bunch S6E6
What happens when the pain of trauma from sexual assault collides with the struggles of borderline personality disorder (BPD)?Join Xannie, Katja, Madhurima and André in this vulnerable episode as we discuss the harrowing experiences of individuals living with Borderline Personali ... Show More
1h 1m