Did you know that the diagnostic criteria for borderline personality disorder (BPD) has remained the same since it was officially added to the third edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders in 1980? Forty years later, BPD remains deeply misunderstood by the public and isolating for those who live with the condition.

On this episode of Transforming Trauma, host Emily Ruth chats with Mark L. Ruffalo, MSW., D.Psa., about his extensive work in the field of BPD. The pair discuss the history of BPD, its symptoms and characteristics, and overlap with C-PTSD. 

About Mark L. Ruffalo:

Mark L. Ruffalo, M.S.W., D.Psa., is a psychotherapist in private practice in Tampa, Florida, and serves as Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Central Florida College of Medicine and Adjunct Instructor of Psychiatry at Tufts University School of Medicine. He has broad clinical experience in the psychoanalytic treatment of a range of psychiatric conditions with particular interest in the psychotherapy of schizophrenia and borderline personality disorder. During his training at the University of Pittsburgh, Mark worked with severely ill patients in long-term psychotherapy, an area in which he has developed significant expertise. 

He has published previously in the American Journal of Psychotherapy, Psychoanalytic Social Work, Psychiatric Times, and the Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease. He currently serves as Co-Director of the Psychotherapy Track at the UCF/HCA Orlando Psychiatry Residency Program and is the Founding Editor of The Carlat Psychotherapy Report. Mark’s current research interests include the object relations theory of borderline personality disorder; communication dilemmas, paradoxes, and double binds in personality pathology; and deficits in logical reasoning in psychotic and borderline states.

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SPACE is an Inner Development Program of Support and Self-Discovery for Therapists on the Personal, Interpersonal, and Transpersonal Levels offered by the Complex Trauma Training Center. This experiential learning program offers an immersive group experience designed to cultivate space for self-care, community support, and deepening vitality in our professional role as therapists. Learn more about how to join

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The Complex Trauma Training Center (CTTC) is a professional organization providing clinical training, education, consultation, and mentorship for psychotherapists and mental health professionals working with individuals and communities impacted by Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and Complex Trauma (C-PTSD).

CTTC provides NARM® Therapist and NARM® Master Therapist Training programs, as well as ongoing monthly groups in support of those learning NARM. CTTC offers a depth-oriented professional community for those seeking a supportive network of therapists focused on three levels of shared human experience: personal, interpersonal & transpersonal. 

The Transforming Trauma podcast embodies the spirit of CTTC – best described by its three keywords: depth, connection, and heart - and offers guidance to those interested in effective, transformational trauma-informed care.

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