Background: Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) entails severe emotional dysregulation, unstable relationships, impulsivity, and elevated suicidal behavior, frequently linked to unresolved early trauma. The NUR psychotherapeutic method targets implicit traumatic memory through a guided sensory-focus state and integration across sensory, emotional, and cognitive levels. It is operationalized via a protocol with phased procedures tailored to the body zone activated during sessions.
Objective: To compare the effectiveness of the NUR method against Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT; treatment as usual) in reducing anxiety, depression, and suicidal behavior in adults with BPD; and to assess maintenance of gains three months after treatment.
Methods: Open-label randomized controlled trial with two parallel arms (NUR vs. CBT). Adults (18-65) with BPD will receive 10 weekly sessions. Assessments at baseline, post-treatment, and 3-month follow-up include GHQ-12, PHQ-9, BSL-23, DASS-21, and DTS; analysis via repeated-measures ANOVA to test time×group effects.
Expected Results: We hypothesize greater reductions in anxiety, depressive symptoms, and suicidal behavior for NUR versus CBT, with effects sustained at follow-up.
Conclusions: By systematically engaging sensory pathways to access and integrate implicit traumatic memory, NUR may complement established treatments and enhance outcomes in BPD, particularly in domains linked to suicidal risk and affective dysregulation. The trial adheres to ethical principles (Declaration of Helsinki) and GDPR-compliant data management; oversight by the UNIR bioethics committee is described in the study protocol.
Keywords: Borderline Personality Disorder; NUR method; trauma-focused psychotherapy; suicidal behavior; anxiety; depression; randomized controlled trial.