Samenvatting

Understanding and processing life experiences are essential in the treatment of personality disorders to promote personal recovery and psychological wellbeing. In this qualitative case report, drafted in co‐creation between the
client, clinical psychologist, and art therapist, individual treatment consisted of two psychotherapeutic interventions, “An Empowering Story” and life‐story‐focused art therapy, in 12 parallel sessions for 24 weeks. Hilda, 68 years of age,
had been diagnosed with an unspecified personality disorder and various traits of borderline personality disorder. She experienced emotional exhaustion following long‐term mental health problems rooted in a traumatic early child hood. This affected her ability to manage her emotions and social relations, resulting in the sense that her life had no meaning. Hilda was invited to reconstruct her life experi ences, divided into the past, turning point, and present/future, in a written and a painted life story. This allowed for the integration of traumatic as well as positive memories, enhanced self‐compassion, and meaning making. She developed self‐reflection and integration of internal
conflicts leading to a better emotional balance and self‐understanding. Art therapy emphasizes bottom‐up regula tory processes, while narrative psychology supports top‐down regulatory processes. The combined approach effec tively integrated bottom‐up, experiential, sensory experi ences with top‐down, cognitive emotion‐regulation pro cesses. The results suggest that psychotherapeutic interventions involving a multi‐pronged, complementary,
and thus more holistic approach can support personal recovery in personality disorders