TFP Therapy

Research on Transference - Focused Psychotherapy

Transference-Focused Psychotherapy (TFP) is a scientifically supported treatment for borderline personality disorder (BPD), with multiple studies demonstrating its effectiveness. Research has shown that TFP leads to improvements in emotional regulation, impulsivity, self-harm behaviors, and overall psychological functioning.

A Cochrane review of BPD treatments identifies TFP as one of the beneficial treatments for BPD (Stoffers et al. 2012). Multiple randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have assessed the effectiveness of TFP, confirming its efficacy in treating borderline personality disorder (Giesen-Bloo et al., 2006; Clarkin et al., 2007; Doering et al., 2010), in addition to uncontrolled studies (Clarkin et al. 2001b, Cuevas et al. 2000, Lopez et al. 2004).

Findings from these clinical studies demonstrate that TFP can provide:

Significant Improvement in personality disorder symptoms
Reduction in Self-Harm and Suicidality
Improved Impulse Control
Strengthened Interpersonal Relationships
Improvement in Attachment Style
Enhanced Emotional Regulation
Reduced Reliance on Psychiatric Hospitalization
Greater Reflective Functioning

In addition to these clincial studies, an inital piolt study evaluating the neurobiological effects of TFP utlising pre and post treatment fMRI scans (Perez et al. 2015) suggests that TFP leads to measurable brain changes. After a single year of treatment TFP, patients showed increased activity in brain regions linked to emotional regulation and impulse control (DLPFC, ACC), and reduced amygdala hyperactivity, associated with emotional reactivity.

These findings support TFP’s role in enhancing self-regulation and reducing impulsivity, reinforcing its biological impact alongside psychological benefits.