Attachment Theory

Experiential Attachment Psychotherapy is a modality I practice from that works within present-moment mindfulness, within the therapeutic relationship, to support healing attachment wounding and trauma.

All people want to feel connected to and valued by others. Attachment therapy recognizes that we cannot heal in isolation and honors the profound difficulties that can arise when we feel disconnected from those we rely on for support. I completed a one-year internship in my graduate program focused on attachment-based therapy and use this theory as the bedrock for my work. Working from this lens, I work to build secure and authentic relationships with my clients so they can feel safe and valued.

Attachment Theory has the strongest evidence base as a way of understanding human relationships in all of the social sciences. as an Attachment-based Family Therapy-trained clinician, I utilize a wide range of approaches that incorporate attachment theory to help you live a more fulfilling life and have better relationships.

I am trained in Somatic Attachment Therapy interventions, which are focused on supporting you building a more secure attachment to yourself (which can support management of anxiety and depression) and others (which supports cultivation of deeper and more fulfilling relationships). We will assess different attachment patterns you may have with different people in your life, and use techniques based in embodied exploration to better attune to your inner experiences.

Attachment-based therapy allows a patient to pinpoint life experiences in early life that have led to thoughts, feelings, communications, behaviors, and relationship struggles that a patient used strategically to get through life, but are not helping one function any longer.

This theory focuses on exploring our early childhood attachment style, which has been created throughout our childhood with our caregivers. This attachment style lays a foundation for how we see the world and develop trust and is carried out into our future relationships with partners and close friends. I support clients by guiding them through a better understanding of their attachment style, as well as supporting clients to work through their past to a healthier attachment with others.

It's fascinating to have a strong understanding of your attachment style, including the contributing factors. This becomes the foundation for a framework of understanding - who we are, why we do and say the things we do- why we have certain relationship challenges and successes. This knowledge and understanding paves a unique path to healing.

I believe that attachment issues are at the core of many relationship and interpersonal concerns. I have found that integrating some psychoeducation and exploration around attachment theory has helped to improve clients interpersonal relationships through self-awareness and understanding.

If you find yourself struggling with fear and reactivity in your relationships, you might be suffering from an attachment issue. If you grew up with inconsistent, unreliable, fearful or frightening parents, you might find intimacy uncomfortable, or never feel like you can never get as close to your partner as you would like to be. You might become fearful or angry at your partner in ways that don't seem to make sense. It does make sense, though, truly... please reach out and I'll tell you more!

We are born utterly helpless. In order to get our basic needs met--for food, swaddling, sleep, basic comforts--we send out various signals. We learn very early which of these signals get results. These early lessons form the basis of attachment theory--that how we learned to relate to our first caregivers find echoes in how we relate to others. Four styles--secure, avoidant, anxious, and disorganized—inform a lifetime of behaviors and can be understood and transformed.

Attachment theory (by John Bowlby) explores the impact of early relationships on individuals' emotional development and interpersonal patterns. In therapy, clients may examine their attachment history and how it influences their current relationships and sense of self. The therapeutic process often involves exploring attachment styles, such as secure, anxious, or avoidant, and working towards developing more secure attachment patterns.

How we relate to others is a key aspect of mental health. Some say that relationship health is mental health! I find it crucial to keep relationships and community in mind as we work through a client's concerns.

Attachment theory is one of the keys to understanding yourself and your patterns in relationships. Attachment work in therapy is crucial to helping you strengthen the relationship you have with yourself and with other people. Working on attachment issues can help relationships make more sense and flow with more ease. This work is a game changer when it comes to finding and maintaining healthy, satisfying, long-lasting relationships.

In talk therapy I am able to help individuals understand emotional bonds and how these have impacted past and present relationships with themselves and others.

Through early attachments, we create a template that governs how we interact with others for the rest of our lives. This template can change, if we're lucky enough to find a loving relationship or if we work to change it in therapy. Too often, we're attracted to people who end up reinforcing old attachment wounds, which means that therapy is likely the pathway to healing for most people. I use a psychobiological approach to healing attachment woundings, to help you create a new template.