Attachment-Based Therapy
do you find yourself repeatedly dating people who aren’t good for you?
are you constantly worrying about the status of your relationship?
is it hard to truly let your guard down with others?
“We hurt in relationship and we heal in relationship.”
-Diane Poole Heller
Attachment-based therapy is rooted in healing the relationship between yourself and others.
Therapy is a place to create a safe and trusting relationship to heal your attachment wounds.
what are attachment styles?
Your attachment style is based on the way you learned to relate to your caregivers as you grew up.
As an adult, this style typically becomes a patterned way you relate to others in your life including friends, romantic partners, and colleagues.
People who received consistent and reliable support from their caregivers results in trustworthiness of others, resilience in conflict, and ability to express their needs
secure attachment
When caregivers are unresponsive or neglectful of children’s needs, the children come to believe they are on their own. As adults, they may become hyper-indepent and have difficulty experiencing intimacy with others.
avoidant attachment
Children who received inconsistent caregiving become hypervigilant of their caretakers unpredictable responses. This typically results in people who put others needs before their own, while also putting unrealistic expectations on their partners.
ambivalent attachment
When attachment becomes mixed with the threat response, typically due to abuse or chaos by the caregiver, a child may come to fear intimacy with others. As an adult, they may experience survival responses while in relationship with others.
disorganized attachment
what does attachment-based therapy look like?
exploration of relationship patterns
unburden limiting beliefs about worthiness in relationships
clarification of healthy vs unhealthy relationship characteristics
exploration of somatic responses to intimacy and conflict
create understanding of met and unmet needs in childhood
develop regulation techniques for anxiety, depression, and trauma responses