Therapy for Attachment Trauma

Understanding Attachment Trauma

Attachment trauma is rooted in experiences of early relational disruptions or neglect, often stemming from family of origin dynamics. These dynamics can manifest in various forms, including parental inconsistency, emotional unavailability, neglect, abuse, or separation. Additionally, formative dating relationships can further exacerbate these sensitivities, reinforcing feelings of abandonment and insecurity.

Role of Family of Origin

Family of origin issues lay the foundation for our attachment styles and relational patterns. Children who grow up in environments lacking secure attachment figures may develop insecure attachment styles, such as anxious-preoccupied, dismissive-avoidant, fearful-avoidant, or disorganized attachment. These attachment styles significantly influence how individuals perceive and navigate relationships in adulthood.

Role of Formative Dating Relationships

Formative dating relationships serve as a mirror reflecting our early attachment experiences. Patterns of interaction and emotional responses established in childhood often resurface in romantic relationships, perpetuating cycles of attachment trauma. Sensitivities to feelings of abandonment and attachment trauma can intensify, impacting the quality and stability of adult relationships.

Get Started

Signs You May Benefit From Attachment Focused Therapy

Difficulty in forming or maintaining intimate relationships

If you struggle to establish or sustain close connections with others, you may benefit from exploring your attachment style and its impact on your relational patterns.
Recurring Relationship Conflicts

Patterns of conflict or dysfunction in relationships, such as frequent arguments, emotional distance, or difficulty expressing needs, may signal underlying attachment issues that could benefit from therapeutic exploration.
Fear of Abandonment or Rejection

Intense fears of being abandoned, rejected, or betrayed in relationships can indicate insecure attachment patterns rooted in past attachment trauma. Therapy can help you understand and address these fears, fostering greater security and trust in your relationships.
Chronic Feelings of Loneliness & Emptiness

Persistent feelings of loneliness, emptiness, or dissatisfaction in relationships may stem from unmet attachment needs or unresolved attachment trauma. Therapy can provide a supportive space to explore and address these underlying emotional wounds.
Difficulty with Emotion Regulation

If you struggle to regulate your emotions, experiencing intense mood swings, anxiety, or depression in response to relational stressors, you may benefit from learning coping skills and strategies to manage their emotional responses effectively.
Tendency to Idealize or Avoid Intimacy

Patterns of idealizing or avoiding intimacy in relationships can indicate underlying attachment insecurities or fears of vulnerability. Therapy can help you develop healthier relationship dynamics and establish more authentic connections with others.
History of trauma or adverse childhood experiences

Past experiences of trauma, neglect, or abuse, particularly during childhood, can profoundly impact attachment development and relational functioning. Therapy can offer a safe and supportive environment to process and heal from these traumatic experiences.
Self-sabotaging behaviors in relationships

If you engage in self-sabotaging behaviors, such as pushing away partners or sabotaging potentially fulfilling relationships, you may benefit from exploring underlying attachment dynamics and learning healthier coping strategies.
Difficulty Trusting Others

Deep-seated mistrust or skepticism toward others, stemming from past relational betrayals or attachment trauma, can hinder the ability to form genuine connections. Therapy can help you address underlying trust issues and rebuild trust in themselves and others.
Desire for deeper self-awareness and personal growth

Even in the absence of obvious relational difficulties, you may feel a desire for deeper self-understanding and personal growth, recognizing the influence of attachment experiences on their identity and relationships. Therapy can offer a transformative journey of self-discovery and healing, fostering greater resilience and fulfillment in life and relationships.

Attachment Styles and Attachment Trauma

Attachment trauma intersects with attachment styles, shaping the way individuals engage with intimacy and vulnerability. Anxious-preoccupied individuals may fear rejection and cling to partners, while dismissive-avoidant individuals may avoid closeness altogether. Fearful-avoidant individuals oscillate between the desire for connection and the fear of engulfment, while disorganized individuals struggle with conflicting impulses and unresolved trauma.

Healing Attachment Trauma through Therapy

At PORT Counseling Group, we offer a holistic approach to healing attachment trauma, drawing from evidence-based therapeutic modalities tailored to individual needs. Our therapists are trained in attachment therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) skills, providing comprehensive support on the journey toward healing.

Attachment Therapy

Through exploration and understanding of attachment patterns, you will gain insight into your relational dynamics, fostering self-awareness and empathy. We will guide you in reshaping maladaptive beliefs and behaviors, cultivating secure attachment bonds within yourself and your relationships.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

CBT will help you identify and challenge negative thought patterns and beliefs fueling attachment trauma. By reframing distorted perceptions and developing healthier coping strategies, you can effectively manage triggers and regulate emotions, fostering greater resilience and relational satisfaction.
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy

We will use DBT skills to equip you with practical skills for emotion regulation, distress tolerance, interpersonal effectiveness, and mindfulness. By cultivating emotional awareness and adaptive coping mechanisms, you can navigate relational challenges with greater ease, intimacy and connection.

Get Started

FAQs on Attachment Trauma

Yes, therapy can facilitate changes in attachment style by providing individuals with opportunities for self-awareness, emotional regulation, and relational skill-building. Through therapeutic interventions rooted in attachment theory and evidence-based practices, individuals can learn to cultivate more secure attachment patterns and develop healthier, more fulfilling relationships.
Yes, individuals may experience fluctuations in their attachment styles based on life experiences, relational dynamics, and personal growth. Trauma, stress, and significant life changes can temporarily influence attachment behaviors and patterns. Therapy can help individuals navigate these fluctuations, fostering greater stability and resilience in their attachment style over time.
Yes, trauma can profoundly impact attachment styles, leading to the development of insecure attachment patterns such as anxious-preoccupied, dismissive-avoidant, fearful-avoidant, or disorganized attachment. Therapy can address the underlying emotional wounds of trauma, helping individuals heal and reshape their attachment styles toward greater security and resilience.
While individuals with avoidant attachment may struggle with intimacy and vulnerability, change is possible with or without therapy. However, therapy provides a structured and supportive environment for individuals to explore and address underlying attachment issues, develop healthier relational patterns, and cultivate secure attachment bonds more effectively.
The process of changing attachment styles varies for each individual and depends on factors such as the severity of past trauma, readiness for change, and commitment to therapy. While attachment styles can evolve over time, lasting change often requires consistent effort, self-reflection, and therapeutic support to promote secure attachment and relational well-being.
Positive relationship experiences can contribute to the reshaping of attachment styles by providing individuals with opportunities for secure attachment and emotional connection. However, lasting change often requires intentional self-awareness, emotional regulation, and relational skill-building, which can be facilitated through therapy focused on healing attachment trauma and fostering secure relationships.
Attachment styles are influenced by a combination of genetic predispositions, early childhood experiences, family dynamics, and later life experiences such as trauma, loss, or significant relational events. Therapy can help individuals understand the multifaceted factors that contribute to their attachment style, empowering them to cultivate greater self-awareness, resilience, and relational fulfillment.

How Therapy at PORT Works

Inquire

Use our online contact form and let us know which of our Therapists you would like to work with. We will promptly connect you to your preferred provider for your brief free phone consultation. We want to go the extra mile to make sure you feel comfortable from the start.
Get to the Root

Your therapy will likely start out with having sessions either weekly or biweekly. With your Therapist, you will get a better understanding of your presenting concerns and how they came about. Your therapist will also help you assess your level of coping and teach you additional strategies.
Do the Work

The bulk of your experience will be in doing the work, both in & out of sessions. You will work through implementing techniques to improve your mood and engagement in relationships in session, while completing tasks assigned by your therapist to further your progress.
Have Better Relationships

This is the point where you get to be #RelationshipGoals. You are having fewer therapy sessions and experiencing emotional healing from past relationship trauma. You are in a place where you are feeling more competent to handle whatever comes next.