Dealing with Attachment Issues

Dealing with Attachment Issues

Our attachment is formed in the very first years of our lives (theory explained in previous blog), a time when we are too young to communicate our anxiety and as a result can experience high levels of stress. Then our adrenal gland – an organ sitting on top of our kidneys – produces the stress-hormones adrenaline and cortisol. The heart rate increases, the blood pressure goes up and we become alert. If that happens frequently, it is called toxic stress. Toxic, because it impairs the development of a child’s brain, and weakens the immune system. In embryos or at a very young age, toxic stress can even switch the expressions of genes, which can affect our health many decades later.

Not only your health or wellbeing is impacted, but the way you may develop relationships (romantic/friendships) can also be affected.

Dealing with Attachment Issues is no easy task. For those who feel like they can’t help themselves, or can’t find trust through their partners of family, we recommend looking for professional support through a therapy.

f you are able to form a secure attachment to a therapist, he/she can become the one who provides you with that secure base.

Here three of possible therapies:

1. Psychoanalysis. The aim of psychoanalysis therapy is to release repressed emotions and experiences, i.e., make the unconscious conscious. In order to do that they therapist might try to bring back some childhood memories, to work at the root cause of the problem.

2. Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT). CBT is a psycho-social intervention that is widely used for improving mental health. Instead of trying to bring you back in time, it aims to explain you whats going on inside your brain and how to cope with irrational feelings or fears.

3. The Humanistic approach: Aims by helping individuals making active choices, by understating how they actively construct their experience pf self and others and listen to their emotional needs. This is done by therapist providing a set of experiences such as empathy, unconditional positive regard and authenticity.

In some cases therapy can be a reparative process and what that means is you can build a relationship that can repair some of the issues you have with your attachment style.

If this is something you may feel you need help with, please book a free consultation with us.

By Dr Farah Nadeem

Psychologist.

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