Attachment Styles and Hypnotherapy

What is Attachment? Attachment is defined as a “lasting psychological connectedness between human beings” (Bowlby, 1969), and may be considered interchangeable with concepts such as “affectional bond” and “emotional bond.” A human being’s first attachment is often established during infancy with the primary caregiver. Attachments of various kinds are formed through the repeated act of “attachment behaviors” or “attachment transactions,” a continuing process of seeking and maintaining a certain level of proximity to another specified individual (Bowlby, 1969). Because caregivers vary in their levels of sensitivity and responsiveness, not all infants attach to caregivers in the same way. Attachment styles are hard-wired beliefs and behaviors people develop about relationships with others, based on the relationship they had with their primary caregiver when they were infants. The 4 Attachment Styles There are four main adult attachment styles: secure, anxious, avoidant, and fearful-avoidant (aka disorganized). The latter three are all considered forms of insecure attachment. 1. Secure Attachment Secure attachment style refers to the ability to form secure, loving relationships with others. A securely attached person can trust others and be trusted, love and accept love, and get close to others with relative ease. They’re not afraid of intimacy, nor do they feel panicked when their partners need time or space away from them. They’re able to depend on others without becoming totally dependent. About 56% of adults have a secure attachment type, according to foundational attachment research by social psychologists Cindy Hazan and Phillip Shaver in the 1980s. All other attachment styles that are not secure are known as insecure attachment styles. 2. Anxious Attachment An anxious attachment style is a form of insecure attachment style marked by a deep fear of abandonment. Anxiously attached people tend to be very insecure about their relationships, often worrying...