Outline

The Neurobiology of Attachment Formation

• An evolutionary view of attachment patterns
• Early attachment as a somatic experience
• Attachment styles and brain development
• Autonomic arousal and affect regulation
• Effects of traumatic threat on the body and nervous system

Disorganized Attachment and Trauma

• When the source of safety is the source of threat
• “Frightened” and “frightening” caregiving
• Disorganized-unresolved attachment as survival defense
• Statistical predictor of Borderline Personality Disorder
• Long-term impact on affect regulation/dysregulation

Effects of Disorganized-Unresolved Attachment on Transference

• Phobia of therapy and the therapist
• Traumatic transference and disorganized attachment
• Affect dysregulating effects of psychotherapy
• Safety and dysregulation
• Induction of the therapist as affect regulator

Stabilizing Traumatic Attachment Responses

• Mindfulness-based treatment models
• Introduction to Sensorimotor Psychotherapy
• Increasing regulatory ability in therapy
  • Nonjudgmental self-observation and awareness
  • Non-attachment to thoughts, feelings, and memories
  • Ability to shift focus
• Developing somatic resources in the relationship
• Right brain-to-right brain communication

The Therapist as a Neurobiological Regulator

• Dysregulated states and psychotherapy
• What does it mean to be a ‘neurobiological regulator’?
• Lessons from attachment research
• Minimizing negative affect
• Maximizing positive affect
• Playfulness, acceptance, curiosity, and empathy
• Successful experiences of feeling regulated while in relationship