Attachment Problems And Their Repair Through EMDR Therapy
Many of the things we experience during childhood influence our development and adoption of behavioral patterns when we reach adulthood.
Some of these influences are positive and allow us to establish a way of understanding the world that connects with our most consolidated interests and concerns from the first years of life, while others are dysfunctional in nature, a sign that there are certain emotionally painful experiences that we have not been able to fully overcome.
Therefore, in this article We will see how EMDR therapy works with attachment problemsa type of psychological imbalance that has its origin in the key emotional relationships that we establish during the first years of life.
In psychology, the concept of attachment refers to the emotional connections that we establish with the people important to us and that we associate with a feeling of protection and support (or, at least, an expectation of safety and support).
Attachment is of special interest because it allows us to understand the way in which the emotional ties we establish during the first years of our physical and psychological development (normally directed towards our parents, guardians or caregivers in general) influence the way in which we learn. to relate to the environment.
Thus, from explanatory proposals of human behavior such as John Bowlby’s attachment theory, we know that the development of attachment between boys and girls, on the one hand, and at least one protective figure who is usually at their side, on the other. other, influences the development and expression of the personality of individuals from early childhood (the first months of life after birth) until reaching adulthood.
Attachment is so important that it has been seen even in primate babies that physical contact with a protective figure can become more valued than access to food and other goods necessary to cover what are usually considered “basic needs.” Besides, The lack of an individual towards whom to develop a consistent attachment bond results in physical and psychiatric illnesses.
It is believed that this is due to the need to have the protection of adults to be able to explore the world, learn, and as a consequence, mature psychologically: if we are not sure that there is someone looking after our well-being, the environment becomes a hostile place to which we want to avoid exposing ourselves, since we have no room for maneuver to make the wrong decisions.
That is why beyond the severe pathologies produced by the total absence of a protective figure such as the mother or father during childhood, there is a gray scale in terms of the psychological problems that can appear if we develop an attachment style. dysfunctional
For example, yes The type of upbringing of a boy or girl has been characterized by overprotectionthis usually gives rise to anxiety problems in the absence of the caregiver and excessive risk avoidance when reaching adulthood.
Yes, on the other hand, The parenting model has been characterized by offering only the essential material support and as soon as there has been interaction with the boy or girl through emotional exchanges, the children stop expecting protection from these adults and treat them in a similar way to individuals unknown to them, and develop markedly rebellious and individualistic behavior patterns. , something that upon reaching adulthood is reflected in the avoidance of commitments and deep emotional ties.
If the parenting model has been very inconsistent, offering moments of protection and emotional exchange but, on the other hand, making many mistakes and “forgetfulness” when it comes to ensuring the well-being of the child, The type of attachment that children develop will be ambivalent.characterized by uncertainty: they will seek contact with the caregiver and, once they are at their side, they will resist their company, suffering frustration for not feeling completely “safe” and at the same time not having the freedom to play and explore. .
In adulthood, those who have developed this attachment style tend to suffer more anxiety problems.
How does EMDR therapy intervene in these problems?
EMDR therapy is a type of psychological intervention Initially designed for psychopathologies linked to trauma, but later it began to be adapted to various problems associated with the psychological mark that painful experiences leave us. And emotional imbalances arising from dysfunctional attachment styles fall into this category.
The fundamental goal of EMDR therapy is help people reprocess the contents of emotional memory that have become “fixed” in the neural networks of the brain in a dysfunctional waymanifesting in the present in a problematic way even when we are not making conscious efforts to recall those memories.
It is about accessing that part of the memory and “editing” the way in which we have internalized it, so that it stops giving rise to patterns of emotional activation that do not allow us to overcome those experiences and turn the page. It is not about erasing memories, but rather about reconciling ourselves with that part of our past, through modifications in the way our brain processes that information.
Of course, being a procedure that, despite intervening in the dynamics of brain activation, is part of psychotherapy, it is totally painless and non-invasive: it is based on the performance of specific actions by the patient. In fact, The activities that take place in EMDR sessions are relatively simple, and can be adapted for boys and girls.
Are you interested in having psychotherapeutic support?
If you are looking for psychotherapy services, contact our team.
In Psychomaster We serve adults, children and adolescents through various modalities of psychotherapy, and we also serve through the online modality.
