Attachment Theory at The Fullbrook Center
Understanding the Past to Heal the Present
At The Fullbrook Center, we believe that every woman’s story begins in relationship—with her caregivers, her attachment figures, and the emotional bonds that shaped how she learned to love, trust, and feel safe in the world. Our work using Attachment Theory is grounded in this truth: healing trauma requires us to revisit these foundational connections, not to blame or dwell, but to better understand how they continue to shape our lives today.
Attachment Theory and research has shown that the ways we relate to ourselves, our partners, and the world around us are deeply influenced by our early attachment experiences. By exploring these attachment patterns in therapy, we help women make sense of painful relational cycles, transform insecure attachment styles into more secure attachments, and ultimately reclaim the ability to build and maintain meaningful interpersonal relationships.
What Is Attachment Theory?
First introduced by John Bowlby and later expanded upon by researchers such as Mary Ainsworth and Cassidy J., Attachment Theory offers a powerful framework for understanding human development. At its core is the idea that an infant’s attachment system is biologically programmed to seek proximity to a primary caregiver—a person who provides safety, comfort, and regulation in times of distress.
How that caregiver responds to a child’s needs profoundly shapes the child’s ability to form attachments, regulate emotions, and feel secure in later romantic relationships, friendships, and adult life.
Children who grow up with responsive, emotionally available caregivers typically develop into securely attached adults. They see the world as a safe place and themselves as worthy of love. But for many women, this wasn’t their story. At The Fullbrook Center, we often work with women whose attachment behavioral systems were disrupted early on—leading to disorganized attachment, avoidant attachment, or anxious attachment patterns that still echo in their emotional behavior and intimate relationships today.
How Attachment Patterns Impact Adult Life
Insecure attachment styles—formed through inconsistent caregiving, neglect, or trauma—can contribute to chronic feelings of abandonment, anxiety, or fear of closeness. These patterns often show up in adult attachment styles, where a woman may:
Struggle with trust or emotional vulnerability
Feel unworthy of love or care
Withdraw or avoid closeness in close relationships
Experience intense separation anxiety
Replay dynamics from early life in romantic relationships or friendships
In therapy, we explore these attachment relationships gently and compassionately. Together, we uncover how your early childhood experiences shaped your internal beliefs, and we begin the slow but transformative work of building attachment security from the inside out.
The Role of Attachment-Based Therapy at The Fullbrook Center
Our approach to attachment-based therapy at Fullbrook is grounded in safety, empathy, and consistency. Through a safe and trusting relationship with your therapist, we help you begin to rewire your internal working model—the subconscious map that tells you what to expect from others and what you deserve from love.
This is not about assigning blame to your primary and secondary caregivers. It’s about honoring your story and building a new one—where you can form secure attachments, trust yourself, and relate to others in healthier, more fulfilling ways.
Healing the Attachment System
The attachment system isn’t static. With time, presence, and the right therapeutic container, it can be reshaped. Women at The Fullbrook Center often describe feeling a deep sense of relief as they learn that their relationship challenges, shame, or longing didn’t come from being “broken”—they came from needing love and not knowing how to receive it.
By working through attachment-related wounds, we support:
Greater emotional resilience and emotional development
The ability to create and sustain secure attachments
A stronger secure base from which to grow and take risks
Relief from attachment disorders, trauma-related anxiety, or depression symptoms
Decreased reactivity in attachment behaviors like people-pleasing, avoidance, or overdependence
This work doesn’t happen overnight. But with the steady presence of a skilled therapist and a supportive peer community, healing sensorimotor memories and attachment wounds becomes possible.
What You Can Expect from Attachment Therapy at The Fullbrook Center
Our therapists are deeply trained in Attachment Theory and integrate it into both individual and group sessions. We may explore your early attachment history, your relationships with primary caregivers, and how those dynamics continue to impact your life now.
You’ll also learn tools to regulate your nervous system, recognize when your attachment system is activated, and respond to emotional attachment triggers with compassion rather than shame. Over time, many women find that they begin to feel safer in their own bodies and more confident in their ability to give and receive love.
You Deserve to Feel Safe in Relationships
At The Fullbrook Center, we don’t just treat addiction or trauma—we help women heal the relational patterns at the core of their suffering. Using the powerful lens of Attachment Theory, we support women in breaking free from insecure attachment and moving toward connection, stability, and peace.
If you’ve ever wondered why you keep repeating the same relationship patterns, or why closeness feels so hard to hold onto, this work is for you. You are not too much, too needy, or too distant. You are human—and healing is possible.
Contact The Fullbrook Center today to learn how Attachment Therapy can help you feel safe, seen, and whole in your relationships.
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FAQs About Attachment Theory
What are securely attached children and why are they important?
Securely attached children are those who have consistent, nurturing relationships with a primary attachment figure, usually a primary caregiver. This secure base supports healthy child development, emotional regulation, and resilience in the face of life’s challenges.
What are infant attachment patterns?
Infant attachment patterns describe how babies respond to separation and reunion with a caregiver. These patterns—secure, avoidant, anxious, and disorganized—help predict how the child’s attachment style may evolve and influence future relationships.
How does early attachment impact future relationships?
A child’s early experiences with their primary attachment figure form the blueprint for how they view themselves and others. These patterns often carry into future relationships, shaping how a person gives and receives love in adulthood.
What role does attachment play in adult romantic relationships?
In adult romantic relationships, unresolved early attachment wounds may result in fear of abandonment, difficulty trusting, or emotional withdrawal. Healing these patterns allows for deeper intimacy, trust, and emotional safety with a partner.
Who is considered a primary attachment figure in a child's life?
A primary attachment figure is typically the primary caregiver—the person who provides consistent emotional and physical care in a child’s early life. This figure becomes the child’s secure base, shaping their capacity for closeness and trust.
Why is attachment theory important to child development?
Attachment theory is central to understanding child development because a child’s early bonds affect everything from emotional resilience to social skills and child behavior. Secure attachments foster healthy self-esteem and the ability to regulate emotions.
How is a child's attachment assessed or observed?
A child’s attachment can be observed through their behavior during separation and reunion with caregivers—often using structured assessments like the Strange Situation. Their reactions give insight into their sense of safety and emotional regulation.
What is the Handbook of Attachment?
The Handbook of Attachment is a comprehensive resource published by New York Guilford Press that covers the theory, research, and clinical application of attachment theory across the lifespan, including child mental health, adult relationships, and trauma.
How does attachment affect child mental health?
Disruptions in early attachment relationships can lead to difficulties with trust, emotional regulation, and behavior, significantly impacting child mental health. Early intervention and therapy can help prevent these patterns from continuing into adulthood.
Can attachment theory explain child behavior challenges?
Yes, many child behavior challenges—such as aggression, withdrawal, or anxiety—can be traced back to attachment patterns. Understanding and addressing these patterns helps children feel safer, more connected, and more capable of expressing their needs.
What are the different attachment styles and how do they form?
Different attachment styles include secure, anxious, avoidant, and disorganized. These form in response to how a primary caregiver meets—or doesn’t meet—a child’s emotional needs in early childhood, shaping their expectations of safety, love, and connection.
