Psychodynamic therapy, guided by the core principle that the unconscious mind harbours deep-rooted feelings and memories that can affect our behaviour, is based on the understanding of the importance of person’s life from birth onwards.
A painful situation in the present may have its roots in the past but the individual may not be consciously aware of the connection.The aim of the therapy is to bring forth to consciousness that which has long been hidden from awareness.
Attachment Based Therapy
One type of Psychodynamic therapy, with an emphasis on the significance of our early attachments is known as Attachment based Therapy.
When babies are born they rely on caregivers to protect them and look after both their emotional and physical needs. Having these needs met allows them to form bonds or ‘attachments’ helping them learn to love and trust others, to regulate emotions, become aware of others’ feelings and develop healthy bonds in the future.
Attachment based therapy, concerned with this initial bond, focuses on relationships between people, particularly long-term relationships including those between a parent and child and between romantic partners.
As many of our ways of relating are unconscious attachment therapists may explore what manifests in the relationship between therapist and client as a way of assisting in uncovering these hidden links.
Bringing old patterns of relating into conscious awareness ultimately leads to greater freedom of thought, action and change.