“Mom, there’s a monster in the closet”: How do attachment, trauma and anxiety disorders interact ? Linking early attachment trauma to the development of anxiety disorders and treatment possibilities.

D'Hooghe, DD (Doris)
Traumacentre Belgium

 

Submission type

Oral and Poster

Scheduled

Poster, Beurs van Berlage , Grote Zaal

Kernwoorden

attachment/anxiety/treatment

Onderzoeksgebied

Anxiety and depression

Doelgroep

mensen met veel ervaring met het onderwerp

Workshop

In this workshop I want to broaden the vision on attachment trauma and highlight the importance to acknowledge EAT as a hidden epidemic. The significance of EAT in the development of anxiety symptoms becomes more and more apparent. Recognizing the effect, which the quality of the attachment relationship has on the development of a secure attachment bond, is important to understand the factors underlying the development of anxiety symptoms. The availability, responsiveness, mentalizing possibilities, etc. of the parent create a secure base from which the child can explore and develop. The absence of those features in the child- parent relationship causes traumatic stress within the child and impacts his psychological and neurological well-being. Insecure attachment influences the neurobiology and results in dissociative processes expressed through different types of anxiety disorders. Deriving from neurobiology, there is a clear link between anxiety, depression and aggression. From an intergenerational point of view, an insecure attachment style of the parent implements the absence of affect and stress regulation capabilities and leaves the child with the inability to regulate his anxiety. Treatment strategies combine neurobiological, attachment and trauma insights and include body oriented therapy, affect – and stress- regulation strategies, the therapeutic relationship, etc.

Auteurs