Attachment &
Body Psychotherapy
@GlowPraxisBerlin
Deep down, do you feel safe and secure?
People are born needing to feel permanent, emotionally intense attachment to their primary caregiver (typically, the mother) in order to feel safe and secure. Babies and infants seek the protection of physical closeness to their mother in situations of danger, fear or pain – particularly when they feel unable to get out of the situation on their own. When an infant explores its unknown and therefore scary environment, it develops a sense of itself as an individual. When the primary caregiver promptly offers the right amount of physical closeness to an infant bent on exploring the environment at the right time, the infant stops being frightened and can continue its precarious activity with a sense of safety. If the infant typically receives physical or visual contact from the mother or others in such situations, it forms a secure attachment and feels safe when navigating the world – later, of course, without the caregiver.
On the other hand, if the mother reacts too late, inconsistently, inappropriately or not at all, the infant develops an insecure attachment and wants to stay near the mother to ensure its safety. Mothers who react with too much physical closeness because of their own fears can also inhibit their infant’s drive to explore the environment. In such cases, the result is children who have learned to avoid attachment because it only leads to hurtful rejection, children who focus on their primary caregiver to adapt their behavior to mother’s mood in an attempt to feel safe and secure or children who take care of their parents because they believe they cannot live without them. These children feel less socially accepted as adults and are significantly more depressed.
Young adults and other adults who developed within family systems of insecure attachment can develop psychological disorders, in particular, ADHD, anxiety, dependency and borderline disorders. The body psychotherapist teaches clients to feel their inner impulses in the present and let them flow, to accept and own their feelings and act in harmony with them. We explore the client’s family situation, establish a relationship between the young adult/adult and their inner child and look at painful, embarrassing, frightening situations and unfulfilled needs, as well as the child’s openness, vitality, spontaneity and creativity. What motivates the inner child to act, and is this motivation helpful in the present? At this point, the body psychotherapist uses touch and embracing contact to make the inner child feel safe and receive the nourishment that was (and is) lacking.
The client receives attention and care instead of rules and expectations. They gradually experience a stable attachment. Their ability to connect to others is slowly restored and young adults or other adults with a background of insecure attachment can, for example, gain self-esteem, become more at ease in social situations, liberate their imagination and develop a sense of play, increase their attention span and welcome new social contacts.
Appointments are available
Book a 60-minute biodynamic body psychotherapy session in Berlin-Mitte. Biodynamic psychotherapy is available in GlowPraxisBerlin, an oasis of calm in the big city, on Tuesday afternoons from 3:30 pm – inquire about other times.
Follow-up psychotherapy appointments also available via Zoom, but of course without massage!
