ABSTRACT
This chapter aims to illustrate the utility of attachment theory in identifying and strengthening bonds that promote healing and moderating the effect of those that do not. It discusses the implications of an attachment-informed approach to grief therapy as it relates to continuing bonds (CB). In understanding an individual's response to a loss it is necessary to take into account not only the structure of that individual's personality but also the patterns of interaction in which he was engaging with the person lost. The desire to maintain a connection with a beloved person is easy to understand. Given the role of attachment security in CB, individuals who enjoy a secure relationship with a living person are likely to benefit from the bond they maintain with that person after they have died. CB theory and research suggest that a CB with an attachment figure can provide some of the same benefits derived from the relationship when the person was alive.
