ABSTRACT
At times, these failed connections can be critical points in a relationship. This is particularly the case when they amount to ‘attachment ruptures’. These are moments, described by couple therapist Sue Johnson (2004), when the pain of the other person being emotionally blind, crass or absent in a time of real need is experienced as devastating. Without professional help to go back and address the moment of rupture, relationships may never recover. Furthermore, from such moments a person may form negative core beliefs about themselves and others such as ‘I’m not worth listening to’, ‘I can never get people to understand me’. These can inform the way they live their lives.
