ABSTRACT
In an ideal world, infants should be wanted, nurtured, loved, protected and valued by emotionally available and sensitively responsive parents. This chapter aims to introduce the core topics of emotional relationships, a reflective approach and supportive practices. The brain is developed rapidly in utero and is affected by diet, exposure to stress, maternal health and lifestyle. As the brain develops, the foetus is able respond to familiar sounds and tune into their parent’s voice. The limbic system, the section of the brain registering and storing emotional information such as fear, anger and happiness, has a specialised system of neurons that support individuals to read the emotions in the faces of others. The neuron communicates through firing tiny chemical charges. The Tavistock approach as a careful way of observing enables the observer to immerse themselves in the interactions that take place between the infant and others present.
