ABSTRACT
Trauma ruptures attachment. The successful treatment of trauma requires clinicians to help clients develop strong attachment to the treater. Just as clients have varying attachment styles, so do therapists. These styles fall into five categories: secure, preoccupied, dismissive-avoidant, disorganized, and earned secure. Advantages and pitfalls of each therapist’s style of attachment are explored in trauma therapy as regards the clients’ styles, with special attention paid to early connection and attunement in the therapeutic relationship. Attunement failure is explored as a component of the traumatic experience and as transference phenomena in treatment. Attunement skills are broken into practicable component parts.
