ABSTRACT
The better the quality of our early attachment experiences, the greater our capacity to tolerate distress as we develop into adulthood. Our capacity for affect tolerance, self-soothing, and achievement of an integrated sense of self later in life is dependent upon the self-regulatory or self-soothing abilities acquired during the first 2 years of life, including both the ability for interactive regulation and auto-regulation. The attachment "habits" of each individual reflect implicit memories describing what ratio of closeness to distance created the most safety and what was the best adaptation to the attachment demands in a particular family environment. If therapists interpret the disorganized attachment as the expression of a whole integrated client, the symptoms are likely to be understood as a "personality disorder". To ensure that the therapy does not become derailed by these traumatic attachment issues, the therapist must be prepared for the issues posed by disorganized attachment and assume that the work will include negotiating transferential relationships.
