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A new attachment paradigm is applied to work with dissociation. The paradigm identifies a dynamic process in which number of goal corrected systems take part, including care-seeking and care-giving, to restore a person's sense of wellbeing after it has been threatened. Interpersonal trauma disrupts this dynamic process and leads to a person's inter- and intrapersonal relating being profoundly influenced by fear and the need for self-defence. The consequences of traumatic disruption of the dynamic process in those clients who have suffered extreme abuse are discussed. The dissociative inner world is understood as one in which a person is unable to reach inter- and intrapersonal goals, in particular personal care-giving. Patterns of intrapersonal care-seeking and care-giving, the concept of an ‘internal attachment interview’, and the process of repair are examined. Clinical examples are given to show how the dissociative internal world can be restructured during attachment-based therapy. Attachment-based trajectories of repair are defined as a process of moving from an insecure to a more secure internalized environment via more effective intrapersonal care-seeking and care-giving.