You do not currently have permission to view the full text for this document. Please sign in to an account with an active subscription or contact support.
Repetition, Repetition, Repetition: Breaking the Cycle of Attachment Trauma The 23rd John Bowlby Memorial International Conference, London Friday 3rd and Saturday 4th, March, 2017
When people have experienced attachment trauma, being caught in a never-ending cycle of emotional and relational repetition can dominate their lives. In the words of Selma Fraiberg: “Trauma demands repetition”. Attachment trauma can leave a person with an impaired and constricted life, overwhelming feelings, internal critical voices, and a tendency towards an unhealthy dissociation. These features lie at the core of the repetitions we encounter with our clients, often in the form of relational re-enactment in the psychotherapy setting. Such re-enactments can be difficult to be conscious of for both therapist and the client. Furthermore, such re-enactments are not only experienced in the consulting room, but also on a societal level, as seen, for example, in war and its many impacts.