Treating Attachment Disorders—From Theory to Therapy

Brisch, a psychiatrist and specialist in psychosomatic medicine who is associated with Ludwig-Maximilians-U. of Munich, Germany, uses case studies of patients of all ages to illustrate how to treat attachment disorders. The book is intended for psychotherapists and graduate students in clinical psychology, psychiatry, and clinical social work, as well as developmental researchers. He first discusses attachment theory and its basic concepts, theoretical aspects of attachment disorders, and a theory for an attachment-oriented psychotherapeutic technique, including attachment-oriented treatment. Cases are then detailed, with each describing the development of a therapeutic approach, symptoms and biographical history, reflections on attachment dynamics, considerations from other theoretical backgrounds, the course of treatment, and reflections on therapy and follow-up history. This edition incorporates recent knowledge on attachment disorders and their assessment, and advances in neurobiology, genetics, psychotraumatology, and prevention. It addresses the effects of disorganized attachment on later psychological disorders, and the transgenerational effects of parental trauma in the context of psychotraumatology and genetics. The section on further application has been expanded to include the attachment-based SAFE (Secure Attachment Family Education) prevention program and the BASE Babywatching program. The book was originally published in German as Bindungsstorungen: Von der Bindungstheorie zur Therapie (2011) and was translated by Kenneth Kronenberg. Annotation c2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)