Attachment in Psychotherapy

This book is the best all-round exploration of attachment theory, its history and research base, with plenty of insights and examples to consider in clinical work. I have an MACP but this book taught me more about early behavioural patterns and where they come from than any textbook - also what to do about these patterns to help towards positive growth. There is also a great deal about mindfulness and body awareness, which is crucially important to remember for anyone either giving or receiving help. Wallin writes lucidly and engagingly. He puts his information across like one who understands it in an integrated way, from his frontal lobes right down into his mitochondria! I can't recommend this book enough - lay people will also find it completely fascinating. This is one I will read again and again, with insight and gratitude each time.

I initially purchased this book on Audible and found it so good I also bought the text version. I am a recently qualified UKCP psychotherapist (TA relationally trained) - this is the single most valuable book I have ever read in terms of actually influencing how I think, feel and am present with my clients. It integrates seamlessly 3 separate theoretical constructs (attachment, mentalization, mindfulness) which I’ve always been drawn and manages to make the leap from simply explaining theory to illustrating this in practice . I particularly appreciated the many clinical vignettes especially those exploring enactment. Thank you David for writing this extraordinary book.

'Attachment in Psychotherapy' is the best book I have come across that covers the theory and practice of relational psychotherapy. It integrates an incredibly wide range of research from different areas, (empirical and clinical, intersubjective and developmental) and integrates them in such a way to provide a comprehensive map of why and how getting involved on a relational level with your clients as a psychotherapist is a powerful, enriching way to work. And beautifully written. If you're a psychotherapist, read it.

A good contribution to the psychotherapy literature integrating attachment theory, mentalising, mindfulness, right and left brain activity, the body and intersubjectivity. Particularly good chapter on enactments and on the body in therapy. A bit heavy going at times but worth the effort.

I love this book and have purchased as a present for many friends. It draws beautifully on theoretical & philosophical approaches to humans' wellbeing & what makes us tick and explains (very usefully) how Attachment theory can inform, or derail the therapeutic relationship. Wallin is a gifted writer and a joy to read, I think, by therapists and non-therapists alike

I have read a number of works and papers in the area of attachment theory and I knew within minutes of picking up this book that it is an important synthesis of the attachment field. I appreciate how it includes much of our emerging understanding from neuroscience to Buddhist insights. It is well written and easy to read too, bringing clarity to the attachment framework. Thank you for writing this book.

Not an easy read from cover to cover but v. interesting and rewarding. Overall well worth the investment of time and effort.

This book is particularly useful as it describes the origins of attachment and covers how it' been researched across cultures. I like the way in which is includes somatic self and emotional self thus connecting physiology with attachment and it brings together mindfulness. As a psychotherapist I find this book readable and informative.

Im a therapist in training completing my master’s right now. Sadly, our program was not trauma-informed and didn’t provide us with in depth training about how attachment styles and early experiences impact nearly everything. This book provides in depth information on attachment and how we can use such information in our clinical practice. I was hesitant buying this book but 100% 49$ worth well spent. I highly recommend it.

Patient: OMG! Just read a great book! Therapist: What's the name of it? Patient: Attachment in Psychotherapy by David Wallin. Really engaging, very readable. It's good stuff! Therapist: So, tell me what stirred... Patient: Well, I especially liked Wallin's idea of the "window of tolerance," and how that works bidirectionally. And I was happy to see that he obtained his patients' permission to tell their stories. That shows his true respect and understanding that the work is always co-created. It also sends a message of consideration and caring. Like I said, it's good stuff! Therapist: (nods) What else about it comes to mind? Patient: Wallin's mindfulness! His authenticity in the consulting room and his willingness to self-disclose, even thoughts that are difficult to express. It becomes contagious! It's an excellent model for the patient. And for therapists too. Therapist: (smiles) Are you trying to tell me something? Patient: Haha! Just saying! No really, the academics are rigorous, but the book is easy to understand and absorb. And Wallin welcomes the plurality in psychoanalytic thinking, sees it as enriching the work - though his core thoughts are most closely allied with relational ideas. Therapist: Cool! Anything bother you about the book? Patient: Yeah, it's too short! Hope he does a follow up, soon! Therapist: Haha! Final thoughts before we go? Patient: Wallin writes refreshingly with clarity and insight, encouraging the reader to associate to her/his own, "unthought known" ideas. It is clear that Dr. Wallin is a dedicated practitioner whose goal is to guide his patients (and himself) from rupture to repair. His desire, as expressed in his quote from E.M. Forster, is to "only connect!" And that he does! Therapist: Wow! I am going to run right out and buy this book! Patient: (boy, what a Strange Situation!) Great! Better hurry! Enjoy!

I loved this book so much that I ended up writing a letter to the author and he responded back to me. I was surprised and touched that he took the time to do so, but it is fitting with his genuine, caring approach that he clearly he takes with his patients as you can sense from the book. Dr. Wallin blends research and personal clinical experience to deliver an insightful and profound book on psychotherapy. I could not recommend this book enough. I genuinely think the things you will learn from this book will change you and your clinical practice, and in turn the lives of your patients.

Wallin's thorough explanation of Bolby's theory of attachment, its basis in biology and evolutionary imperative, as well as its validation through the research of Ainsworth, Mains, and others, are incredibly insightful and relevant in understanding relationship attachment dynamics - not only healthy ones, but just as importantly, the unhealthy. The work of Fonagy and others bring the theoretical and experimental aspects of attachment theory into the practical realm of psychotherapeutic methods. This is a must read for every psychotherapist. The understanding of attachment styles and their malleablility, brings powerful clinical tools to bear, helping transform unhealthy thought patterns formed in infancy that perpetuate unhappy, unhealthy relationship styles into happier, healthier ones. Though very detailed, this book can and should be read by parents before their child is born. It will prepare them with a clear understanding of the crucial role played by the primary caregiver in raising a child with a healthy attachment style. A healthy attachment style developed in early childhood makes for healthy relationships as an adult. About 50% of all marriages fail. About 50% of all adults have an unhealthy attachment style. We can do better. This book can help.

Many books will claim to change your life. By giving me the conceptual (not to mention terminological!) framework to understand myself at a fundamental behavioral level, this one actually is proving to be a significant contributor to accomplishing that very arduous task. I can't recommend Wallin's tome too highly for those in search of self-knowledge, and in pursuit of self-repair. This is NOT just a book for therapists! Though as you can see from the reviews here, any serious practitioner of therapy WILL be putting this at the top of their must-read list. For the sake of emphasis, I'll repeat myself: This is NOT a book just for therapists! I'm not a therapist - far from it: I'm an engineer. An engineer with deficits in attachment security which I can now articulate and see with far more clarity, thanks to David Wallin. Subjectively speaking, the level of confidence that I feel in terms of my ability to resolve my own very painful attachment issues has increased markedly as a result of reading this book. I don't know that higher praise exists for a work dealing with this subject. Objectively speaking, 'Attachment in Psychotherapy' represents a major work in the field of psychology (for both the clinical and theoretical aspects), standing comfortably - and rigorously - shoulder to shoulder with other major works in that discipline. In it, Wallin accomplishes two very significant milestones (in my non-professional opinion). The first is a synthesis of the current state of knowledge of attachment theory and intersubjectivity theory, offering lucid descriptions - often case studies - of how the application of this knowledge lies at the heart of efficacious relational psychotherapy. This alone makes the book damn near required reading for all students of the human psyche, but it's the 2nd accomplishment which marks it as a major milestone and which represents what I believe to be Wallin's more significant and original contribution: his seamless intergration of mindfulness, and the mindful self, into that aforementioned synthesis. This is brilliance. This is insight. This is major. To put all of this another way, I will say this: if you are in psychotherapy, and your therapist has not yet read Wallin's book, insist that they do so. If possible, before your next session. It's that important.