Attachment in Psychotherapy [Hardcover]

David J. Wallin PhD (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 6, 2007 | ISBN-10: 1593854560 | ISBN-13: 978-1593854560 | Edition: 1

This eloquent book translates attachment theory and research into an innovative framework that grounds adult psychotherapy in the facts of childhood development. Advancing a model of treatment as transformation through relationship, the author integrates attachment theory with neuroscience, trauma studies, relational psychotherapy, and the psychology of mindfulness. Vivid case material illustrates how therapists can tailor interventions to fit the attachment needs of their patients, thus helping them to generate the internalized secure base for which their early relationships provided no foundation. Demonstrating the clinical uses of a focus on nonverbal interaction, the book describes powerful techniques for working with the emotional responses and bodily experiences of patient and therapist alike.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"As someone who bears witness daily to the suffering of the insecurely attached, I am deeply grateful for Attachment in Psychotherapy, a remarkable synthesis of scientific research, clinical observation and theory, and reflection on mindfulness. Wallin not only elucidates the vast empirical literature on attachment, but also/m-/with the clarity of a natural teacher and the wisdom of a seasoned clinician/m-/makes such findings relevant to the complex challenges of practice. Therapists of all orientations will find help here in fostering a sense of safety and in facilitating their clients' emotional growth."--Nancy McWilliams, PhD, Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

 

"No better introduction to the clinical application of attachment theory has yet been written."--Lewis Aron, PhD, Director, Postdoctoral Program in Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis, New York University

"Wallin's understanding of attachment work and his integration of attachment theory with other modern relational perspectives are quite impressive. People are always asking me what they can read about the clinical implications of attachment work, and now I know what to tell them. This book is an amazing accomplishment. It is definitely my favorite book on this topic."--L. Alan Sroufe, PhD, William Harris Professor of Child Development, University of Minnesota

"John Bowlby would have been delighted with this book, which links the biological imperatives of attachment to the dialogues that define the self and the nature of key relationships. He would also have been delighted to see his theory articulated as a guide to psychotherapy in such an eminently readable manner. The use of attachment as this kind of guide is a rich vein that has just begun to be tapped. This book is a therapist's journey into that richness."--Susan M. Johnson, EdD, School of Psychology, University of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

 

"This timely book provides an important advance in the examination of the implications of attachment theory for psychotherapy. Synthesizing theory and research on attachment theory and affect regulation with recent developments in psychoanalysis, Wallin provides a rich conceptual scaffolding for understanding the role that the therapeutic relationship plays in the change process. He also provides an intriguing perspective on the potential contributions of mindfulness practice to the cultivation of a therapeutic stance. Theoretically sophisticated and clinically enlightening, this book will be of interest to clinicians of all persuasions."--Jeremy D. Safran, PhD, Department of Psychology, New School for Social Research

 

"Simply the best integration of key advances in attachment theory and research and their applications to psychotherapy. Complex concepts are carefully elucidated and brilliantly illustrated with clinical examples. This book is an important reference for all clinicians and students. It is a vital resource for those who are interested in how progress in our understanding of attachment processes may be applied in a clinical context."--Peter Fonagy, PhD, Sub-Department of Clinical Health Psychology, University College London, UK

 

"This book is a remarkable achievement--a very clear yet scholarly synthesis of the latest developments in attachment theory, intersubjectivity, social neuroscience, and mindfulness. The author layers these 'maps' onto the therapy experience, and then takes the reader through the territory to emerge with a new vision of therapy. Wallin is a trustworthy guide through the complexities of clinical work where the therapy relationship itself is the intervention. A 'must read' for psychotherapists who wish to remain on top of their field, and a rich resource for clinicians in training."--Christopher K. Germer, PhD, private practice, Cambridge, Massachusetts

 

"Attachment in Psychotherapy advances psychotherapeutic method and theory through an innovative integration of new work in affect regulation and models of relationship. David Wallin offers a brilliant leap in realizing the clinical promise of attachment theory, a synthesis that should be required--and will be rewarding--reading for every psychotherapist."--Daniel Goleman, PhD, author of Social Intelligence

 

"What a delight! Wallin has written an extremely insightful, broadly integrative, clinically applicable, and highly engaging book. Keeping his personal and clinical experiences coherently in mind and using them as examples, he synthesizes recent literatures on attachment theory and research, mindfulness, mentalization, metacognition, nonverbal communication, intersubjectivity, and mechanisms of therapeutic change. The book moves deftly from clear analyses of contemporary theoretical issues to specific, well-described clinical techniques that can be used with particular clients; for example, those with a particular adult attachment pattern. The book identifies diverse theoretical and empirical advances that, in Wallin’s skillful hands, fit together beautifully, deepening our understanding of the human mind, its relational context, and its transformation in psychotherapy."--Phillip R. Shaver, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis

"A well-written, easy-to-read, clinically relevant, and particularly pragmatic application of recent science to a variety of clinical problems."--Allan N. Schore, PhD, author of Affect Regulation and the Repair of the Self

 

About the Author

David J. Wallin, PhD, is a clinical psychologist in private practice in Mill Valley and Albany, California. A graduate of Harvard College who received his doctorate from the Wright Institute in Berkeley, California, he has been practicing, teaching, and writing about psychotherapy for nearly three decades. Dr. Wallin is the coauthor (with Stephen Goldbart) of Mapping the Terrain of the Heart: Passion, Tenderness, and the Capacity to Love.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 366 pages
• Publisher: The Guilford Press; 1 edition (March 6, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1593854560
• ISBN-13: 978-1593854560
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (43 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #19,283 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

David Wallin, PhD, is a clinical psychologist in private practice in Albany and Mill Valley, California. A magna cum laude graduate of Harvard who received his doctorate from the Wright Institute in Berkeley, he has been practicing, teaching, and writing about psychotherapy for nearly three decades. Attachment in Psychotherapy, his most recent book, is presently being translated into nine languages. Wallin is also the co-author of Mapping the Terrain of the Heart: Passion, Tenderness, and the Capacity to Love. A lively and engaging speaker who combines a scholarly perspective with unusual candor about his own experience as a therapist, he has lectured on attachment and psychotherapy in Australia, Europe, Canada, and throughout the United States. For further information, please visit www.attachmentinpsychotherapy.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

90 of 91 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Reality Trumps Fantasy, June 22, 2007

By 

Dr. Jules Burstein (Berkeley, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Attachment in Psychotherapy (Hardcover)

For psychotherapists, like myself, who are persuaded that the reality of the of the actual forms of attachment that infants and toddlers have to their caregivers trumps psychoanalystic notions (e.g. Melanie Klein) that the child's internal fantasies are more determinative of healthy or pathological development, David Wallin's book will be a welcome tonic. He has engagingly described three paradigmatic deformations of attachment that lead to three kinds of character impairment -- the Dismissing Patient, the Preoccupied Patient and the Unresolved Patient, and provides stimulating vignettes from his practice to indicate the nature of what is wounded and damaged in each, followed by various kinds of interpretive diaglogues, and "ways of being" of the therapist that tend to foster constructive personality change. Finally, he is one of a growing number of psychotherapists to incorporate Buddhist teachings (particularly the use of mindfulness meditation) into his clinical practice with what appears to be encouraging results. His book is eminently readable and even when I disagreed with some of Dr. Wallin's ideas, they were always thought-provoking, and in the service of a more enlightened and effective psychotherapy.

51 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Making therapy more human and vulnerable., May 14, 2007

By 

Richard Desselle (Redmond, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Attachment in Psychotherapy (Hardcover)

David Wallin has performed a great service for psychotherapists in his book. With insight and academic excellence he has filled in many of the blanks about how attachment theory applies in psychotherapy and how it can be applied within the therapeutic session. He explains the types of attachment clearly while giving directions on how to work with each type in therapy. His examples from his own work with clients gives the reader concrete understanding of the applications and implications of this work. In particular, Dr. Wallin clearly describes the interrelations and interconnectedness of therapist and client. He explains how this relationship can be the core of effective therapy as well as how to access the conscious and unconscious cues and understandings which make one a more effective helper. This is the story of how the therapist can deepen and use his or her sensitive understandings in a compassionate and effective manner for the client. I highly recommend this book for any therapist who wishes to be more effective in assisting clients to become personally empowered. The client learns how to create more internal, emotional space in order to use thoughts and feelings to create an effective and compassionate life.

34 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars relevant , insightful and timely, September 9, 2007

By 

V. H. Lambert (London England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Attachment in Psychotherapy (Hardcover)

This is an extraordinary book, both in terms of its content and the form in which that content is delivered. It is the most readable, clear, and accessible account I know of concerning the relationship between childhood development and the psychological development in adulthood that therapy aims to encourage. In making bridges between the original attachment relationships in childhood and the new attachment in psychotherapy, the Dr. Wallin brings in studies of neuroscience, trauma, and mindfulness. In so doing he clarifies how therapy actually works. I believe this is a book of enormous value for therapists, and those working in psychodynamic fields such as counsellors and staff development speicialists. Wallin discusses his work with patients in a self-revealing and thoughtful way that gives a sense of the complexity and challenge of the work of a therapist. Highly recommended.