Customer Reviews

Attachment in Psychotherapy

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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.

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.

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.

Attachment in Psychotherapy is not just a book for psychotherapists--it is a wonderful book for patients as well. While it is clear that therapists would find this book of enormous value in their work, it is of importance for patients who want a better understanding of their own therapy. Dr. Wallin's review of the history of attachment theory is clear and provides a foundation for more recent work in this field. How we were parented (despite the best efforts of some loving parents) and how the effects of that early experience formed our adult styles of interaction lend important insights for understanding our struggles to feel good and function well in our lives. The concepts of thinking about your thoughts and being as aware of yourself as possible at any given moment are useful guides for patient and therapist.
The case presentations were interesting and illustrative with one limitation that I have found in many similar books--the patients often have histories that are so extreme that they are difficult to identify with. That said, they were valuable in increasing my sense of and comfort with a therapeutic relationship.
This is not an "easy" read, but a very worthwhile one. with understanding comes wisdom.

David Wallin's book is a tour de force in integrative theory. Wallin is a master at weaving together attachment theory, intersubjective psychotherapy, and mindfulness into a coherent whole that makes the reader wonder why it hasn't been done before. Attachment theory is such a potent tool for understanding individuals and relationships, including the therapeutic relationship. Wallin presents these and other ideas in a clear and compelling way. It will be easily accessible to students and new therapists. Seasoned clinicians will find it deep and sophisticated. As a psychologist, I found Wallin's discussion of the integration of mindfulness into the therapeutic frame, especially useful and thought provoking Also clinically helpful, were his discussions of transference and counter-transference that are informed from an attachment perspective. Thanks for this wonderful work!

Try to beg, borrow, steal, (or buy) David Wallin's new book,"Attachment in Psychotherapy." It's one of the best books I've ever read on psychotherapy (in 20+ years of clinical practice). Wallin summarizes (with impressive clarity and insight) the literature on attachment styles, and interweaves (with refreshing honesty and humility) relevant examples from his own practice. My own clinical work definitely has been enriched by reading this book, and I'll wager yours will, too. I couldn't recommend it more highly.

As a clinician I bought Dr. Wallin's book to deepen my understanding of attachment and its central role in what shapes us as human beings. I hoped that it would increase my effectiveness as a therapist. I was not disappointed. This book integrates attachment theory, the latest research on the workings of the brain with respect to attachment and self regulation, and perhaps most significantly of all includes the centrality of mindfulness not only as necessary for internal health and freedom, but in the therapeutic relationship as well. I was moved both professionally and personally by Dr. Wallin's ability to do all this and show us his humanity, his own struggle with being present in his work with his clients.
His book is a rich resource - Im on my second reading.. and recommend it both to professionals and to those readers interested in understanding attachment, the brain and mindfulness.

David Wallin's book is a scholarly integration of the newest research in neurobiology, attachment theory, and mindfulness practice. For therapists and patients, it provides an accessible approach using the best of current knowledge about what underlies the creation of inner well-being. Dr. Wallin describes in an authentic, and courageous, way how a therapist can recognize his or her impact in the therapeutic relationship and use that understanding to further the treatment process. What is distinctive here is the absolute focus on what will be beneficial to the patient. Using this focus as the guideline in the therapeutic relationship is what is healing: For the patient to be able to come to trust that the therapist will always act in the patient's best interest to the best of the therapist's ability.

Attachment in Psychotherapy

David Wallin has taken the wonderful, albeit, at times ponderous research of Bowlby, Ainsworth, Main and Fonagy and makes it palatable and useful in the practice of psychotherapy. Wallin connects the dots from childhood separation/distress on through the discomforts of adult behavior to patterns predicted to evolve in the children raised by attachment frustrated adults. He also brings a refreshing take on "mindfulness" and "presence" in the psychotherapeutic space, conducting one of the most helpful and lucid explanations I've ever seen on how meditation and a mindfulness based stance in counseling makes possible breakthrough experiences for both patient and practicitioner. Avoiding the mysticism sometimes clouding Buddhist psychology, Wallin takes only a few personal case examples from his Mill Valley, CA practice to make extrordinarily clear how mindfulness based psychotherapy provides a safe and encouraging arena in which adults may find the opportunity to experience the intimacy and solid ground that were lost to them since childhood. If you are practicing psychotherapy, get this book. Better yet, catch Wallin on the lecture circuit.

In his new book, David Wallin displays an extraordinarily versatile command of information derived from a wide variety of disciplines which are interimplicated in his integrative work on contemporary psychotherapeutic theory and technique.Dr. Wallin's articulate description of the attachment theory tradition, followed by his skillful elaboration of the impact of specific kinds of early attachment interactions on the development of the experience of self, set up his clear analysis of the clinical ramifications of what the therapist is likely to encounter while working. His emphasis on the co-construction of experience in the therapeutic encounter and the centrality of nonverbal communication, as well as, his thoughts about how to work with these clinical phenomena make this theoretically eloquent book also very practical.As David Wallin demonstrates with his many poignant vignettes, when the going gets rough, the respectful tentativeness with which he attempts to offer a different experience to people who have had their ability to trust and hope shredded is moving. The academic rigor, coupled with the warmth and contactfulness which his work conveys, is impressive.