Similar Posts
Myth: Attachment-based therapy is too abstract to apply to real-world problems. The truth: Neuroscience helps therapists turn attachment concepts
ByJo OxleyAttachment-Based Therapy Isn’t “Too Abstract”—Here’s How Neuroscience Makes It Practical If you’ve ever dismissed attachment-based therapy as too abstract or “theoretical,” you’re not alone. It’s easy to feel that way when terms like secure attachment, internal working models, or attachment styles are thrown around in ways that sound more academic than actionable. But here’s the…
This Is Not Just a Request for Attention. This Is a Protest Against Disconnection: A Therapeutic Reframe from David Wallin
ByJo OxleyWhat if “attention-seeking” is actually a protest against disconnection? Explore David Wallin’s powerful reframe of client behavior through the lens of attachment theory—and how it can transform your therapeutic presence
Music as an Attachment Figure
ByJo OxleyCan music be more than just background noise? For many, it becomes a lifeline—an emotional surrogate offering containment, regulation, and a sense of presence. This post explores how music can act as a secure base in the absence of safe attachment figures, grounded in both personal experience and therapeutic insight
There’s No Such Thing as Naughty: Attachment and the Misunderstood Child
ByJo OxleyRecently, I’ve been watching my little angel, aka sausage, my two-year-old granddaughter, navigate the enormous transition of becoming a big sister. It’s been a front-row seat to the sibling dance: the tug-of-war between love and curiosity, excitement and jealousy, all wrapped in a tiny body with even tinier words to express it. There have been…
The Tyranny of Expectations: Finding Peace in “Good Enough”
ByJo OxleyWhen Expectation Meets Reality Therapists spend a lot of time helping clients make sense of disappointment — that aching gap between what we hoped for and what is. But if we’re honest, we’re not immune to it ourselves. We expect to feel centred and compassionate every day, to know what we’re doing, to manage our…
Inviting Dependence to Grow Independence: How Secure Attachment Shapes Children — and Heals Adults in Therapy
ByJo OxleyGordon Neufeld’s beautiful words offer a simple but profound truth about human development: “To foster independence we must first invite dependence… We liberate children not by making them work for our love but by letting them rest in it.” Most parents instinctively feel the wisdom in this, even if the world around them sometimes encourages…
