{"id":40723,"date":"2019-12-04T11:32:17","date_gmt":"2019-12-04T19:32:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/?p=40723"},"modified":"2019-12-16T13:46:30","modified_gmt":"2019-12-16T21:46:30","slug":"healing-the-unremembered-treating-early-attachment-trauma","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.goodtherapy.org\/blog\/healing-unremembered-treating-early-attachment-trauma-1204197","title":{"rendered":"Healing the Unremembered: Treating Early Attachment Trauma"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"teddyEditor’s note:<\/strong> Early attachment trauma can also occur due to non-abusive circumstances, such as when a child is separated from their primary caregivers due to medical concerns. However, this article focuses primarily on attachment trauma caused by neglect and abuse.<\/em><\/p>\n

Early attachment trauma<\/a> is a distressing or harmful experience that affects a child\u2019s ability to form healthy interpersonal relationships. It includes abuse, abandonment, and neglect of an infant or child<\/a> prior to age two or three. These traumas can have subtle yet long-lasting effects on a person\u2019s emotional health.<\/p>\n

Understanding Infant Memory<\/h2>\n

As adults, or even children, we cannot recall narrative memory<\/a> from our lives as infants. For most, the concept of memory is thought of as the ability to recall events, usually in the form of cognitions and images. In general, people cannot recall any events prior to ages three or four. Because of this, there is a pervasive and inaccurate view that infants do not recall any experiences, including traumatic experiences.<\/p>\n

In fact, the human brain has multiple ways to recall experience. Think about it. Infants, at some point, obviously learn to walk and talk. Everything that occurs in our human experience is stored in our memory. However, not everything is stored narratively or explicitly. We have motor, vestibular, and emotional memory as well.<\/p>\n

All incoming sensory information creates neuronal patterns which are \u201cimprinted\u201d in our brains. These neuronal patterns are a form of memory. We create memory \u201ctemplates,\u201d or stored patterns, the majority of which are non-cognitive and preverbal. These templates will influence us for the rest of our lives.<\/p>\n

When Attachment Trauma Occurs<\/h2>\n

Unfortunately, when attachment interruptions<\/a> (such as abandonment<\/a>) occur in infancy, abnormal associations may be created. Physiological state memories, motor vestibular memories, and emotional memories are stored, and they can be triggered in later life. These triggers can manifest as mistrust or fear of interpersonal attachment.<\/p>\n

Since the original template for how relationships work was formed in early childhood, all future relationships can be corrupted. The person may find themselves struggling with difficulties in relationships, particularly with respect to trust<\/a>, bonding, and intimacy<\/a>\u2014the core elements of healthy attachment. Part of the problem may be the person having absolutely no cognitive awareness of the source of their fears or that they were betrayed in infancy. This can make treatment efforts difficult.<\/p>\n

The brain is designed to change in response to experience, and all experience has an impact on the brain. With respect to traumatic experiences, the impact is on the parts of the brain involved with stress and fear. These would be the parts of the brain known as the limbic system<\/a> (e.g., amygdala), neuroendocrine system (pituitary-adrenal axis), and the cortical systems; all of which can be altered in traumatized children.<\/p>\n

The Inner Working Model<\/h2>\n

How a person relates to the self and others as an adult involves their \u201cinner working model,\u201d which consists of:<\/p>\n