Attachment Injury and EMDR Therapy: A Clinician’s Guide to Healing Deep-Rooted Wounds

As clinicians, we understand that trauma manifests in many forms. One of the most insidious and profound types is attachment injury, which can have far-reaching effects on a person’s emotional and relational life. The lasting impact of attachment injuries often shapes an individual’s sense of self, their ability to form healthy relationships, and how they cope with stress or conflict from a young age. However there is always hope, EMDR therapy has proven to be an effective tool for helping clients heal from these deep-rooted wounds.

In this blog, we’ll explore what attachment injuries are, how they show up in our clients’ lives, and how EMDR therapy can facilitate healing!

Understanding Attachment Injury as it Relates to Therapy

Attachment injury occurs when a person experiences a significant disruption or rupture in an early attachment relationship, typically with a primary caregiver or other significant figures in childhood. These injuries can arise from experiences of neglect, abuse, abandonment, or betrayal. The disruption leaves a lasting imprint on the individual’s emotional framework, leading to difficulties in how they connect with others, regulate their emotions, and navigate relationships. At the core of EMDR, were taught that co-regulation matters and attachment injury is what happens when co-regulation isn’t available. 

Attachment theory, as pioneered by John Bowlby, suggests that early relationships with caregivers are foundational for healthy emotional development. When these relationships are inconsistent, neglectful, or abusive, they can create attachment wounds.

Attachment theory states that these injuries often manifest as attachment styles, such as:

• Anxious Attachment: A person may feel insecure or fearful that others will abandon them, often seeking excessive reassurance in relationships.

• Avoidant Attachment: A person may distance themselves from others, suppressing emotions and avoiding intimacy to protect themselves from potential rejection.

• Disorganized Attachment: A person may have a chaotic or unpredictable response to relationships, often struggling with both wanting closeness and fearing it at the same time.

These attachment styles develop as coping mechanisms to survive the relational dysfunctions of early life, but they can lead to challenges in adulthood, especially in forming healthy, secure relationships.

How Attachment Injury Affects Adult Life

The long-term consequences of attachment injury often include:

• Difficulty with Intimacy and Trust: Individuals with attachment injuries may struggle to form close, trusting relationships. They might feel uncomfortable with emotional closeness, either pushing people away (avoidance) or becoming overly dependent on others (anxiety).

• Chronic Low Self-Worth: Many clients with attachment injuries experience a persistent feeling of inadequacy or unlovability, stemming from early experiences of being neglected or abused.

• Emotional Dysregulation: Attachment injury can lead to difficulties managing emotions, leading to outbursts of anger, sadness, or anxiety, or emotional numbness as a form of self-protection.

In therapy, these issues can manifest as clients struggle to trust the therapeutic process itself, push back against intimacy in the therapeutic EMDR relationship, or fear the emotional vulnerability that comes with healing.

EMDR Therapy and Healing Attachment Injury: What can therapists do in their practices?

1. Processing Early Attachment Memories

The core of EMDR involves targeting specific distressing memories or negative beliefs that are “stuck” in the brain. For clients with attachment injuries, these memories often center around early experiences of neglect, abandonment, or abuse. By reprocessing these memories, we can help individuals integrate these experiences in a healthier way. 

2. Shifting Negative Core Beliefs

Clients with attachment injuries often carry deep-seated negative beliefs about themselves, such as "I am unworthy of love" or "I am not good enough." These beliefs were formed in response to early relational trauma. We work to instill a positive cognition in its place.

3. Resolving Shame and Guilt

Attachment injuries often lead to feelings of shame or guilt, particularly in cases of emotional or physical neglect. Bilateral stimulation helps to desensitize the overwhelming emotional charge associated with these feelings, allowing clients to feel more at peace with themselves and their past.

4. Promoting Healthy Relationship Patterns

As clients heal from attachment injury through EMDR, they often begin to notice shifts in their interpersonal dynamics. With a reprocessed understanding of their attachment history and healed core beliefs, clients can start to form healthier, more secure relationships. They may become more comfortable with intimacy, set healthier boundaries, and trust others in ways that were previously difficult for them.

Practical Considerations for Clinicians Using EMDR with Attachment Injury

As clinicians, it’s essential to approach attachment injury with sensitivity and an understanding of the client’s needs.

A few considerations when using EMDR for attachment injury:

• Build a Safe and Trusting Relationship: The foundation of successful EMDR therapy for attachment injury is a secure, trusting therapeutic relationship. Take time to build rapport and safety, as these clients may be particularly sensitive to feelings of rejection or abandonment.

• Use Resource Development: Before diving into trauma processing, use EMDR’s “Resource Development and Installation” phase to help clients build emotional resilience. This can include installing positive beliefs about themselves or creating safe places for clients to emotionally regulate when needed. Get creative and spend some time building up adaptive neurology.

• Work Slowly and Gently: Attachment injury work can be intense. Pace the therapy to avoid overwhelming the client. Be mindful of when a client is ready to process deeper wounds and when they may need more support to integrate their emotions before proceeding.

• Address Attachment Patterns: Pay attention to attachment dynamics that may emerge in the therapeutic relationship. If a client exhibits anxious, avoidant, or disorganized patterns in how they relate to you as a therapist, use these as opportunities for exploration and healing.

Conclusion

Attachment injury is a profound and often hidden source of emotional pain that can shape a person’s life in subtle but powerful ways. Fortunately, EMDR therapy offers a dynamic and effective approach to help individuals heal from these deep wounds. By processing early attachment trauma, shifting negative core beliefs, and strengthening emotional regulation, 

EMDR is the mechanism that can facilitate a path to recovery, offering clients the opportunity to build healthier relationships with themselves and others.