A central principle, when dealing with psychological distress and trauma, are attachment problems. Attachment means having a strong bond with other people or with experiences through which one feels supported and accepted.

As human beings we are propelled to seek attachments. This drive is so powerful it is virtually unstoppable. Yet the force behind this drive cannot discern whether the focus of our attachment leads to safety or not. We fear we will not survive if we are not attached. An abusive mother, for example, can hurt her child but that pain cannot stop the child seeking attachment with her. Harry Frederick Harlow’s famous albeit cruel attachment research with infant monkeys has shown this in operation.

Attachment dynamics can both perpetuate trauma and can heal it, depending on what or whom a person is attached to. Learning to form safe attachments will be part of CRM.