The Psychobiology of Attachment Trauma
Schore’s (2001) research has demonstrated that when brain centers controlling a child’s response to fear are stimulated over and over again, a situation of overload occurs causing normal connections for attachment behaviors to be pruned while the ones for fear responses become abnormally fused.
Massive and chronic misattunement, neglect, and abuse results in the arousal of both sympathetic (excitement) and parasympathetic (relaxation) nervous systems resulting in states of chronic fight-flight-freeze (survival) behaviors, paired with psychological shut down (dissociation). A child learns that he or she can neither approach the parent/caregiver as a safe haven, nor flee the frightening situation. Crucial areas of anticipated development are impaired such affect regulation, freedom from distractibility, a cohesive sense of self with a historical timeline, a basic sense of safety, the understanding of time, and age commensurate moral and sexual behavior. Children feel trapped within themselves and overwhelmed by their emotions.
Oft-times the psyche’s innate self-care system (Kalsched) is triggered which begins by protecting the child through defensive dissociation. This safe haven however morphs to become an inner persecutor, which impairs emotional growth and works to destroy future attempts to form meaningful links with others. This dynamic is tenacious and difficult to neutralize. Early relational trauma colors the child’s (and the child in the adult) relational world and ability to see and take in positive parental experiences and form secure, loving attachments with caregivers or other adults.
Medications targeting mood dysregulation, distractibility, and anxiety can create a physiological platform of relative psychiatric stability wherein the work of reestablishing trust through consistent, emotionally nurturing relationships can take place. The reparative relationship work takes time. Experiences of emotional attunement (finding the good in the child) and idealization (allowing the child to find the good in the adult) can slowly over time, build cohesion in inner self-structure, increase self-esteem, and enhance the capacity to self sooth and gain impulse control by strengthening or rewiring neural networks governing attachment.