DiscoverPsychiatry & Psychotherapy PodcastIntergenerational Trauma Explained: The Role of Reflective Function and Mentalization in Healing Attachment
Intergenerational Trauma Explained: The Role of Reflective Function and Mentalization in Healing Attachment

Intergenerational Trauma Explained: The Role of Reflective Function and Mentalization in Healing Attachment

Update: 2025-10-173
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In this episode, we explore how intergenerational trauma shapes attachment patterns and how reflective function (RF) and mentalization can help break the cycle. Drawing on research from Fonagy, Slade, and Berthelot, we examine how trauma-specific reflective functioning influences disorganized attachment and how therapies such as Mentalization-Based Therapy (MBT), Transference-Focused Psychotherapy (TFP), and Minding the Baby (MTB) strengthen reflective capacity and promote secure attachment.

Join Dr. David Puder and colleagues as they discuss the science of mentalization, attachment repair, and trauma healing, bringing together psychoanalytic, developmental, and biological perspectives to offer hope and clinical insight for patients, parents, and therapists alike.

By listening to this episode, you can earn 1.25 Psychiatry CME Credits.

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Intergenerational Trauma Explained: The Role of Reflective Function and Mentalization in Healing Attachment

Intergenerational Trauma Explained: The Role of Reflective Function and Mentalization in Healing Attachment