In this episode, we sat down with Adam Lane Smith to discuss attachment theory. Adam shares how to identify your attachment style, how to foster a secure attachment with your own children, and how to apply those learnings to all of your relationships.
 
Takeaways

• Attachment theory focuses on the formation of healthy, loving, and collaborative relationships.
• There are three main attachment styles: secure, avoidant, and anxious.
• Attachment issues can be formed in childhood due to various factors, such as lack of bonding with parents or traumatic experiences.
• Birth experiences may impact attachment formation, but it is possible to improve attachment styles through explicit love and nurturing.
• Bonding hormones, such as oxytocin, GABA, vasopressin, and serotonin, play a crucial role in attachment and can be influenced by positive experiences.
• Collaboration and asking questions are essential tools for parents to create secure attachment with their children.
• Divorce can have a significant impact on attachment styles, and it is crucial to provide context and foster oxytocin bonding with adopted children.
• Couples with different attachment styles can improve their relationship by being explicit about their needs, fostering collaboration, and building a marriage agreement.
• The breakdown of the family structure over the past century has led to challenges in attachment and relationship dynamics.
• Providing a safe and nurturing environment is key to developing secure attachment in both parent-child and couple relationships. Solving problems together in a relationship opens up oxytocin receptors and fosters intimacy and connection.
• Avoidant attachment style is characterized by a wall up, lack of trust, and an emphasis on survival. Anxious attachment style is characterized by a fear of abandonment and a focus on pleasing others.
• Enmeshment is a form of insecure attachment where boundaries are poor and caretaking becomes the responsibility of the child.
• Secure attachment involves open and explicit communication, clear boundaries, and a focus on generosity and adjusting for reality.
• Attachment styles can vary in different relationships and situations, but fostering secure attachment at home is crucial for healthy relationships outside the home.
• Nature and genetics may play a role in attachment, but it is the parent's job to nurture and guide their child towards secure attachment.
• Building a self-correcting family system where open communication and resolution of issues is encouraged is more important than striving for perfection as a parent.

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