Attachment and Interpersonal Neurobiology in Couples Therapy
Apply the principles of Interpersonal Neurobiology to your couples therapy practice through the lens of attachment to bring about deep transformation for your clients.
Why Study Attachment and Interpersonal Neurobiology (IPNB)?
Connection to our caregivers
The connections we have with our caregiving attachment figures shape the very structure of our brain in ways that can free us or imprison us.
Who we are now in our lives is influenced by both our genetically-shaped temperament and the experiences we’ve had, especially with others early in our lives. In turn, those experiences have shaped us both directly, and in how we adapted as best we could to those interactions. If you’ve ever wondered why attachment is so important in our lives, this course will offer you—in your personal growth or your professional work—insights and practical applications that can transform imprisoning patterns into empowering mental capacities to engage life in new and more rewarding patterns of being in the world.
When we combine attachment studies to the broader effort to understand the mind in interpersonal neurobiology, what emerges is a rich, complex, and practical view of how relationships and the brain interact to “shape” who we are—to form the foundations of our mental experience, from how we regulate our emotions to the sense of our identity in life.
Neuroplasticity and the Brain
In this course, you’ll not only learn how the brain responds to the various categories of attachment patterns, but you’ll also see how, as adults, we can learn to support our own as well as others’ growth. Throughout life, the brain remains open to changing its structure and functioning in response to new experiences, so it is never too late to embark on a journey of self-discovery and transformation.
Building Secure Relationships
We can actually move from a pattern of non-secure attachment toward the freedom of security. How amazing would that be for you and those around you? With the relational science now available to understand how who we are is both fully embodied and fully relational, this journey of discovery offers a research-inspired trek into the deepest realms of memory, narrative, and emotion to free us from often hidden patterns of adaptation. The great news is that no matter our age, transformation through reflection and learning new ways of connecting, interpersonally and internally, is possible. The key is to know the steps of such a reflective path that offer ways of tapping into these processes and integrating them into our lives. I hope you’ll decide to join me on this transformative journey.
Objectives
Outline
Module 1: Foundations of IPNB, Integration and the Mind
Module 2: Presence, Attunement, Resonance and Trust (PART)
Module 3: Adult attachment interview
Module 4: Trauma, Attachment and Integration
Dive deep into development trauma, attachment, and its impact on the brain and neural integration
Learn about the Window of Tolerance and how to widen it by strengthening the mind’s capacity for monitoring and modifying energy and information flow
Learn how unresolved trauma and/or loss impacts couples relationships
Shame and its role in attachment and trauma
Explain the role of implicit and explicit memory in trauma resolution and health
Module 5: Together yet Differentiated: Role of Integration in Relational Health
Module 6: Create Healthy, Integrated and Rewarding Relationships
Target Audience