January's Book of the Month: Healing Your Attachment Wounds

I found out about Diane Poole Heller in the last year, as I was working my way through the Somatic Experiencing (SE) training. Like other SE trainers, she works with trauma from a body-based perspective, but she has the added focus on attachment-specific trauma. I really enjoyed listening to some of her free webinars so didn't hesitate to purchase this audiobook when it came out in December. I knew she would have lots to offer.

The audiobook is directed toward adults who are having trouble in their intimate partnership that seems bigger than the current relationship. It's for those who've had obvious trauma in childhood such as abuse and neglect, as well as for those with less obvious but still impactful "missing experiences" in childhood, where the adult caregivers were unable to provide the level of warmth and attunement needed for a child to thrive. This could be due to circumstance like poverty and war, mental health issues like anxiety or depression, personality disorders, or even just lack of resources that left the caregiver(s) unable to be as present in the life of the child.

What I like most are the experiential exercises offered. I've already had the chance to try some out with clients and have found them really powerful. The book lays a solid foundation of understanding and compassion, then offers these exercises as a pathway toward healing. I absolutely recommend listening to them, and trying them out - with the help of an experienced therapist, if you like.

The book would be great for both clinicians and the general public. I'm already on my second listen and LOVE the unique exercises and insights she has to offer.