Attachment patterns are established in the first years of life, before the child has language, before conscious memory begins to operate, and before the child has any capacity to evaluate the relational environment they are absorbing. A child whose caregiver responds consistently and warmly develops secure attachment. A child whose caregiver is unpredictable develops anxious attachment. A child whose caregiver is dismissive develops avoidant attachment. A child whose caregiver is both the source of comfort and the source of fear develops disorganized attachment. These patterns are not chosen. They are imprinted by the relational environment.
Dr. David Steinbok helps adults in Boca Raton trace their current attachment patterns back to these pre-verbal relational experiences. An insecure attachment therapist recognizes that the patient cannot remember the experiences that shaped their attachment style, but the style itself, operating in every significant relationship, is the living record of those experiences. The therapeutic work reads that record and makes it comprehensible.
