"Attachment theory provides an increasingly respected framework for understanding emotional development. When John Bowlby first published his work on the mother-child bond over twenty-five years ago, he created a new perspective on human social behavior. But the integration of that theory into clinical practice has been slow.

In this remarkable book, Pat Sable, with evident mastery, brings together the original basic concepts, recent attachment-based developments, and relevant clinical material to provide a rich and comprehensive application of attachment theory to psychotherapy with adults. Dr. Sable illustrates how attachment disorders are manifest in agoraphobia, posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, emotional detachment, and conflictual attachment of borderline patients, and emotionally abusive attachments. Highlighting the therapeutic relationship as an opportunity to experience secure attachment, Dr. Sable explains that this relationship provides the foundation for any therapeutic change.

She demonstrates how exploration of attachment histories helps patients to form a more cohesive narrative of their life experiences and develop more secure affectional bonds with others. This thoughtful and extensive work adds an interesting and valuable dimension to clinical practice, provides a new perspective for appraising and dealing with difficulties with affectional relationships, and offers guidelines for effective treatment."--BOOK JACKET.