posttraumatic attachment activation

When Love Hurts: Acute and Post-Traumatic Attachment Activation

Adults frequently present for psychotherapy in acute distress following the actual or threatened loss of a romantic partner. For some, betrayal, rejection, infidelity, breakup, or divorce can destabilize a significant relationship, along with one’s source of coregulation and sense of self. Unlike bereavement, these losses involve withdrawal by a still-living attachment figure, which sustains hope, […]

Shannon L. McIntyre, Ph.D.

August 11, 2026