Attachment Styles and How Therapy Can Help With Relationships
Understanding your attachment style can feel confusing at first. With so many terms, categories, and explanations out there, it’s easy to wonder: What does this actually mean for my relationship, and why does it matter?
Learning about attachment isn’t just about connection. Your attachment style shapes how you relate, how you love, and what you need to feel safe. At Live Full Therapy in Nashville, we believe that knowing your attachment patterns can open the door to deeper self-awareness, healthier relationships, and the kind of emotional clarity that helps you grow.
If you’re curious about how your early experiences influence the way you connect today, this guide will help you understand the four main attachment styles, and how recognizing your own can be the first step toward healing and more fulfilling relationships.
What are Attachment Styles, and Why do They Matter?
Our early relationships, with parents, caregivers, or important adults, shape how we connect with others later in life. These early bonds create what what are called attachment styles. These influence how comfortable we are with closeness, how we handle conflict, and even how we respond to trust or rejection.
Understanding your attachment style can help you make sense of relationship patterns you didn’t choose, and help you build healthier connections going forward.
The Big Four Attachment Styles
Secure: You’re comfortable with closeness and independence. You trust others and yourself. Communication feels natural.
Anxious: You crave closeness and reassurance, worry about being abandoned, and sometimes feel like you need constant validation.
Avoidant: You value independence, might pull away from emotional closeness, and struggle to show vulnerability.
Disorganized (Fearful-Avoidant): You want connection but also fear it. Relationships can feel chaotic: part longing, part avoidance.
The Good News? It’s Not Set in Stone!
Even though attachment styles form early, they’re not permanent definitions of who we are. With awareness, time, and the right support through therapy, relationships, or self-work, many people shift toward a more secure style.
Recognizing your patterns gives you power. You can start to ask:
“What needs am I really asking for?”
“What makes me feel safe — and what makes me pull away?”
“How can I communicate better?”Conclusion
Simple Steps to Begin Healing & Growth
Notice your reactions. When someone gets too close or too distant, pause and reflect.
Practice self-soothing: breathe, journal, name your feelings.
Try opening up small: share a truth, ask for what you need, express a fear.
Seek support: a therapist, friend, or community who feels safe and consistent.
Give yourself time! Growth isn’t fast. Healing happens gradually.
Remember
Attachment style isn’t a final verdict, it’s a lens for understanding. Once you see your patterns, you get choices.
You get to learn new habits. New ways of relating. New comfort with closeness, or distance.
You deserve relationships that feel real, safe, and honest.
CONNECT WITH A THERAPIST:
LIVE FULL THERAPY
Your neighborhood therapy practice in the heart of East Nashville. Offering a personalized and holistic approach to help you lead a more full and connected life.
GET IN TOUCH:
hello@livefulltherapy.com
2002 Eastland Ave, Unit 101
Nashville, TN 37206
