Nested model of attachment

The traditional thinking and models of attachment focus on the relationship between the child and their caregivers.

As I’ve mentioned previously, there is also the Nested Model of attachment and trauma proposed by Jessica Fern in her book polysecure: Attachment, Trauma and Consensual Nonmonogamy.

The level I want to focus on today is the home level, which focuses on the ways the physical home as well as the totality of family interactions affect our ability to feel safe and secure within ourselves, within our relationships and in the world.

Elements in this level include:

· If you had a home you grew up in

· If you bounced back and forth between homes

· If you liked and felt safe in your home

I have certainly worked with clients who had secure relationships with their caregivers but moved every year due to a parent’s job which left them feeling unable to establish a safe and secure relationship with others or their physical environment, which impacts their ability to feel fully secure in their adult relationships.

In future posts I’ll review the other levels of communities and culture, societal and global or collective level.