Book Recommendation: Becoming Attached

Becoming Attached: First Relationships and How They Shape Our Capacity to Love by Robert Karen

Another book I “had” to read for my orgonomy class- but so glad I did. Karen does an excellent job with presenting clinical information, biographical information and intimate case studies. Very compelling and a mammoth presentation on attachment. It was a bit overwhelming at times and perhaps it is more intended for clinical audiences, but it was still very moving and brought many different thoughts to me about my own practice and my own motherhood. This book inspired me to write my own books on attachment and Becoming Attached: First Relationships and How They Shape Our Capacity to Love relationships such as “Til Love Do Us Part: Overcoming Emotional Blocks to Finding Love and Keeping It.” It also made me contemplate a woman I once knew that sought treatment from me, that was severely mentally ill and suffering from non-attachment from her birth mother- besides being paranoid and viewing everyone as being out to get her and showing severe distrust to the point of having no friends, she also was experiencing a distrust of her entire body system with chronic hypochondria- I recommended an orgonomist doctor to her but she was distrustful and paranoid of that as well. I can only say, that this experience has shown me how tragic the emotional loss of a primary attachment (mother) can be. I say that with full knowledge that our entire culture is suffering from attachment disorder to a certain degree. This book is an intense and thought provoking read and essential for those working in the field of natural health, emotions and psychology.