People struggling with abandonment fear may have trouble building healthy relationships.
Attachment styles describe how we form emotionally and physically significant relationships with our caregivers starting when we are children.
Attachment styles can also affect adult relationships.
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Is Abandonment an Official Diagnosis?
Anxious Attachment
Anxious attachmentis characterized by the need for emotional proximity and closeness.
This anxiety can lead to distress and feelings of insecurity.
Avoidant Attachment
People with an avoid attachment style struggle with closeness andintimacy.
An avoidant person may view a connection with someone else as being unattainable or undesirable.
They can be distant, mistrustful of others, or have trouble being open and vulnerable.
As a result, people with disorganized attachments may show a combination of anxious and avoidant styles.
Disorganized attachment styles are sometimes observed in people with personality disorders.
They may constantly respond to others in an anxious or negative way.
People with separation anxiety may seek out constant reassurance from their partners to increase their feelings of security.
Divorce or Separation
Having trouble with adult relationships can stem from fear of abandonment.
For example, relationship conflict, marital discord, or infidelity can foster feelings of anxiety.
Feeling unheard, unseen, and unappreciated plays a role in attachment styles and abandonment trauma.
However, stressful ortraumatic events enduredthroughout life can contribute to or intensify abandonment fears.
Abandonment trauma and fears can be deeply rooted.
Being honest about your thoughts, emotions, and fears can help you begin to change them.
Additionally, therapy helps people work through traumatic events that may have contributed to abandonment feelings.
It can become overwhelming and lead to anxiety and distrust of others.
Feeling neglected or abandoned can be traumatizing.
However, it’s important to know that you are not alone and you are loved.
Processing trauma takes time.
Simpson JA, Steven Rholes W.Adult attachment, stress, and romantic relationships.Curr Opin Psychol.
2019;10:914. doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00914
Bryant RA.Social attachments and traumatic stress.Eur J Psychotraumatol.
