ReviewAttachment-based compassion therapyTerapia de compasión
Section snippets
Attachment theory
From an evolutionary perspective, it is accepted that compassion (Goetz, Keltner, & Simon-Thomas, 2010) is key to the care of offspring in species such as ours (and in mammals in general) in which young are very vulnerable at birth and require the intensive care of adults for a long time in order to survive. The concept of attachment, the capacity for affection and trust we feel for ourselves and other people, arises in those first years of life.
The term attachment is a classic psychoanalytical
The multiple facets of attachment and care
Care and attachment, both in primates and human beings, has become more complex throughout the course of evolution. In our experience, care and the attachment style include the four following aspects that may or may not appear independently.
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Protection and safety: This involves keeping children protected from danger in order that they will feel safe and out of danger (which is the basis for survival of the species). It includes an aspect as important as comfort, i.e. calming the anguish of the
Attachment styles
Bartholomew and Horowitz (1991) developed a classification system for attachment styles in adulthood divided into four main categories. It is thought that these styles, based on our biographical experiences, define the way in which we relate to other people. There is one secure attachment style and three insecure attachment styles with different characteristics.
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Secure attachment style: These are individuals who experienced adequate, consistent and continuous care in their childhood. For this
Importance of attachment styles
It is thought that 65 per cent of children present a secure attachment style; the other 35 per cent present one of the insecure styles we have described (Prior & Glaser, 2006). The attachment style of parents predicts 75 per cent of their children's attachment style (Steele, Steele, & Fonagy, 1996). Although there are other influences apart from attachment, children with a secure attachment style are more likely to be socially competent that their insecure counterparts. They also have greater
Protocol for attachment-based compassion therapy
As with other compassion protocols, our model is structured into eight weekly sessions with a duration of approximately two hours. We have described our programme in greater detail in the book Mindfulness y Compasión: La Nueva Revolución [Mindfulness and Compassion: The New Revolution] (García Campayo & Demarzo, 2015b). It describes the theoretical foundations for the model, the structure in sessions, and practices used in each session. Appendix I summarizes the structure of the programme in
Conclusions
Attachment-based compassion therapy is a compassion protocol that can also be used in both the general population and with medical and psychiatric conditions, and is adapted to the cultural setting and health systems of Latin countries (Iberia and Latin America). It is based on one of the fundamental psychological constructs that explains the interpersonal relationships of individuals: attachment styles. The preliminary results of this intervention are very promising and levels of acceptance
Conflict of interest
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
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