Childhood trauma can affect attachment patterns in adult relationships from "summary" of The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk, M.D.
Childhood trauma can have a profound impact on the way we form attachments in adult relationships. When children experience trauma, their brains adapt to the chaos and unpredictability of their environment by developing coping mechanisms. These coping mechanisms, such as hypervigilance or emotional numbing, can become ingrained in their neural circuitry, affecting how they relate to others in the future. In situations where a caregiver is supposed to provide safety and security but instead inflicts harm or neglect, a child's sense of trust is shattered. This can lead to difficulties in forming secure attachments later in life. Adults who have experienced childhood trauma may struggle to trust others, constantly expecting betrayal or abandonment. They may also have difficulty expressing their emotions or forming intimate connections due to their early experiences of pain and rejection. Attachment patterns are established early in life through interactions with primary caregivers. When these interactions are characterized by trauma, abuse, or neglect, the child learns maladaptive ways of relating to others...
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