There are some types of therapy that encourage patients with histories of trauma and attachment issues to form a firm, loving attachment to their therapist. In a nutshell: The theory says this therapeutic attachment will form the basis for healing and will allow the patient to form other healthy attachments in the rest of their life.

At least, that's what I've read and what people tell me. It may work. I don't know. I would not chose to do such therapy myself. If someone writes a post about it helping, I wouldn't tell them I disagreed. It undoubtedly helps some people. It wouldn't be for me because although I can understand the theory, I can't wrap my head around the real life implications.

If a T had 20 patients with attachment issues and 10 who were less troubled by attachment, and 10 of the combined caseload needed regular reassurance outside of session, email and text and phone contact -- I don't see how they could do it consistently over the long haul for all of them all the time. Not if they had their own life. Not if they sometimes got tired or sick or needed a holiday. The number of posters who went into complete nosedive, rage or the despair of abandonment because their Ts took an extended Xmas break was truly heartbreaking to read.

It may be good in theory and it may work with certain patients, but it seems the reality might create a large number of patients who had their feelings of abandonment and betrayal increased because the T could not humanly be available and firmly attached to offer support to that many people over the long-haul. To me, encouraging it without taking real life time and energy demands into consideration seems like a recipe for disaster.

I don' think Ts who encourage attachment and then can't live up to the demands placed on them by a real-life patient case load are doing it for evil purposes, to hurt others or to feed their own egos. I think they believe in the theory and get taken by surprise if there's no humanly way possible to provide as much support as they thought they could.

In most cases, it probably starts out with really good intentions. But if even a holiday break can trigger intense feelings of rage, despair, abandonment, disconnection and betrayal, I don't know how this theory can work for a lot of people, no matter how well-intentioned the T might be. I do remember something about good intentions paving the way to hell.

To all posters for whom it works, I mean no disrespect to your process. The above is just my opinion. Feel free to ignore it.