Smith ScholarWorks Theses, Dissertations, and Projects 2012 Talking through the body : a comparative study of cognitive- behavioral and attachment based treatments for childhood trauma Eric A. Eichler Smith College Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.smith.edu/theses Part of the Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons Recommended Citation Eichler, Eric A., "Talking through the body : a comparative study of cognitive-behavioral and attachment based treatments for childhood trauma" (2012). Masters Thesis, Smith College, Northampton, MA. https://scholarworks.smith.edu/theses/879 This Masters Thesis has been accepted for inclusion in Theses, Dissertations, and Projects by an authorized administrator of Smith ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. Eric Eichler Talking Through the Body: A Comparative Study of Cognitive- Behavioral and Attachment-Based Treatments for Childhood Trauma ABSTRACT Childhood abuse and neglect have been shown to have a devastating impact on an individual’s social, emotional, and physical development. This study was undertaken in order to determine the best treatment approach for survivors of childhood trauma. The author investigated the impact of traumatic stress on the brain, and reviewed the psychoanalytic, child development, and neurobiological literature on the importance of the attachment relationship for healthy development. Various perspectives on the diagnosis of childhood trauma were explored, including models that centralize childhood trauma as the cause of much of the spectrum of mental illness we see today. The author researched the theoretical underpinnings of both cognitive-behavioral and attachment-based therapies, before analyzing representative interventions from each school of thought in order to determine the strengths and weaknesses of each approach.