Yearnings: Stories of Insecure Attachment and the Journey to Connect to God

Utilizing grounded theory and the semi-structured interviews of25 participants, this study sought to understand how an insecure attachment affects one's relationship with God. Participants' stories suggested that: I) one's struggle to connect with God was a part of their struggle to connect with others; 2) that experiencing others as safe and responsive contributed to building a more secure attachment with God; and 3) that attachment is less a fixed style and more of an ongoing process: defined as gradual changes made by the participants towards the set-goal of feeling safe and secure. Four major processes were identified: I) finding what works; 2) a safe community; 3) significant time and energy given to creating secure relationships; and 4) being able to distinguish feelings about God and critical parent. Participants' stories appeared to suggest that a safe community may facilitate a more secure attachment to God and others and provide a potential means of affect regulation during times of distress. Community is suggested to mediate affective responses of participants during times of distress by: I) providing a bridging function between insecure participants and God through helping participants feel safer and more secure as they seek a closer relationship with God; 2) soothing participants' fears as they begin to experience intimacy; and 3) helping to create new safe images of God. Implications for clinical practice included suggestions for: I) incorporating attachment or relational language to help bridge the gap between client therapist religious background differences while tapping into the strengths and resources of a client's religious beliefs and heritage; 2) utilizing small groups within a client's faith community as another potential solution for developing healthy relationships and personal resources; and 3) helping clients create a positive image of God through experiencing others as caring and responsive as a therapeutic intervention in developing a more secure attachment. Limitations and directions for future research were also discussed.

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Marriage and Family Therapy

Year

2011

Author dc:creator

• Bracy, John

Contributors dc:contributor

• Knudson-Martin, Carmen

• Marriage and Family Therapy and Counseling
• Attachment behavior; Spiritual life;
• Insecure Attachment
• Connecting to God

Statement dc:rights

• This title appears here courtesy of the author, who has granted Loma Linda University a limited, non-exclusive right to make this publication available to the public. The author retains all other copyrights.

Language dc:language

English

Repository record dc:identifier

https://scholarsrepository.llu.edu/etd/22

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:scholarsrepository.llu.edu:etd-1021