Attachment-based therapy helps explain why certain situations feel more emotionally charged than others. Most of us developed patterns of connection long before we understood them, often in childhood. These early experiences shape what’s sometimes called an Internal Working Model—the quiet assumptions we hold about ourselves, other people and what it takes to feel safe in relationships.

Adverse childhood experiences, often called ACEs, are stressful or harmful events that happen before age eighteen. They can include things like emotional neglect, physical abuse, exposure to addiction, domestic violence, or losing a parent. These experiences can shape how someone copes with stress, forms relationships and handles emotions later in life. Not everyone who has ACEs struggles as an adult, but they can raise the risk of mental health challenges