How the therapeutic relationship can repair failures in ‘safe other’ experiences required for normal neurodevelopment of capacities for human intimacy and autonomy

Abstract

ABSTRACT Dynamic neurodevelopment occurs in the first months of human life and requires optimal environmental conditions to advance in a typical way. One of the most important determinants of this process is the stable availability of a safe and responsive caregiver. This provides the child with a facilitative context for solving naturally emerging developmental conflicts, namely conflicts between the need for intimacy and the need for autonomy. If this availability is provided, the child acquires both affect regulation abilities as well as the capacity for curiosity that leads to an independent exploration of novel environments. The child also develops the ability to mentalize and empathize with others from this context, which serves as a foundation for further satisfactory functioning in both the intrapersonal and interpersonal worlds. Early adversity in the form of restricted access to a responsive caregiver leads to abnormalities in the process of neurodevelopment that result in long-lasting emotional and behavioral problems. These problems can be understood as difficulties in processing experience. In this context, the present article will comment on the qualities of the therapeutic relationship that seem critical in work with people who experience difficulties in this area.