What Is Anxious Attachment and How Can Therapy Help?
A person sitting on a bed with a worried expression, visually reflecting the emotional intensity and inner conflict often experienced with anxious attachment.
Anxious attachment can create cycles of self-doubt and relationship stress. Learn how therapy can help you feel more secure, supported, and empowered in your connections.
What Is Anxious Attachment and How Can Therapy Help?
If you find yourself overthinking texts, fearing abandonment, or needing constant reassurance in relationships, you might be experiencing anxious attachment. This common attachment style can feel exhausting, but with the right support, it’s absolutely possible to shift toward security and self-trust.
In this post, we’ll explore what anxious attachment looks like, how it affects relationships, and how therapy can help you move forward.
What Are the Signs of Anxious Attachment?
Anxious attachment often develops in response to inconsistent caregiving or emotional connection in childhood. As adults, this attachment style might show up as:
Feeling worried you're “too much” or not enough
Craving closeness but fearing rejection
Constantly second-guessing texts, tone, or silence
Struggling with self-worth when someone pulls away
Needing frequent reassurance to feel okay
These experiences can feel confusing or even overwhelming, especially in romantic or close relationships. You may find yourself asking, “Why do I feel so triggered when someone takes space?” or “Why do I always worry they’ll leave me?”
How Anxious Attachment Affects Relationships
People with anxious attachment tend to love deeply and care intensely, but often through a lens of fear or insecurity. You might:
Struggle to feel safe unless you’re in constant contact
React strongly to small shifts in connection
Prioritize others’ needs over your own to avoid conflict
Feel anxious or panicked when someone is distant
Try to “fix” or chase after someone who’s pulling away
This can create painful cycles in which your needs for connection are valid, but the strategies you use to get them met aren’t working.
Can Anxious Attachment Be Healed?
Yes. Anxious attachment is not a life sentence, and therapy can help you interrupt the patterns, rebuild your sense of safety, and create secure connections.
With the right support, you can:
Learn how to self-soothe when triggered
Build healthy emotional boundaries
Develop trust in yourself and others
Understand the roots of your attachment patterns
Respond to stress without panic or reactivity
How Kristin Rice, DBH, Can Help
Kristin Rice, DBH, is a compassionate and experienced therapist who specializes in working with adults navigating anxiety, relationship challenges, and identity issues, including anxious attachment. She uses evidence-based approaches like CBT, mindfulness, and attachment-based therapy to help you make meaningful, sustainable change.
Her work particularly supports those navigating life transitions, perfectionism, or high emotional sensitivity in relationships. Kristin creates a warm, structured space where you can build resilience, gain insight, and find relief from the cycles of fear and self-doubt.
Ready to Shift from Anxiety to Security?
Kristin is currently accepting new clients for virtual therapy in Connecticut. Whether you’re navigating anxious attachment or seeking a more empowering therapy experience, she’s here to help.
Book a consultation today to start your journey toward secure attachment and greater emotional ease.
