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COURSE

Healing Childhood Attachment Wounds

With Bill Belanger M.A.

This course explores core concepts and techniques for healing childhood attachment wounds. Students will learn the four primary attachment styles, identify their own, and tailor mindfulness practices to reduce anxiety. They will also practice the "ideal parent" visualization to re-map attachment patterns and make lifestyle and relationship changes to support healing. Rooted in both clinical and Buddhist psychology, this course offers a practical path to deeper self-understanding and transformation.

Tools from Psychotherapy and Buddhist meditation for deep healing

11 Days

323 students

4.7 stars

8 min / day

English

About this course

Inner Child Visualization

Resourcing Practice

Guided Visualization

Meet your Teacher

Bill Belanger M.A.

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Boston, MA

Bill Belanger holds a master’s degree in counseling psychology and has extensive training as both an individual and group psychotherapist. As the founder and clinical director of Healbright, he led a team of psychologists in creating hundreds of mental health education videos. His expertise spans Somatic Psychotherapy, Attachment-Based Therapy, and Internal Family Systems, which he integrates with Eastern contemplative practices. With over 20 years of immersion in Tibetan, Zen, and Theravāda Buddhism—both in the U.S. and throughout Bhutan, Nepal, India, and Thailand—Bill bridges Western psychology with Buddhist wisdom. His private practice focuses on psychological parts work and a structured stage model of meditation, offering a holistic approach to healing and personal development.

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11 Days

323 students

4.7 stars

8 min / day

English

Lesson 1

Attachment Theory

This lesson introduces the core concepts of attachment theory, distinguishing its psychological meaning from its spiritual connotation. It explores how early caregiver bonds shape our attachment styles, influencing emotional regulation, relationships, and overall well-being. Students will learn about the origins of attachment research, key findings from Bowlby and Ainsworth, and how secure and insecure attachment styles develop.

Lesson 2

The Five Functions Of Healthy Attachment

This lesson explores the five primary functions of a secure attachment relationship: safety/security, attunement, soothing, expressed delight, and encouragement for self-development. Understanding these core needs helps individuals identify gaps in their early attachment experiences and recognize how these patterns influence their adult relationships. By reflecting on these components, students can begin to develop strategies for healing and creating healthier relational dynamics.

Lesson 3

Attachment Style Evaluation

This lesson provides a self-assessment to help students identify their primary attachment style—secure, anxious, avoidant, or disorganized. It explores how these styles manifest in relationships and daily life, highlighting common thought patterns, emotional reactions, and coping strategies. By increasing self-awareness, students can begin the process of reshaping their attachment dynamics toward greater security.

Lesson 4

Attachment In Everyday Life

This lesson examines how attachment patterns extend beyond romantic relationships, influencing friendships, family dynamics, career choices, and even our sense of self. Students will explore how their attachment style affects their emotional responses, communication patterns, and the way they navigate both personal and professional relationships. By recognizing these patterns, they can begin making intentional changes toward healthier interactions.

Lesson 5

Visualization And Attachment Re-mapping

This lesson introduces visualization as a powerful tool for healing attachment wounds by creating new, positive attachment patterns in the brain. Students will learn how the "Ideal Parent" visualization technique helps rewire emotional responses, fostering a sense of safety, attunement, soothing, delight, and encouragement for self-development. By engaging in regular visualization practice, they can gradually shift their attachment style toward greater security.

Lesson 6

Ideal Parent Visualization

The Ideal Parent Visualization is a powerful practice designed to rewire attachment patterns by creating a felt sense of security, attunement, and love. This guided imagery exercise helps the brain form new neural pathways associated with secure attachment, reducing anxiety and fostering emotional resilience. Through repeated practice, individuals can internalize a nurturing presence that provides safety, support, and encouragement—essential components of healthy attachment.

Lesson 7

Ideal Parent Visualization Part 2

This is a second, slightly different version of the Ideal Parent Visualization. his guided imagery exercise helps the brain form new neural pathways associated with secure attachment, reducing anxiety and fostering emotional resilience. Through repeated practice, individuals can internalize a nurturing presence that provides safety, support, and encouragement—essential components of healthy attachment.

Lesson 8

Healing Mentor

The Healing Mentor Visualization follows the same principles as the Ideal Parent Visualization but replaces parental figures with a wise, compassionate mentor. This mentor can be anyone—real, imagined, historical, or even an archetypal figure—who embodies deep wisdom, guidance, and support. The goal of this practice is to cultivate a secure internal presence that provides safety, encouragement, and attunement. For those who struggle to connect with the idea of ideal parents, a mentor may feel more accessible and empowering. Over time, this practice helps rewire attachment patterns and fosters self-trust, resilience, and emotional security.

Lesson 9

Attachment Metta

This practice blends Buddhist Metta (loving-kindness) meditation with attachment-based language to foster a deep sense of safety, love, and connection. Traditional Metta meditation focuses on sending goodwill and compassion to oneself and others. In this adaptation, the phrases are tailored to address attachment wounds, reinforcing feelings of security, attunement, and unconditional support.

Lesson 10

Mindfulness And Attachment

This lesson explores how mindfulness can be used as a powerful tool for healing attachment wounds. By increasing awareness of emotional and relational patterns, students learn to observe their attachment triggers in real-time and make intentional choices rather than reacting automatically. The lesson covers mindfulness of the body (to regulate nervous system states), relational mindfulness (to improve interactions with others), and self-reflection practices (to deepen self-awareness). By integrating mindfulness into daily life, students can gradually shift toward more secure attachment patterns and develop greater emotional resilience.

Lesson 11

Putting It All Together

This final lesson focuses on integrating everything learned throughout the course into daily life. Healing attachment wounds is an ongoing process that requires mindfulness, visualization, and intentional relationship-building. Students are encouraged to reflect on their progress, set realistic expectations for healing, and continue practicing the tools they have learned. The lesson emphasizes the importance of self-compassion, recognizing setbacks as part of the journey, and seeking supportive relationships to reinforce secure attachment patterns.