Synthesizing Attachment Theory with the REBUS Model
The Oxford Handbook of Psychedelic, Religious, Spiritual, and Mystical Experiences December 18, 2024 Aaron D. Cherniak, Robin Carhart-Harris, Joel Gruneau Brulin et al. 2 citations
A theoretical synthesis of attachment theory and the REBUS neuroscientific model offers an organizing framework for psychedelic science. Attachment theory holds that people develop internal working models (IWMs) of relational experiences that function as predictive models shaping social and emotional worlds. Effective psychedelic interventions may induce a hyper-plastic neural state that, supported by corrective relational experiences, facilitates rapid learning and revision of IWMs toward greater security. Three proposals guide future research: individual differences in attachment security predict psychedelic phenomenology and integration; increasing attachment security may be a clinical outcome; and clinical utility involves attachment-related dynamics such as connectedness and alleviation of worries.