Linda Cundy: Narratives of Attachment, Danger and Safety

£FREE

In this Optima Presents event, attachment-based psychotherapist, supervisor, trainer and author Linda Cundy explores the themes from her edited collection, *Narratives of Attachment, Danger and Survival*.

The conversation considers how attachment can be both a source of safety and a force that keeps people connected to relationships, communities, identities and coping strategies that may also be harmful. Drawing on stories relating to coercive relationships, cults, addiction, gangs, displacement and trauma, Linda reflects on the complex psychological and emotional processes involved in leaving, surviving and rebuilding a sense of self.

The event explores why leaving is rarely a simple or immediate act, and how grief, hope, belonging, identity and fear can shape a person’s choices. It also considers the importance of actual safety, affect regulation, mourning and supportive relationships in recovery.

Practitioners are invited to reflect on how attachment-informed thinking can deepen understanding of clients who remain in, return to or struggle to recover from unsafe situations, while maintaining a clear focus on accountability, safeguarding, cultural context and professional boundaries.

This event is relevant to counsellors, psychotherapists, coaches, mental health practitioners, social workers and other helping professionals interested in attachment, trauma, coercive control, recovery and relational practice.