Love addiction is a relational attachment styles in which a person tries to fill an emotional void by merging with their partner. Love Addiction stems from being abandoned as a child by a primary caregiver through some form of physical, emotional or mental neglect. This creates a deep abandonment wound that the child grows up with and carries into their adult relationships often unconsciously picking partners who are not emotionally available and as a result increase their sense of loss and abandonment.
Love avoidance is a relational attachment style that stems from a child being enmeshed by a primary caregiver. To be enmeshed is to be asked to care for the adult either physically or emotionally rather than the child being the one cared for by the adult. Children who have experienced this can grow up to desire a lot of distance in their adult relationships, feeling easily overwhelmed or burdened by the needs of their partners.
At the Center for Relational Recovery we work with clients to help them resolve the original childhood traumas driving their attachment pattern and then work with couples to help them create a more secure bond with one another.