Practitioners of AEDP understand psychopathology as a byproduct of internal working models, borne out of insecure attachment experiences, that now thwart adaptive functioning in adulthood. The goal of AEDP is to be therapeutically present with patients and their pain and to guide them to have a new experience--a good experience--thus rewiring memory and capacity to reflect. Updates to the AEDP approach (moving it into its second iteration, or "2.0") leverage emerging findings from the field of affective neuroscience to enhance individuals' healing and transformation.

The authors demonstrate the power of relational work by sharing excerpts and analysis of clinical session transcripts. In each chapter, they engage different aspects of the AEDP model to show how emotional suffering can be transformed into adaptive connection, even for individuals with histories of neglect, abuse, and complex trauma.