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  • Attached

  • Are You Anxious, Avoidant or Secure? How the Science of Adult Attachment Can Help You Find - and Keep - Love
  • By: Amir Levine, Rachel Heller
  • Narrated by: Robert Petkoff
  • Length: 7 hrs and 6 mins
  • 4.8 out of 5 stars (693 ratings)

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Attached cover art

Attached

By: Amir Levine,Rachel Heller
Narrated by: Robert Petkoff
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Editorial Reviews

Want to build stronger relationships and connections or find a more compatible partner? Attached examines the science behind love, resulting in a title that is equal parts fascinating, insightful, and life-changing.

Together, psychiatrist and neuroscientist Amir Levine and psychologist Rachel S. F. Heller reveal how an understanding of science — specifically, attachment theory — can help us find and sustain love. The theory focuses on the importance of the early child-parent bond to a person’s social and emotional development. In Attached, you’ll learn how to apply this theory to improve your romantic relationships.

Attached offers psychological insights, quizzes and case studies to guide listeners in understanding their own attachment style and the attachment styles of significant others. This audiobook will leave you equipped to build stronger and more fulfilling connections.

Narrated by Robert Petkoff, Attached enables listeners to become fully immersed and emotionally invested in the material. With more than 100 audiobooks to his credit, Petkoff speaks in a clear and well-paced manner that’s also personable and reassuring.

Publisher's Summary

An insightful look at the science behind love, Attached offers listeners a road map for building stronger, more fulfilling connections.

Is there a science to love? In this groundbreaking audiobook, psychiatrist and neuroscientist Amir Levine and psychologist Rachel S. F. Heller reveal how an understanding of attachment theory – the most advanced relationship science in existence today – can help us find and sustain love.

Pioneered by psychologist John Bowlby in the 1950s, the field of attachment explains that each of us behaves in relationships in one of three distinct ways:

Anxious people are often preoccupied with their relationships and tend to worry about their partner’s ability to love them back.

Avoidant people equate intimacy with a loss of independence and constantly try to minimize closeness.

Secure people feel comfortable with intimacy and are usually warm and loving.

With fascinating psychological insight, quizzes and case studies, Dr Amir Levine and Rachel Heller help you understand the three attachment styles, identify your own and recognize the styles of others so that you can find compatible partners or improve your existing relationship.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2010 Amir Levine and Rachel Heller (P)2010 Penguin Random House LLC

Critic Reviews

"A groundbreaking book that redefines what it means to be in a relationship." (John Gray, PhD., best-selling author of Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus)

What listeners say about Attached

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READ SOMETHING THAT WILL HELP YOU

This book is correct in diagnosis, but wrong, in its advice to find your perfect partner, just as you are.
Either ignorant or kind to say we are good-enough as we are. The strategies are state Self-less love, in an overly complex way. To consider the effect of our words, choices that effect Others is reverse engineering.
Start with loving intention for the greater good, seek possibilities thru a lenz of Self-Less Love, and perceive and co-resourcefully create and act in pursuit of our highest good. Be present, appreciative and grateful for your life and to share life with the Other, for whom, you should have unconditional positive regard.
Negative, selfish thought ends life. it is not a state of growth. It is martyrdom, taking as many down with you. All of our programming can be addressed, insightfully. DIY at that.

If you need to an objective ear ask a few therapists. They are trained to keep their personal bias out of the issues.

At the end of the day ... our purpose is
BE the One, not find the One.
BEcome our best Self, to beget the love of Others. BE the light and you shall receive accordingly. Ghandi, Martin Luther King, G Jung, Alan Watts, Buddhah and of course our most renowned earthly sovereign, JC.

All of us should be working towards personal development.
Not ignore the weeds in our own backyard. Or, accept they are there.

The cure to our pain is to integrate our fragmented child SELF within, who speaks with anger, judgement, and critisisms generations old.
The voice in our mind.
Who WE are, our Spiritual, immortality, is our Soul, our mind's witness to the voices of the child. Our reptilian Amagydalan.

Accepting our Scrooge programming is with absence of malice, integrity, accountability and empathy for Our Self, in need of acceptance by us.

What could be more wonderful then to learn what you need, heal it, and to recognise and give the Other what they need. If you don't bother to do any personal development, you might unknowingly cause the very harm to another, that was caused you. Mirroring. That which you think of another, is TRUE of our Self.

G Jung,
Those who endeavour to come to terms with themselves must reckon with this BASIC problem. For to the degree we deny the Other, we deny the Other within Ourselves the right to exist.

Spiritually Scientific Psychotherapy

G Jung, G Maté, M Epstein, G Hendricks, Abraham Hicks, Pema Chodron, ACIM, G Chapman and more, will show you the spiritual approach to DIY heal your Child-Self and - create everything in your life, your way. A new, compassionate, empathic and better you. Your True Self. Not an image. Six months tops!!
You can BE archetype on the outside, not a mask, covering your TRUE Self.
The disempowered, underdeveloped, neglected child.

Love and peace is present within our Self, in every moment.

Get busy! - Coping with diagnosis is not a cure.

For becoming ever wiser, tolerant and kinder IS appropriate to ever changing life for as long as we live.
Best wishes

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13 people found this helpful

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Accompanying PDF incomplete

Good book overall, however the PDF document doesn’t include the relationship inventory example answers to put in the provided table. When listening to the book, the narrator states that these examples are provided below the relationship inventory table however audible hasn’t included this. It makes it a lot more difficult to complete the exercise.

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5 people found this helpful

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Really helped me

I want to say this book changed my life, and I'm not exaggerating at all. I feel I'm equipped knowledge and tools to treat myself kinder and manage my relationships better.

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2 people found this helpful

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Incredible, a must read for anyone

Eye opening, empowering, educational and extremely beneficial. Not only did I learn things about myself, understand my own patterns and behaviours - as well as partners, I also feel more confident and just learning the rationale to my emotions and behaviours, I feel I in many ways have become more of the stable attachment style.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

should be thought on schools

we need to be aware of why we behave in a certain way so we can be in control, instead of moved by our unconscious fears and emotions that get triggered by others or by our own attachment style.

So if we understand the traits of people with secure attachment style we might be able to recognize those people who will match our needs...have a better chance to loving and healthy relationship.
Good news, 50% of population has a secure attachment style.
We just don't consider them because we think they are boring.

Our "love feelings" are triggered by our wrong perception that intensity is love. Our brain is easily fooled.

The book won't "save" us but give a good idea of why and what to do. Goes a little against all other self growth books I read, which is a little confusing. But the truth can never be in one book only.
The main ideas can be useful, then the trick is to adapt it all to yourself.
Books are like a mirror, sometimes it shows things you can't see... just a different prospective.

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best of the best

This book has been absolutely life changing, and a must read for everyone.

wow wow wow, my mind is blown. I think this book literally saved my life and I will be forever grateful 🙏

the author is a godsend 🙏💙🙏

Thank you for writing this book, wish I could meet you in person.

Thank you 🙏

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Excellent info and 5 star narrator

Provided in depth understanding of adult attachment styles. I especially love the final two chapters, very practical info. I now see the world through this new lenses and it’s making more sense. Narrator was excellent, his subtle change of tones and voice was amazing when role playing, makes listening to this book easy and interesting.

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Normalises attachment styles

Interesting topic with recent research and practical application particularly for anxiously attached folk caught in the anxious-avoidant cycle.
Huge thanks to the authors.

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Extremely helpful book

This should be the starting point of any relationship. I wish I read this book long time ago.

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Truer words never spoken!

This book has been so enlightening. I’ve since taken the information learnt and applied them to all of my relationships and the relationships around me just to understand them better. It’s so telling how much more you understand the dynamics around you.

Even if you don’t ‘need’ the knowledge from this book, it’s so interesting to learn anyway. Highly recommend!

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  • Amazon Customer
  • 28-11-2023

Insightful and impactful

I enjoyed all the examples that explain the various attachment styles. it will definitely help weed out people when dating and shows that communication is key!

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  • Shanelle
  • 28-12-2022

Must read for all!!!

This book should be recommended for teenagers and young adults it really helps you to be able to indentify attachment styles in yourself and others. It really shone a light on my past relationships and experiences

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  • luke
  • 05-10-2022

Don’t read this book if you’re AVOIDANT

This book has some good information and will help you become more aware… however it paints anyone who is avoidant as broken… it makes you feel like you can’t heal and you’re screwed in any relationship going forward. You are given certain tools to manage, but the authors tone towards Avoidants is one of negativity and judgment.

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  • Kindle Customer
  • 02-12-2021

The only book you need to understand relationships

I found the information extremely useful and true to my experiences in love. Realized that a lot of the problems I have run into were because of attachment issues. The advice offered such as about the importance of good communication is straightforward and easy to apply. I have read a lot of books and listened to a lot of shows about love and relationships and so many seem to contradict each other. This book seems to make so much sense and the reading was so great and made it an easy listen.

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  • Anonymous User
  • 14-07-2021

Briliant and fascinating!

Loved the narrator and could not stop listening until the end. Understand my own behaviour as well as previous partner's behaviour towards our relationships so much better

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  • Lehza
  • 23-02-2021

Life changing

Highly recommended if you or your partner struggle with attachment issues. The book combines science based research with practical steps for the layperson. Truly life changing.

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  • Anonymous User
  • 27-08-2020

Incredible!!!

If only we learnt this stuff at a school... and if only id got my hands on this sooner! WOW! Don’t hesitate, snag it! ;)

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  • karl
  • 10-02-2021

Shallow and imbalanced.

I found out that I have an avoidant attachment ok, I mean the author wil let you know repeatedly! The book is dragging, with this repetitive story of an anxious girl meeting an avoidant guy. I guess that the msg conveyed is that there arent many avoidant attached women out there! Boq ! And did not talk theoretically on how to handle such insecure people or heal oneself in this case.

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  • Laura
  • 02-11-2021

Engaging, informative and practical guidance. Recommend reading/listening

I’ve recommended this book to my anxious friends who loved it (the avoidant ones were not keen on taking a look) which is a real shame.

As someone who has fallen in all 3 attachment styles, anxious, avoidant and now secure, I still found it useful. I think one’s partner can influence us in ways we can be unaware. This book and it’s clear concepts shows how to identify unhealthy traps and recommends effective communication principles to work towards a secure relationship.

Ultimately I personally believe we should strive for respectful dialogue - both as the communicator and listener, and that you should treat your partner with love, openness and honesty and expect the same in return. We should all be treated with love, respect & honesty, especially from our life partner.

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  • Amazon Customer
  • 12-01-2021

The book I was looking for!

I think everybody should read this book and I certainly wish I had read it sooner. I'd done a little reading about attachment theory before, but this book really spells it out to you with clear examples. It does a great job of letting you know that there are reasons behind your behaviour and they are not your fault, but shows you ways to change them for the better. It's made me feel more confident about dating and about being in relationships and asking for what I need rather than trying to hide it.

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  • Mr cuac cuac
  • 01-07-2021

Dangerous book

Nice ideas but promote really dangerous narcissistic destructive patterns instead of empathy and personal development

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  • ShoppingCarmen
  • 03-01-2021

Mind blowing!

This book is so helpful in many ways. Understanding my attachment style already helped me communicate better with my loved ones. I also feel more tolerant about others. About to re read (or rather listen) again! Great work.

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  • Anonymous User
  • 29-09-2020

great book

great book, opened my eyes. i'm an avoidant and anxious person and I really need this. thank you

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  • daniel aung
  • 06-03-2021

better understanding

i now have a better understanding about my needs in my relationship and how to communicate these effectively. thank you to the authors

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  • Ross Holmes
  • 25-01-2021

Very insightful

Great way of breaking down the science & psychology of how we get attached & practical for moving forward with your current or future romantic relationships. Would recommend to most.

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  • Shaun Solomon
  • 13-07-2020

Excellent book! Compulsory reading!

Very well laid out and concepts explained clearly. I am a massive avoider and this has helped me a great deal in understanding how I can be a much better partner and become my true authentic self.

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  • Amazon Customer
  • 19-11-2023

understanding people's attachment style

I found it very interesting the way anxious and avoidant attachment style are drawn to each other. Definitely would recommend this read!

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