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The Clinical Application: Harlow’s paper not only created a major shift in the thoughts about and practices of child rearing in institutions, but also greatly impacted the practice of Clinical Psychology and the greater culture as a whole. By asserting the importance of interactions and relationships, Harlow provided support for the psycho-dynamic theories and techniques used in the diagnosis and treatment of many child and adult problems. The resulting clinical application emphasizes the positive impact of relationships, putting into practice Harlow’s findings about healing trauma. A positive relationship in therapy is established through the same processes by which a healthy primary attachment is formed: establishing and maintaining a connection; experiencing the relationship as a safe and secure base; coping with separation and loss; and the successful processing of emotions. Since abnormal behavior, high anxiety, severe depression, or bad relationships could each be the result of early experiences which were pre-verbal and unconscious, and if those early experiences can be deciphered, then making that re-enactment with a therapist conscious makes it accessible to change. Furthermore, if the non-verbal part of an attachment bond can impact a person so profoundly, and if a therapeutic treatment relationship is very much akin to a primal attachment, the non-verbal parts of a therapeutic treatment relationship can have a major effect as well. Subsequent research has in fact found evidence to support these specific ideas about the great importance that a positive therapeutic relationship has in the ultimate outcome in therapy. In order to get good results, it is crucial to work with a therapist who can successfully integrate the research with the theory into clinical practice. |
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