Cedric Reeves developed the Attachment Repair Meditation Modality (ARMM) as a unique approach to healing insecure attachment by integrating various therapeutic techniques.
In his interview with MysticMag, he shared that his journey began as a meditation teacher, but unresolved personal issues led him to explore attachment theory and the Ideal Parent Figure Protocol. By studying this alongside gaining a master’s in mental health counseling, Cedric incorporated elements of schema therapy, mentalization-based treatment, and other methods to create ARMM.
This modality combines guided meditation and psychological insights to help individuals move towards secure attachment and emotional healing.
What led to the development of the Attachment Repair Meditation Modality (ARMM), and how does it integrate various therapeutic approaches?
Sure! I’ll give you a bit of biographical background. I’ve been a long-time meditator and meditation teacher for many years. However, I noticed that I still had some personal psychological issues that hadn’t improved or resolved through meditation.
While teaching a meditation course, I developed a friendship with one of the students who introduced me to attachment theory and the Ideal Parent Figure Protocol, which was developed by Dan Brown and David Elliott. I became interested in this guided meditation, which aims to heal insecure attachment. I studied it, took courses with Dan Brown, and started guiding people through the Ideal Parent Figure Protocol about four and a half years ago.
At the same time, I earned a master’s degree in mental health counseling and studied various therapeutic modalities, including schema therapy, mentalization-based treatment, coherence therapy, and the Dynamic Maturational Model of Attachment and Adaptation by Patricia Crittenden.
I’ve integrated all these approaches into a largely guided meditation-based modality designed to help people work through insecure attachment and move towards earned secure attachment. That’s how ARMM came to be.
How does the ARMM specifically address different attachment styles and their related challenges?
That’s a great question, although a bit challenging to answer, but I’ll give it a try.
First off, I offer different courses with varying points of focus. For example, I have courses specifically designed to work on issues like shame or abandonment. One approach to addressing insecure attachment is simply to go through this list of courses, identify what resonates with you, and take the course that aligns with your specific challenges.
Now, taking a step back and looking at it more globally, I understand that insecure attachment always involves distorted information processing. Here, I draw on Patricia Crittenden’s work, where she talks about attachment in information processing terms. Essentially, these distortions can prevent us from processing experiences accurately.
The ARMM meditations are designed to first create a sense of safety, so you can focus inward and start doing the necessary integrative work. The meditations help bring up the emotions and thoughts that need to surface, allowing you to process them. This is a simplified explanation, but the goal is to integrate thinking and feeling.
Additionally, I draw on mentalization-based treatment in this work. We reflect on our experiences by asking questions like, “How has this affected me?” or “How has the behavior of others impacted me?” A lot of the time, we’re working on either a direct memory of an interpersonal episode or an indirect one. We also think about the other person involved, their behaviors, and their intentions. What do we think they were thinking? What was their stance? Then, we explore what comes up in ourselves—whether it’s shame, fear, or a sense of danger—and work through how we cope with those feelings.
Can you share insights into the pilot study’s findings on the effectiveness of ARMM for reducing attachment-based distress?
Unfortunately, the pilot studies we conducted weren’t of high quality and aren’t worth referencing. The way we ran the study, given the limited funding, was ineffective. While I do believe that ARMM is effective, the study didn’t provide solid evidence to support that claim. I wish I could say that the methodology has been empirically validated, but at this point, it hasn’t been.
How do your online courses and workshops facilitate the process of attachment repair for participants?
First off, we provide participants with a structured container. We create a schedule for them to attend live classes, and they also receive recordings afterward. In the live sessions, they get both the theory and the practice, but what’s most important is that they can listen to the guided meditations as many times as they need.
In the longer courses, we also create small groups or “pods” of 3 to 5 people. These groups meet, listen to the meditations together, and have the opportunity to discuss their experiences.
Additionally, all live courses are donation-based, and no one is turned away for lack of funds.
In what ways do you support individuals who might be new to meditation or skeptical about its benefits for attachment repair?
I think learning how to meditate is relatively straightforward—you just sit up straight and concentrate on your own experience. But for those who are skeptical, I try to lay out the theory behind it.
I explain how experiences of uncomfortable danger, where we weren’t protected, can create traumas. These unresolved traumas need to be addressed for us to lead a fulfilling life. Most people with some level of psychological awareness find this explanation reasonable.
What might take more faith is the method of healing. The core of it is integrative reflection—thinking about your thoughts, feeling your feelings, and reflecting on both. This approach often resonates with people who are somewhat familiar with psychology.
I also incorporate psychotherapeutic modalities that have some empirical validation. For instance, schema therapy has been validated for treating personality disorders, and mentalization-based treatment has research support. There’s some, albeit limited, research on the Ideal Parent Figure Protocol and coherence therapy as well.
I present it as clearly as I can, but I’m also upfront that it’s not for everyone—it takes a lot of hard work. Healing deep psychological issues is a long and challenging process.
Find out more at: www.attachmentrepair.com
