Healing Limerence: An Integrative Model for Treating Obsessive Love through Attachment Repair and Somatic Regulation

This paper presents an integrative therapeutic model for treating limerence — the obsessive and idealized form of romantic infatuation — through attachment repair and somatic regulation. Drawing from attachment theory, affective neuroscience, and trauma-informed psychotherapy, the article reframes limerence as a dysregulated attachment loop rooted in early relational deprivation. The proposed model outlines three stages of healing: (1) recognizing the attachment loop, (2) regulating somatic arousal through embodied awareness, and (3) re-patterning intimacy via secure relational experiences. Rather than pathologizing limerence, the paper views it as an unconscious attempt to resolve early attachment wounds. Integrating both cognitive and body-based interventions, it offers clinicians a roadmap for transforming obsessive longing into emotional regulation and secure connection.