What Children Really Need: Attachment, Daycare & Divorce with Erica Komisar
Show Notes Summary
Podcast Title: What Children Really Need: Attachment, Daycare & Divorce with Erica Komisar
In this powerful episode of The Centre for Healing Podcast, Melissa Hiemann is joined by Erica Komisar, psychoanalyst, author, and thought leader in the fields of parenting, attachment theory, child development, and divorce.
Together, Melissa and Erica explore what children truly need from their parents in today’s increasingly dysregulated world. This conversation looks beyond surface-level parenting strategies and opens up a deeper discussion around attachment, emotional presence, nervous system regulation, daycare, divorce, and the impact of a parent’s unresolved trauma on their children.
Melissa also shares reflections from the trauma-aware parenting work she and Tara have created through The Centre for Healing, highlighting the importance of helping parents understand not only their child’s behaviour, but also their own nervous system, attachment wounds, and emotional patterns.
This episode is especially relevant for parents, therapists, practitioners, educators, and anyone wanting to understand how early relationships shape emotional wellbeing across a lifetime.
In this episode, we explore:
- Erica’s number one piece of advice for parents today
- Why attachment is foundational to healthy emotional development
- How daycare can impact a child’s developing nervous system and attachment needs
- How single mothers can navigate secure attachment while also needing childcare and support
- What parents can do if childcare is necessary
- The relationship between physiology, brain chemistry, emotional regulation, and attachment
- How parents with developmental trauma can begin to regulate and connect with their children
- The emotional impact of divorce on children
- Why parent education before having children may be essential
- The modern cultural pressures affecting parents and children
- How trauma-aware parenting can help break intergenerational cycles
About Erica Komisar
Erica Komisar is a psychoanalyst, author, and parent guidance expert known for her work in attachment, child development, parenting, and divorce. Her work supports parents in understanding the emotional needs of children and the vital role of secure attachment in lifelong mental health.
Resources Mentioned
Erica Komisar: @ericakomisar https://www.instagram.com/ericakomisar/
Erica’s nonprofit: Attachment Circles - https://www.attachmentcircles.org/
Erica’s new book: The Parents Guide to Divorce https://www.ericakomisar.com/the-parents-guide-to-divorce
The Centre for Healing’s trauma-aware parenting course explores attachment, nervous system regulation, emotional safety, and how parents can begin healing intergenerational trauma while creating deeper connection with their children. Explore the course here - https://www.thecentreforhealing.com/trauma-aware-parenting