I Want to Connect

From our earliest moments to old age, quality of life revolves around relationships. But while the human brain craves intimacy, many struggle with building deeper bonds. All too often, childhood experiences can pave the way for relationships that are vulnerable to conflict, instability, and miscommunication. This added stress can manifest as anxiety and depression, gut problems, and a weakened immune system. Living a connected life isn’t just pivotal for our emotional well-being; it's essential for our physical health.

In I Want to Connect, a follow-up to the popular The Attachment Theory Workbook, expert relationship therapist Annie Chen explores how your nervous system directly impacts your relationships and what you can do about it. Weaving together insights from Polyvagal Theory, somatic practices, and relationship co-regulation skills, this workbook addresses a range of issues through a central connecting point: that the state of our nervous system either primes us for resilience and connection or pushes us toward defense and shutdown.

With the tools inside, you’ll learn how to:

• Read your nervous system through your body’s signals
• Reset your body to a home base that promotes calm and connection
• Pinpoint when trauma is causing trouble for your relationships
• Rediscover aspects of yourself that have been hidden beneath frazzled nerves
• Communicate with others in a way that prioritizes emotional safety

Annie Chen, LMFT, currently runs a private practice in Berkeley, CA, where she counsels individuals and couples on all relationship matters. She helps train fellow therapists in PACT, a couples therapy modality grounded in attachment and somatics, and collaborates on a research team studying the model’s effectiveness. Annie holds dual master's degrees in counseling and psychology, where her passion for the clinical applications of neuroscience is reflected in two theses projects. She is the author of The Attachment Theory Workbook, published in 2019.