A Rise in Disconnection and a Need for Secure Attachment, in individuals & families

In today’s world, humanity faces a critical tipping point. The rise of consumerism, technology, and a disconnection from the earth has led to profound relational and ecological consequences. Ann Baring highlights the loss of the sacred feminine, which disconnects us from the natural world and the deeper, cosmic rhythms of life. Frances Weller speaks of ungrieved loss and the sorrow of our separation from community, earth, and meaningful ritual. Bonnie Bainbridge-Cohen points out the somatic dissociation from our bodies that is happening as we prioritize efficiency over presence. Gabor Maté warns of the attachment wounds created in a society where parents, overwhelmed by the demands of work and digital distractions, are less present with their children. As technology replaces meaningful human connection, we are at risk of severing the ties that ground us in human and planetary wholeness. Without a balanced relationship between our technological advancements and our deep need for live connection, humanity’s disconnection could have far-reaching consequences for both personal and global well-being.

Creative Stories illustrating the call to action by Maté, Weller, Bainbridge-Cohen and Baring

The Disconnected Child

In a bustling city, 6-year-old Lily sits in the corner of her living room, scrolling through videos on a tablet while her mother, Sarah, hurriedly answers emails on her laptop. Though physically close, an invisible gulf separates them. Sarah feels guilt but tells herself that work is necessary to support her family, and she’s reassured by the thought that Lily is quiet and occupied.

But over time, Lily’s tantrums increase. She craves attention, yet when her mother attempts to console her, Lily pushes her away. The deep, warm connection that should have nurtured Lily’s development has been replaced by the cold glow of screens. Devices, while useful, have inadvertently become substitutes for meaningful attachment. As Gabor Maté often warns, children like Lily are forming emotional bonds with their devices instead of their caregivers, leaving a void that can lead to lifelong struggles with addiction, depression, and detachment from others.

The Unspoken Grief of a Community

In a small town, the once-thriving community center now sits in disrepair. Where once people gathered for festivals, shared meals, and celebrations, there is now silence. As the economy worsened, people turned inward, isolating themselves with personal technologies and focusing on individual survival. The communal fire that once brought them together has gone cold.

John, a middle-aged man, walks past the center every day, feeling a quiet sadness he can’t explain. He, like many others in the town, has lost the thread of connection with his neighbors. There’s a collective grief, unspoken and unacknowledged. In this absence of community, Frances Weller’s teachings come to life: the soul’s deep longing for connection is left unaddressed, and without communal rituals to process the shared pain, it festers. This grief manifests as anxiety, isolation, and a loss of meaning, reflecting Weller’s belief that ungrieved loss is a profound, yet often invisible wound in modern society.

The Fragmented Body

In a fast-paced office, Mark sits hunched over his desk, eyes glued to his computer screen. His body is rigid, his breath shallow, but he doesn’t notice. His mind races with deadlines and emails, while his body is left behind as an afterthought. By the time he finishes work, he feels numb and disconnected. He hasn’t even noticed the pain in his back or the stiffness in his neck.

Bonnie Bainbridge-Cohen’s work illustrates this scenario: the modern world encourages fragmentation, where the body is treated as a machine for production rather than a living, breathing entity. Mark’s disembodiment is not unique though. Instead, it reflects a broader cultural phenomenon in which efficiency and productivity have replaced presence and embodiment. Without awareness of his body’s signals, Mark loses touch with his emotions, his intuition, and his connection to the rhythms of life. His relationship to his own body mirrors society’s disconnection from the earth, which is a loss of the nurturing, sustaining forces that keep us whole.

The Earth’s Silent Scream

Miles away from any city, an ancient forest is cut down to make way for a massive mining project. The machines roar as they tear into the earth, indifferent to the intricate, life-sustaining web they are destroying. In the boardrooms of the corporations behind the project, efficiency and profit are the driving forces, disconnected from the spiritual and ecological devastation being wrought on the land.

Ann Baring’s words echo in the background, “this is the consequence of a patriarchal system that has severed itself from the sacred feminine”, from the nurturing, life-giving forces of the earth. The exploitation of the planet mirrors humanity’s disconnection from its own soul, and in this silence, the earth screams. Yet, the forest’s destruction is invisible to the masses, overshadowed by technological distractions and consumer demands. Baring warns that unless we restore the balance by honoring the sacred feminine and our connection to the earth, we risk not just ecological collapse, but a profound spiritual and cultural death.

May we become the mature adults our culture is longing for—embodied, awake, and rooted in love.