Given that loneliness has reached epidemic proportions on a global level, there is a good chance that you or someone close to you struggles with it. Sadly, loneliness casts a large shadow, darkening the landscape for those overcome with it. Their limited vision often makes them feel all alone and depressed and pessimistic. However, there is a way out of this darkness, and it is with connection.

Connecting with others is essential to our drive to survive. As attachment theory explains, infants connect to caregivers in a way that is designed to ensure their physical survival. Also, depending on how their caregivers manage threats and emotional distress, children learn to view caregivers as safe and emotionally available, or not. At the same time, they learn to experience themselves as lovable, or not. The implications of these dynamics have a cascading effect throughout our lives in how we relate to ourselves and to others. Among other situations, it is manifest in the quality of our personal relationships with family, friends, and lovers, and at work with colleagues and bosses. But it all comes back to a wired-in need to connect.

When early emotional bonds or connections fall short of providing a........

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