By Marshall Burtcher. I found myself crumpled on the floor of my two-bedroom basement apartment. Heavy sobs heaved themselves onto the carpet as I mourned the end of my relationship. Deep within me, I...
By Michelle Farris, psychotherapist and codependency expert. Even though 12-step programs have been around for almost 90 years, they are still largely misunderstood. You may think you know what 12-step groups are but unless...
Love is the foundation of romantic relationships. It is the intense feeling of connection that brings two people together. Even if the attraction has lots of positive aspects, love alone is not enough to...
By Candace van Dell. Have you ever found yourself in a relationship and asked yourself if YOU are the narcissist? Many clients have come to me over the years perplexed by this. They get...
Codependency has become not only a buzzword in the addiction field in recent years but has also morphed into a huge industry, with lots of books and articles and support groups now available for...
By Stephanie McPhail, MS, Toxic Relationship Recovery Expert. There’s a powerful but often misunderstood adage that goes, “Just because it hurts after making a decision doesn’t mean that it’s the wrong decision.” Many of...
One of the hallmarks of healthy relating is open communication which includes setting boundaries. This is something many codependents struggle with that further hampers their success in relationships. While I have worked with many...
By Stacy Brookman, Leadership & Resilience Coach. Let’s talk about something we’ve all experienced at some point in our lives: self-sabotage. Yeah, that sneaky little devil that messes with our well-being and throws a...
By Susan Ball, Abuse Recovery Expert. Giving Yourself Permission to Live Life Your Way: Embracing Personal Freedom Every day you are bombarded with societal, family, relationship, career, friend expectations and pressures and it can...
I believe that many of us deep down actually know our boundaries. We know how we want to be treated, talked to, and intellectually, we know the things that we want (or should) say...
Are you always trying to save your partner from themselves? Do you feel like you need to be in control of the relationship at all times? If so, it’s likely that you’re a rescuer...
By Dr. Nicholas Jenner This method requires a commitment to work on oneself and an acknowledgment that codependency is a problem in relationships. This involves embracing responsibility for change and not shifting it (or...
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This Is How to Deal with Anger Toward an Addict
By Candace Plattor. Is it ever ok to get angry with the addict I love? The truth is that many people who love addicts are people-pleasers, which is another term for codependency. My simple definition of codependency is when we put others’ needs ahead of our own, on a fairly consistent basis. Codependent people sometimes feel very guilty when they try to have their own needs met – believing, in some cases, that they are not worthy of having their needs...
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7 Ways to Recognize A Toxic Relationship & What You Can Do About It
By Stephanie McPhail. Along with physical wellness and financial security, having healthy relationships is one of the biggest contributors to a balanced and fulfilling life. Sometimes, even when we appear to have achieved these things on the surface, there are indicators that we’re lacking the necessary ingredients to sustain them. When they go unaddressed, these detrimental factors will eventually undermine the contentment we desire. By learning to recognize the signs of imbalance, we can begin to take steps to correct them and...
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Codependency Recovery: 7 Steps for Healing Yourself and Your Relationships
By Michelle Farris. One size does NOT fit all when it comes to codependency. Whether you relate to a few traits or all of them – recovering from codependency looks different on every person! In relationship, the codependent person ends up doing most of the giving. You give way past the point of it hurting because you need that person to make you feel whole. When codependency is an issue, you crave other people’s approval. You’re constantly looking outside of...
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By Kevin Petersen. Addiction. It’s a disease that affects the entire family. When a person suffers from addiction, it creates a detrimental impact on one’s life, and it can be difficult to watch someone you care about go through this. But let’s face it: it’s common for family members to take it upon themselves to try to heal a loved one struggling with addiction. Without proper treatment, this can turn into a toxic..
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The Life-Changing Insight That Helped Me Finally Break Free From Codependency
By Marlena Tillhon. Traditional codependency literature has you believe that codependency usually emerges in romantic relationships. We only become aware of it once we’ve had our hearts broken a few dozen times and leap from unhealthy relationship to unhealthy relationship. In my personal and professional experience, codependency expresses itself through us in all areas of life and not just in our love lives...
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Stop Gaslighting Your Inner Child
By Candace van Dell. In my work, I often talk about what we do to our inner child is what was done to us in childhood. We learn to parent our inner child, punish her/him, neglect, reject or abandon (if this is what was done to us). Many of these experiences create codependency...
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Codependency and Childhood Neglect: What You Need To Know
By Briana MacWilliam. How does childhood neglect contribute to codependent relationships in adulthood? In this article we will explore a definition for childhood neglect and codependent relationships, and explore how one begets the other. You will also learn how to recognize if you have experienced childhood neglect...
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The Natural Attraction of Codependents and Narcissists
By Carista Luminare. I have been a relationship counselor for 44 years, specializing in how the bond with our primary attachment figures impacts our adult intimacy dynamics. Our childhood experiences and development define our capacity to know what Love IS (and is not). Because of my childhood and later life relationships...
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Are You Walking on Eggshells in Your Relationship?
By Rhoberta Shaler, Ph.D. When you must tread lightly because of a fragile ego, tiptoe around someone’s short temper, or be careful what you say or how you say it… that’s walking on eggshells. Do you recognize that you are walking on eggshells? It’s a difficult and uncomfortable way to be in relationship with someone! Are you always...
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By Krista Resnick. Codependency created much pain and agony in my life. One of the ways it manifested most was my extreme lack of self trust. I would overthink decisions to death, fearful that I would choose the ‘wrong one,’ or upset someone if they didn’t agree or were disappointed by my choice. I was terrified of...
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What Codependency Really Is & What It’s Doing For You
By Marshall Burtcher. Have you been told any of these things about codependency:
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What Does Codependency Look Like in Family Relationships?
By Yasmin Kerkez. Codependency is certainly not a new condition, and awareness of codependency is growing in the greater community. At the same time, it’s also one of those labels that many of us have heard of but don’t know exactly what it involves. In the media and online, it is most commonly linked to romantic relationships, people who exist in a caregiver role...
