Codependency

Most of us take care of others at some point, sometimes putting their needs first or focusing on helping them out of tight situations. In the 1930s, the term “codependent” was ... Read More

There are some common misunderstandings about what codependency is. It used to be that when one heard the term codependency, it was associated with being in a relationship with someone ... Read More

Editor’s note: Susan Heitler, PhD is a clinical psychologist specializing in healthy conflict resolution and the author of The Power of Two, a workbook for couples. Her continuing ... Read More

Thank you for writing. You’re in a difficult situation here. It sounds like both staying and leaving are or would be painful; staying means more suffering of the kind you describe, leaving ... Read More

It sounds like you have been a tremendous source of love, strength, and support for your girlfriend in her battle with depression. That takes incredible patience and compassion, but it ... Read More

“Self-abandoned, relaxed and effortless, I seemed to have laid me down in the dried-up bed of a great river; I heard a flood loosened in remote mountains, I felt the torrent come; to ... Read More

If you are reading this, you probably have worked on Codependency Workbook Exercise Three. Please remember to pat yourself on the back for that; it is an exercise that few complete. Setting ... Read More

If you haven’t read the novel yet, you might be 50 shades of curious about why Fifty Shades of Grey is the most-talked-about tale in print currently. A quick search will reveal that ... Read More

If you are reading this article, then you probably have completed Codependency Workbook Exercise Two by creating a list of your troubled relationships. Congratulations for completing this. ... Read More

If you have completed Codependency Workbook Exercise One, congratulations to you. Please take a moment to pat yourself on the back. You deserve it, because it must have taken a great deal ... Read More

Without the tools to manage it, recurring and intense depression often breaks up relationships. The truth is, depression is hard to handle. One way to help make it through depressive episodes ... Read More

Now that you understand how codependency develops in a family surrounding a dysfunctional person, what are you supposed to do next? Many people have said to me in therapy, “Joyce, now ... Read More