Do you seem to repeat the same dysfunctional relationship patterns – even though they leave you frustrated and hurt? Why do some people end up in one codependent relationship after another? Why does a woman with an emotionally distant mother repeat the same pattern with her own children? Why do so many adult children of […]
Addiction can have devastating effects on families. As a way of coping, family members commonly take on 6 roles in addicted families. In this article, you’ll learn about these six roles and how addiction effects the entire family. Alcoholism and addiction affect the entire family, not just the addict. The effects are especially profound if […]
Learn what causes codependency, how it often develops as a way to cope with growing up in a dysfunctional family. What Causes Codependency? Once people recognize that they have codependent traits, they often begin to wonder where these codependent tendencies came from. Why are some people susceptible to codependency in their adult relationships? What causes codependency? Why […]
Growing up in an alcoholic family can be lonely, scary, and confusing. Children in alcoholic or dysfunctional families don’t get a childhood. You Don’t Get a Childhood When You Grow Up in an Alcoholic Family Growing up in an alcoholic family has a different effect on different kids. Factor such as personality, internal and external […]
Are you helping or enabling? Have you ever wondered what the difference is? In this article, you’ll learn to stop enabling, end codependent patterns, and calm your anxiety and worry about your loved one. Enabling is doing something for someone that they can reasonably do for themselves. Originally, enabling referred specifically to doing something for […]
Some children don’t get much of a childhood. When children have to act like adults – taking responsibility for their siblings, parents, and running a household– there are lasting effects. What is a parentified child? A parentified child is one that has taken on some or all of their parent’s responsibilities. Out of […]
Growing up in a neglectful or dysfunctional family usually leaves social-emotional deficits that follow us into adulthood. Learning to reparent yourself can help you heal and become the emotionally healthy adult you hope to be. Are you self-critical and overly harsh with yourself? Or are you too permissive with yourself – not setting limits and […]
Cutting ties with toxic family is difficult, but sometimes it’s the only way to save your sanity and heal emotional pain caused by toxic or abusive family. Cutting ties with toxic famiy members is an act of self-care. Not something you do because you’re mean or spiteful. It’s something you do to protect your physical […]
Enmeshment is a dysfunctional family dynamic characterized by a lack of boundaries and emotional immaturity. Enmeshment prevents children from emotionally separating. Being close to your family is usually a good thing, but it’s possible to be too close. Enmeshment describes family relationships that lack boundaries such that roles and expectations are confused, parents are overly […]
Experiencing emotional abandonment in childhood can make us feel anxious, distrustful, ashamed, and inadequate – and these feelings often follow us into adulthood and make it difficult for us to form healthy, trusting relationships. In this article, you’ll learn how to begin healing the psychological effects of abandonment. What is emotional abandonment? Emotional abandonment means […]