Co-dependency
ABOUT Co-dependency
New research is teaching us that healthy balanced social connectedness is an important component of brain health because we are hard-wired to be connected to each other. Co-dependency, however, is characterized by an unbalanced preoccupation with another person’s needs and wants while ignoring your own. We understand that you may be experiencing the extreme sense of responsibility for others and struggling with obsessive thoughts within your relationships. We have the knowledge, and the tools to help you invest in your own self-care while creating healthy boundaries in relationships with those who you love most.
Cause
Co-dependency is usually associated with earlier childhood experiences that frequently involve family environments that may have had an addiction, neglect or abuse, and chronic physical or mental illness. Growing up in any one of these family environments can lead to extreme fear of rejection, a need for approval and a lack of self-esteem.
What are the signs of Co-dependency?
Some of the characteristics of being codependent can include:
- Going against personal values or rights to please others.
- Cannot tolerate seeing others in pain.
- Feeling good about yourself only when you are helping others.
- Perceiving yourself as completely unselfish and dedicated to the well-being of others.
- May tend to select needy, selfish, manipulative, or psychologically ill partners.
- Agree with others so they will like you.
- Perfectionistic and placing too many expectations on yourself and others.
- Tend to judge what you do, think, or say; you can never be good enough.
- Other people’s wants, needs, actions and attitudes tend to determine how you react.
- Unusually skilled at guessing how other people are feeling.
- Afraid of being hurt or rejected by others.
How can I get help for Co-dependency?
If you are a deeply caring person who is more focused on the well being of a loved one and is having difficulty finding a healthy balance between caring about others and caring for yourself, we can help.
Our clinicians will assist you with understanding how your family environment may have lead to the belief that your needs are not worth attending to. We will work with you to shift the negative thoughts that lead you to harmful actions through cognitive behavioral treatment and will provide you with the tools to develop new behavior patterns that can lead to better self-care and more gratifying relationships.