Last week I had the pleasure of participating in and presenting at the Carolinas Conference on Addiction and Recovery in Morganton, NC. Thanks to Jim Van Hecke and all those who work with him to offer this 13th Annual Conference. Much good work is being done there in the Carolinas in treating addictions.
My presentation was “When
You’ve Lost Your Self in Someone Else: Working with the Dynamics of
Codependence.” This is a topic familiar and close to my heart. It is also a
topic which does not get as much attention at an addictions conference as most
other topics. I am always glad for conference organizers who do recognize the
importance of treating codependence in order to treat addictions, and I am
always glad for the participants who choose to come to my session for they,
too, are acknowledging its importance.
With all of this in mind, as I prepared for my session, I
decided to write the following on my flip chart for participants to read as we
started:
I
do not believe codependence is an old topic. I believe it remains a new topic
with much we do not yet understand and accept about it and the ways it affects
our lives and the lives of others.
I have reached this statement of belief after having studied
this topic both personally and professionally, written Disentangle and done numerous workshops and retreats on the topic,
and examined the current professional literature on codependence.
Codependence does remain a step-child topic in our fields of
addictions and mental health. But it is, in fact, as very real constellation of
behaviors which can profoundly affect our lives. I was recently having a casual
conversation with a colleague on this topic who said, “Codependence is every
where.”
I am not trying to sell books. I simply see that our loss of
self in others depletes us, frustrates us, and can leave us stuck in bad
feelings and emotions. I believe it is good to know a way out of this.
More blogs will follow offering further information on this
topic and ideas to help us free our self.
%20-%20Screened%20Porch.jpg)
.jpg)
0 comments:
Post a Comment