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Welcome  to the second day of the Codependent Stories. M is a fictional character based on my client’s experiences. All events depicted here actually happened in someone’s life (or a group of people) in the last week. Permission was sought to use life events but no names have been revealed……

I have been offering online therapy for over 10 years. During that time, I have built up a speciality in many areas of psychology (especially Codependency) and helped many clients move forward. Contact me for a free consultation. I engage fully with my clients to ensure the best possible chance of recovery. I firmly believe that awareness is important but action is the decisive element of recovery. I accompany my clients along that road not only by offering sessions focusing on their issues but as a resource between sessions too.

In this edition, I highlight M. In my opinion, M is a full-blown codependent who has a history of dysfunctional relationships and for a very good reason. Read a summary of her story below:

M’s Story:

My last relationship has just ended after two months. This has been my life since my marriage breakup … short, intense relationships with emotional unavailable men….self-centred men who ultimately put the blame on me for being too pushy, needy and wanting too much too soon.  In therapy, I am challenged to look at my behaviour….why I do what I do…and why I allow these men to treat me the way I do. I cannot help it. I become the eternal doormat in a relationship and adapt and change to fit what I feel the guy wants. When it all ends, I feel awful because my one big fear is being alone for the rest of my life. I would rather have anybody around me than face the world alone, no-one to care for me or see me as important. This is why I put up with my ex-husband who cheated on me regularly until he also ended our relationship. I see everyone around me in relationships and I am alone….what is wrong with me? Will I ever find anyone???

M is a classic codependent in many senses who has unresolved issues from childhood. What M did not mention was the relationship he had with her father. According to M, he was not only emotional distant but also very verbally abusive and loud especially when it came to discussing M’s plans and aspirations. M was taught that she had to work hard for affection as a child while the standards set for her were extremely high.  When asked about her ideas about how she felt around her father, she consistently  talks about  feeling invisible and insignificant and whatever she did, tried, thought was never good enough. As often happens, she is reacting to these times with each new relationship that comes into her life.  She revisits the old trauma and falls into the cycle of guilt and shame again and again. By revisiting these early memories and reframing these traumatic experiences using deep therapy, M will in time regain the self-esteem lost years ago and finally find the  loving relationship she so craves. In therapy we are analysing her thinking parts and how her thought patterns react when she is triggered.