Codependent relationships Archives - Page 3 of 37

Two contrasting water scenes: a stormy sea with a lighthouse and a tranquil sunset lake with boats

Therapy Shorts 93: What a Healthy Relationship Looks Like: Spoiler: It’s Boring!

Healthy love is rarely dramatic. This article explores why emotionally healthy relationships can initially feel unfamiliar to people shaped by codependency, anxious attachment, or conditional love. It examines the difference between emotional intensity and genuine intimacy, and why calm, consistent relationships often feel uncomfortable before they begin to feel safe.

Why Understanding Yourself Is Not Enough

Explore the Dr Nicholas Jenner Audio Programme , a deep therapeutic recovery course for codependency, narcissistic relationships, emotional exhaustion and attachment wounds. Includes lifetime access to all audio sessions, practical therapeutic insight and two free therapy or coaching sessions. Designed for lasting emotional change rather than temporary motivation.

Therapy Shorts 92: Should You Bother Trying To Set Boundaries With A Narcissist?

I talk a lot about boundaries. I believe they are the foundation of a healthy relationship. Setting boundaries means being emotionally honest, assertive and it means protecting your emotional

From the Archives: Codependents: It’s Ok Not To Forgive Your Toxic Parents

The headline is perhaps a confusing one to anyone who has experienced trauma and abuse in their life. The helping professions are full of practitioners who deal in the art of forgiveness...

Therapy Shorts 91: After A Narcissist… What Next?

So, you have done the hard part. The narcissist is thankfully gone. It matters little whether discard happened or the courage was finally found to get rid of them, the…

Therapy Shorts 89: Discipline And Responsibility Are The Keys To Happiness

About two years ago, I wrote a rather philosophical post pontificating about What Do We Need to Make us Happy? As I generally do, I placed this article on various websites for people to read and comment...

A sparrow breaks free from a chain as the sun sets over a mountainous coastline.

Therapy Shorts 88: Why Leaving a Narcissist Can Feel Like Betrayal

This article explains why leaving a narcissistic relationship can feel like betrayal for codependent people. It explores guilt, loyalty, trauma bonding, hope, emotional responsibility, and the fear of abandoning someone difficult, while showing how leaving can be an act of self-protection rather than cruelty.

Two stones balanced on the sandy beach with ocean waves in the background

Healthy vs Pathological Narcissism: What You Need to Know

Healthy narcissism is a grounded sense of self-worth that supports confidence, resilience, empathy and healthy boundaries. It is very different from pathological narcissism, which is defensive and damaging. This article explains why healthy narcissism matters, how it develops, and why it is essential for emotional health and relationships.

Therapy Shorts 85: Those Who Say Can’t Usually Mean Won’t

How many times have you heard someone say “I can’t change”? If you are like me, you have heard it many times. In most cases, what is really being said is “I won’t change”…

Therapy Shorts 84: Why You Keep Falling For The Wrong People

Why are codependents drawn to emotionally unavailable and inconsistent partners? This article explores how childhood conditioning, low self-worth and nervous system activation shape attraction, causing healthy love to feel unfamiliar. Learn why codependents mistake drama for connection and how recovery begins by judging behaviour, not chemistry.