Annotation
What codependency
is and how to recover from it. "Pia Mellody is a pioneer...this is a
splendid offering."--John Bradshaw
From
the Publisher
In this fresh new
look at codependence, Pia Mellody traces the origins of this illness back
to childhood, describing a whole range of emotional, spiritual,
intellectual, physical, and sexual abuses. Because of these earlier
experiences, codependent adults often lack the skills necessary to lead
mature lives and have satisfying relationships.
Recovery from codependence is achieved by learning to reparent oneself.
Central to Mellody's concept is the idea of the "precious child"
that needs healing within each adult. She creates a framework for
identifying codependent behavior and outlines an effective therapy for
recovery. Designed to be used with her new workbook for codependents, Breaking
Free, this is a powerful tool for understanding the nature of
codependence.
From
the Critics
From Publisher's
Weekly
This book stands out
among the current glut of material on codependence because it claims the
realm of parenting for its vantage point. The authors believe that
codependents must heal themselves in order not to repeat the ``less than
nurturing'' behaviors of their own addicted or emotionally dysfunctional
parents. Hence, they couple strategies for recovery with guidelines on
what is and is not ``normal'' in the parent-child relationship. The
authors' conclusions will invite controversy; for instance, they suggest
that ``emotional sexual abuse'' of children may lead to homosexuality in
adulthood. Nor are they reluctant to generalize: ``Although physical and
mental illness aren't addictions, their effect on the family is the
same.'' Offsetting the opinionated commentary is great compassion for the
helpless, hurt children who live inside adult codependents. Mellody and
Andrea Wells Miller are coauthors of Breaking Free: A Recovery Workbook
for Facing Co de pend ence ; J. Keith Miller is a freelance writer. Author
tour. (July)
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