Recognise Excessive Closeness and Move Towards Healthy Independence
Enmeshment describes family relationships, particularly between parents and children, that are intertwined in unhealthy ways. Enmeshed families may appear very loving from the outside, but that love is often based on a sense of guilt and obligation. Generally, we can…
Understand the Impact of Unmet Core Emotional Needs
While not an official diagnosis, Childhood Emotional Neglect (CEN) is becoming a more common term within the psychological sphere. It is different from childhood abuse in that there is no overt trauma, no physical involvement, no verbal abuse and name…
How to Recognise and Deal with Difficult Family Dynamics
Many people grow up in families with less than ideal parenting. While abusive parental behaviour is relatively easy to identify, often the emotional damage may come from less obvious behaviours such as parental neglect, unrealistic or developmentally inappropriate expectations put…
What Is Inappropriate Guilt and How to Combat It
Guilt is one of several basic emotions (like anger, shame, sadness, love etc.) that all of us are wired to experience because it serves an important function. Typically, we would experience guilt in the following situations: Doing or thinking something…