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How Codependence Anonymous Can Support Your Psychotherapy Journey
If you are struggling with codependence, you may feel insecure, anxious, or unhappy in your relationships. You may have difficulty setting boundaries, expressing your needs, or taking care of yourself. You may also feel responsible for other people’s feelings, problems, or behaviours. You may think that your worth and happiness depend on others, and that you have to please them or fix them to be loved.
But what if I told you that there is a way to heal from codependence and develop healthy and fulfilling relationships? A way that does not require you to change or sacrifice yourself for others? A way that can help you discover and embrace your true self, your values, and your purpose?
That way is Codependence Anonymous (CoDA), a 12-step program for people who share a common desire to develop healthy relationships. CoDA is a worldwide network of groups of men and women who support and share with each other in a journey of self-discovery and recovery.
CoDA can also support your psychotherapy journey in several ways. Here are some of the benefits of joining CoDA along with psychotherapy:
How Codependence Anonymous Can Support Your Psychotherapy Journey
- It can help you identify and understand your codependent patterns. One of the goals of psychotherapy is to help you gain insight into your thoughts, feelings, and behaviours that are causing you distress or preventing you from reaching your potential. However, sometimes it can be hard to recognize or admit your codependent patterns, especially if they are ingrained in your personality or your family of origin. CoDA can help you identify and understand your codependent patterns through the use of the 12 steps, the 12 traditions, the 12 promises, and the 12 service concepts, which are the foundation of the CoDA program. These principles can help you examine your relationship with yourself, others, and a higher power, and how they affect your life.
- It can help you change and heal your codependent patterns. Another goal of psychotherapy is to help you modify and resolve your thoughts, feelings, and behaviours that are causing you distress or preventing you from reaching your potential. However, sometimes it can be challenging or scary to change or heal your codependent patterns, especially if they have been serving as a coping mechanism or a survival strategy. CoDA can help you change and heal your codependent patterns through the use of the 12 steps, the 12 traditions, the 12 promises, and the 12 service concepts, which are the tools of the CoDA program. These tools can help you work through your past wounds and traumas, release your negative emotions and beliefs, and develop new skills and habits.
- It can help you connect and grow with others who share your experience. A third goal of psychotherapy is to help you improve your relationships with yourself and others, and to help you develop a healthy and supportive social network. However, sometimes it can be lonely or isolating to deal with codependence, especially if you feel misunderstood, judged, or rejected by others. CoDA can help you connect and grow with others who share your experience through the use of the CoDA meetings, the CoDA literature, the CoDA sponsorship, and the CoDA service, which are the resources of the CoDA program. These resources can help you find a safe and confidential space to share your feelings and your needs, to listen and empathize with others, to seek and offer guidance and feedback, and to contribute and belong to a community.
If you are interested in joining CoDA, you can find a local or online meeting near you on their website. You can also read their literature, such as the CoDA book, the CoDA workbook, or the CoDA pamphlets, to learn more about the program. You can also talk to your therapist about how to integrate CoDA into your psychotherapy plan.
Remember, you are not alone. You can heal from codependence and develop healthy relationships with the help of CoDA and psychotherapy.