Co-Dependence - Healing the Human Condition [Paperback]

Charles L. Whitfield (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1991

Of all the books on the often misunderstood concept of co-dependence, this is probably the clearest, most complete and informative. Charles Whitfield is a frontline clinician who has been assisting co-dependents in their healing for over twenty years. He has researched the literature on co-dependence, which he summarizes in this widely read book.

He sees co-dependence as a way to more accurately describe the painful and confusing part of the human condition. In careful detail he describes just what co-dependence is and what it is not, how it comes about, and how to heal its painful aftereffects.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Charles L. Whitfield MD is a pioneer in trauma recovery, including the way we remember childhood and other trauma and abuse. A physician and front line therapist who assists trauma survivors in their healing, he is  the author of fifty published articles and ten best-selling books on trauma psychology and recover.

For over twenty-three years he has taught at Rutgers University's Institute on Alcohol and Drug Studies. He has been a consultant and research collaborator at the CDC since 1998. He has a private practice in Atlanta, Ga, where he provides  individual and group therapy for trauma survivors and people with addictions and other problems in living. 

Product Details

• Paperback: 330 pages
• Publisher: HCI (September 1, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 155874150X
• ISBN-13: 978-1558741508
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #321,387 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Charles L. Whitfield, M.D., is a physician, psychotherapist, and internationally recognized expert on mental illness, behavioral problems, and recovery. He has been on the faculty of the Rutgers University Summer Institute of Alcohol and Drug Studies since 1978, and in private practice of medicine and psychotherapy since 1976. He has been voted by his peers as one of the Best Doctors in America every year since 1994. He lives in Atlanta, GA, and is in private practice with his wife, author and therapist, Barbara Harris Whitfield.

For the most up-to-date information about Dr. Whitfield and his work, please visit:
Barbara-Whitfield.Blogspot.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good summary of dysfunction, June 28, 2005

By 

Jonathan Kandell (Tucson, AZ United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Co-Dependence - Healing the Human Condition (Paperback)

I am a practicing psychotherapist. Although this book is old (1991), I still find it is one of the best summaries of "wounded child" paradigm; I use it often to educate clients on why they act and feel the way they do. Yes, this whole way of viewing dysfunction has its limits (they think everyone in the world is suffering from unhealed wounds of the child, and they use the term 'co-dependent' for everything under the sun). But this book is also surprisingly well-edited, tight, and to the point, much less "fluffy" than much of the "recovery" literature. It strikes a good balance between accessibility and depth. I especially like some of Whitfield's diagrams, which wonderfully illustrate the difficult stages of recovery from abuse.

25 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars shake up your your personal paradign, October 10, 2000

By 

"maxialexander" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Co-Dependence - Healing the Human Condition (Paperback)

By the tiume you get to page 109 you will be depressed. The author so clearly explains how the wounding process takes place and what it's effects are. Although you should get angry and avoid most people from your family for a while. Eventually it is tremendously liberating and is a guide leading us off the path that other people have dictated to us. Shows us how to find our True self. That is exciting and can make one's life more worthwhile.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars We can always use more books on Codependency., October 12, 2008

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Co-Dependence - Healing the Human Condition (Paperback)

This book has good technical information. It was a
little sterile but lots of good information. When
reading about this topic I would suggest the other
authors first and use this after you know about
what exactly codependency is.

Or if you are really analytical and use that side of
your brain first this might be the book for you. It
just was not as easy to understand as some of the
authors I have read on this topic.

Coda member for 8 years, I know about this topic.