Co-Dependence - Healing the Human Condition (Paperback)

~ (Author) "Co-dependence is a disease of lost selfhood..." (more)
Key Phrases: adult child syndrome, adult child recovery, full recovery program, Higher Power, Stage Zero, Stage One (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

At last: a concise and stimulating book with all the essential features and more about the nearly universal condition of co-dependence. Bestselling author Dr. Charles Whitfield discusses in detail how co-dependence is a major manifestation of being an adult child of a dysfunctional family, and provides specific psychotherapeutic and recovery methods to help heal its wounds.

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: 8.9 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #180,779 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #76 in	Books > Health, Mind & Body > Mental Health > Codependency
  #85 in	Books > Health, Mind & Body > Relationships > Codependency

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 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)

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.

22 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

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

By	"maxialexander" (FL USA) - See all my reviews

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.

1 of 2 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 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.