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The Difference Between An Empath And A Co-dependent…
Empath and Codependency are two terms that are used a lot when we talk about personality, narcissism, and addictions in mental health. As a therapist, and probably someone with traits of both, I think many people do not fully understand these terms. First, these are not diagnosable disorders but mentioned in psychological literature and self-help books. Many people use these words interchangeably but from my professional and personal experiences, I would like to share the differences that I see in Empaths and Co-dependents……
Co-dependents usually help to enable, cover, or support a toxic individual. Co-dependents often are angry and resentful toward the dysfunctional person in their lives and tend to keep score of all the things that they do to help. Co-dependents struggle with keeping healthy boundaries. The failure to keep these boundaries unfortunately often helps to keep the status quo or can even make the situation worse. Co-dependents are usually anxious and their people-pleasing and rescuing behaviours can help them to feel like they have more control in the relationship and this feeling of control helps to lower their anxiety. I also think that most Co-dependents probably have some emotional wounds that they need to heal and likely some issues with attachment or other mental health conditions. Co-dependents build an unhealthy attachment with…
