Giving Yourself the Power to Change the way You Love
The author of the bestselling Facing Codependence unravels the intricate dynamics of relationships and shows us how to let go of toxic love
In this revised and updated edition of Facing Love Addiction, internationally recognized co dependence and addiction authority Pia Mellody clearly outlines the debilitating toxic patterns played out by love addicts and the unresponsive love avoidants to whom they are painfully and repeatedly drawn. She includes personal experience and real case histories that:
• clarify the distinctions between codependence (impairments in the relationship with our self) and co-addiction (unhealthy entanglements in relations with others)
• show how our childhood experiences of abandonment or engulfment
influence our choice of romantic partners, friends, and associates
• detail the "tango-dance" interactions between co-addicts that activate one
another's primary fears and actually bring out the worst in each other
Including new theories developed during more than fifteen years of research and treating addicts at The Meadows Treatment Center, Facing Love Addiction outlines a compassionate, realistic, and positive process for recovery and brings comfort and motivation to those who seek healthy relationships.
"Pia Mellody is a true pioneer. . . . This is a splendid offering."
—John Bradshaw, author of Healing the Shame That Binds You
"Mellody mixes captivating and traumatic stories of her own recovery with her very specific perspective on addiction, codependence, and recovery."
—Common Boundary
252 pages
Softcover