PATHWAY TO JOY AND HEALING

Emotional dependency is a form of addiction. Most of us are emotionally dependent on others without even realizing it.  Do we seek comfort, companionship, and support from others to function?  We all need comfort, companionship, and support, but we must be able to give this to ourselves first instead of seeking these from others.  Learning self care or self love is the path to independence.  Many in the spiritual community speak about self love, but only symbolically without integrating this into their lives.

Most commonly, we trade one relationship for another in the hopes that the next person can give us what we need.  We may say to ourselves, I just married the wrong person, my girlfriend/boyfriend was not the right one, or my partner is crazy, mean, or selfish.  Regrettably, this simply is not the truth.  The truth is that we chose these individuals out of dependency.  Until we resolve this emotional dependency addiction within ourselves, we will simply repeat this addiction behaviors with another.

I have observed this within myself and others who insist that they love themselves and have overcome their past emotional dependencies.  However, they have engaged either actively or passively with others seeking this comfort, companionship, and support because they fear being alone.  It is this fear that drives us to the next dependency relationship, as if hanging onto a life preserver while stranded in the open ocean without a boat.

The path to self love is to learn to be alone, and be able to give ourselves comfort, companionship, support without running to the safe harbor that is the next relationship or person who will fill that void and satisfy our emotional dependency addiction which we have become habituated.  May you find freedom from your dependencies. (Copyright 2015 Awakening Journey with All Rights Reserved)