When a Codependent Empath meets Bonnie & Clyde

I was watching my third or fourth documentary on the imfamous crime couple, Bonnie and Clyde with my heart caught in my throat.  I had no idea of the back story that lead to that final shoot out with the police and I had a sudden awareness of how close I had come to going down in flames with my own "Clyde."  While many of us can put ourselves in another person's shoes, as an Empath, I will actually take on another person's emotions and feel them as if they were my own.  Combining this trait with the compulsive behavior of learned codependace-deriving my sense of value from external sources, I was set up to be a perfect "Bonnie."  

I share this piece of my own history as an act of authenticity in hopes that it will reach the heart of even a single individual that finds themselves at that kind of a crossroads.  Discovering the program of Codependents Annonymous, CoDA,  has literally saved my life. I have been blessed with fellowship and the guidaence of a sponsor and this personal journey of recovery is what has lead me to my own life path  of creating community and offering tools.  While codependence can manifest in many different forms, the principles for recovery are the same.  Below are some of the resources that have radically shifted my world.  In Light and Love- Kera Marie

Characteristics of Codependency http://www.addictionconsulting.com/codependency.htm

Want to find a CoDA meeting near you? http://coda.org/