How Codependency Can Affect Our Creative Pursuits, Authentic Expression and Self-Discovery

"Codependency can infiltrate your creative journey."

Mihaela Ivan Holtz, Psy.D., LMFT of Creative Minds Psychotherapy helps creative people in TV/Film, performing and fine arts, and writes about the emotional and creative pleasures - and challenges - of their inner life as artists.

She notes "As an artist, a performer, or creative entrepreneur you know what it is to feel a passion for your creative pursuits.

"You also know what it is like to lose your vital creative spark. Perhaps you’re in a place where you feel that passion flicker from time to time, but you can’t seem to access it with the reliability that you once could."

What may happen to our creative passion?

Dr Holtz finds "In the realm of creative endeavors, where passion and imagination spring from your essence, codependency can stealthily infiltrate in your creative’s journey.

"Though you may only associate codependency with 'relationship problems,' it can shape your life in other ways.

“Codependency can interfere with your pursuit of authentic expression and your sense of agency.”

She adds that in any creative area, including “writing, painting, music, dance, theater, cinema, creative entrepreneurship or any other creative outlet, the dynamics of codependency can manifest in ways that hinder your growth, stifling creativity and self-discovery."

What is codependency?

Dr Holtz summarizes” "Codependency is when you neglect or sacrifice yourself in the service of someone or something. In this unhealthy relationship dynamic, you’re not grounded in yourself – your needs, your values, your goals or dreams.

"You can be in a codependent relationship with your partner, a friend, or at work."

She says codependency can manifest in your creativity and creative pursuits when you give up "vital parts of yourself in the pursuit of your accomplishments...and lose your connection to your authentic self. By extension, your self worth erodes."

Therapy can help

In her article, she notes that in therapy, "You can untangle your sense of self-worth from external validation and embrace a more authentic creative expression."

See more in her article Unraveling Codependency in Creative Pursuits: Nurturing Your Authentic Expression and Self-Discovery.

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How does Co-dependency relate to Attachment Style?

A post on a psychotherapy site notes attachment style "is a term used to describe the way we emotionally bond with others, often based on our childhood experiences and learned behaviors.

"However, when attachment styles become maladaptive, they can lead to codependency - a toxic relationship dynamic that harms both partners.

"Co-dependency and attachment style are intimately related because they both affect how we view ourselves and relate to others.

“Codependent relationships often involve one partner who relies heavily on the other for approval, validation, or emotional support."

From Co-Dependency and Attachment Style By Evolve Therapy.

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How to Set Healthy Boundaries

Julie Bieland, LMFT is a psychotherapist and author specializing in high sensitivity and neurodiverse people.

From the page for one of her free webinars:

"Do you feel guilty saying no? Do you struggle with disappointing people so it just feels easier to meet their needs and give up your own?

"HSPs often struggle to set boundaries and yet it is essential for our wellbeing. We experience the world differently and therefore have a specific set of needs that we must prioritize.

"Without boundaries, we suffer from depletion and often feel resentment in our relationships, which is ultimately damaging for everyone. Setting healthy boundaries improves our lives and our relationships both personally and professionally."

Register free for her ongoing webinar How to Set Healthy Boundaries and Why it’s Essential for Wellness as an HSP.

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Ashley Judd - codependency and other emotional health challenges

Actor, screenwriter and singer Ashley Judd entered a treatment program in 2006 for "codependence in my relationships; depression, blaming, raging, numbing, denying and minimizing my feelings."

Psychologist Michael Acton commented in an article that “in her memoir, ‘All That is Bitter and Sweet,’ she revealed her traumatic past which included inappropriate exposure to sexual activity as a child, incest and sexual abuse and harassment, including an attempted rape while modelling in Japan.

“She wrote the revealing book in the hope that it would encourage others to speak out about their experiences.”

He adds, “Her response to the family chaos was to become the perfect child (with her country singing sister Wynonna cast as the ‘wild’ one). Despite holding everything together on the outside, Judd struggled with depression from an early age and even held a loaded gun to her own head as she contemplated suicide.

“Following her treatment, Harvard graduate Judd says all of her relationships have improved and she is now able to give and receive confrontation and to feel all feelings so that they pass more quickly.”

From Me Too! 10 Celebrities and their Disclosed Personal Battles to Escape Codependent Relationships and Narcissistic Partners By Michael Acton.

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