Dr. M’s SPA Newsletter Volume 16 Issue 5 – Relationship Balance

Dr. M’s SPA Newsletter Volume 16 Issue 5 – Relationship Balance

From Dr. M's Women and Children First Podcast by Dr. Chris Magryta, "Dr. M"

March 7, 2026 · 9 min

About this episode

The episode discusses the concept of relational balance and the dysfunction that can arise when a parent leans on a child for emotional support.

Finding Relational Balance Relational balance falters when one person needs the other to feel safe or whole. A parent in a strained marriage or carrying childhood wounds may lean on a child for comfort. The child, loyal and loving, tries to meet that need. Over time, this can harden into dysfunction. Years ago, I cared for a mother and son locked in a budding enmeshed relationship. She could not draw boundaries. She absorbed his pain, projected her own trauma onto him, and smothered him with anxious love and control. She tightly managed his world yet set no limits on how he treated her or others. By four, he was out of control. She was exhausted and indignant, insisting he was sweet while enabling every behavior. Her fear of becoming her own restrictive parents left him both fused to her and furious. Therapy was suggested. It was rejected.... Enjoy, Dr. M

Topics covered

  • relationship balance
  • parenting
  • enmeshment
  • therapy
  • childhood trauma

Keywords

  • dysfunction
  • boundaries
  • anxious love
  • control

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