Emotional Incest: Potential Rootcause of your addictions and relationship issues

Covert incest is described as occurring when a parent is unable or unwilling to maintain a relationship with another adult and forces the emotional role of a spouse onto their child instead.The child's needs are ignored and instead the relationship exists solely to meet the needs of the parent and the adult may not be aware of the problems created by their actions.

Enmeshment (also known as emotional incest) happens when a child is required to take on an adult role in their relationship with a parent (or caregiver). This often occurs where one parent is physically or emotionally absent which causes the other parent to use the child as an emotional crutch or substitute for adult relationship. It can also occur when one parent has serious illness or physical disabilities and cannot fully look after themselves without assistance from the child. In both instances the parents needs have taken over the child's individual emotional needs. The most common form of enmeshment which causes wide ranging effects on relationships, is that of mother enmeshed men, as a result of an emotionally underdeveloped, needy mother and an absent or emotionally absent father. Much of the blueprint we have for (heterosexual) relationships comes from the relationship we had with the opposite sex parent. Therefore enmeshed men are carrying forward enmeshment trauma into their adult relationships. This results in control issues, avoidant attachment, inability to commit and sometimes sex addiction.

Learn more:

https://www.emotionenhancement.com/...-Relationships-And-Avoidant-Attachment-In-Men

https://debrakaplancounseling.com/getting-past-emotional-incest/

https://blogs.psychcentral.com/sex/2014/07/childhood-covert-incest-and-adult-life/