Untangling the Ties That Bind: Heal Enmeshment Trauma and Break Dysfunctional Patterns with Family Members

By Jordan Pickell MCP

When does love stop feeling like love and start feeling like obligation?

Did you grow up feeling more like a caretaker than a child? Did your parent or family member's mood seem to depend on you? Do you still struggle to make personal decisions without guilt as an adult? If so, what you learned as love may be enmeshment. This subtle but powerful pattern blurs the line between care and control, leaving you anxious, exhausted, and unsure where your family ends and you begin. So how can you trust your inner voice, set healthy boundaries, and make choices that are truly yours?

Untangling the Ties That Bind offers a unique path toward healing by redefining what family closeness means. Drawing on cutting-edge research and internal family systems (IFS), psychotherapist Jordan Pickell helps you recognize how enmeshment forms, how it affects your relationships, and how to build a sturdy sense of self.

Through guided practices and compassionate insights, you'll learn to:

Identify and understand enmeshment patterns in your familyRelease guilt and anxiety around setting boundariesReconnect with your own needs, beliefs, and valuesCultivate interdependence and authentic connection

Whether you're considering low contact, no contact, or simply seeking more emotional balance between yourself and your family members, Untangling the Ties That Bind helps you choose authenticity over obligation, so you can finally live on your own terms.

For readers of Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents, But It's Your Family, and Adult Survivors of Toxic Family Members.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 164848848X
• ISBN13: 9781648488481
• Release Date: September 2026
• Publisher: New Harbinger Publications
• Length: 192 Pages