EMOTIONAL INCEST
Understanding Emotional Incest Its Impact on Family Wellness Emotional incest, also known as covert incest or emotional parentification, is a complex and often overlooked dynamic that can have profound effects on family wellness. Unlike physical incest, emotional incest does not involve sexual abuse but rather an unhealthy emotional relationship between a parent and child. In this relationship, the parent inappropriately relies on the child for emotional support, treating them more like a partner or confidant than a child. This dynamic can distort family roles, disrupt healthy boundaries, and have long-term consequences for the child’s emotional and psychological well-being. What is Emotional Incest? Emotional incest occurs when a parent enmeshes their child in their emotional world, burdening them with adult responsibilities and emotional needs. This can happen for various reasons, such as a parent’s unresolved trauma, loneliness, or dissatisfaction in their own romantic relatio...