My Life As a Border Collie: Freedom from Codependency

by Nancy L. Johnston

In this fun, inviting look at a serious topic—codependence—Nancy L. Johnston shares the life lessons she learned from her observations of the relationship behaviors exhibited by her pet collie, "The book began by my noticing behaviors in Daisy that resemble the codependent behaviors in me , which I have been working to moderate through my recovery. Daily I am struck by our tendencies to attend to others, to herd, to overreact."

Johnston's delightful book examines twelve specific behaviors that, in their extreme form, can be codependent. It also offers new information on codependence and help for it, including the latest research-supported findings, so that readers can understand "What am I doing that is not producing the relationship results I really want?"

Nancy L. Johnston, MS, LPC, LSATP , is a licensed psychotherapist and licensed substance abuse treatment practitioner in private practice in Lexington, Virginia. She has thirty-three years of clinical experience addressing a wide range of emotional and behavioral issues. Johnston specializes in treating adolescents and adults, and has always had a special interest in addiction and its effects on both individuals and family systems. Her first book, When You've Lost Your Self in Someone Else , was published by Central Recovery Press in 2011.

Genres: Self Help

304 pages, Paperback

First published September 11, 2012

Reviews

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

To review this book feels very personal so I'll try to keep it brief. Parts of codependency are positive and I'm proud of those qualities. It gets tricky when it's taken too far and that was one of the main points I pulled from the book. This was a good reminder to keep a balance of things and not lose myself in the whirlwind of life. Because I'm a Border Collie lover (one of them is snoring next to me as I write this review), I really enjoyed reading about her comparisons. Because I'm able to relate to much of what she says about the dogs, I liked it. Maybe if you don't like the breed or don't get dogs, this could be hard to relate to. Nevertheless, the author was very sweet and approachable. She was also very honest and vulnerable about her issues with codependency so it felt safe reading what she had to say. I'm interested in her other book, so I'll be reading that soon. Plus the cover is so dang cute- I wanna squish his face!

[Colette Reilly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This helped me recognize many of my codependent behaviors. My favorite dog is the border collie so the comparisons will resonate for me better than a more clinical explanations.