Here there is total family collapse and family degeneration. There is continual self-defeating behaviour. The whole process is circular and rotate within the family from person to person. What we want to do in treatment is help each other to get out of this circular motion. We need to look at stress and how we react to it.
Stress is a non specific demand on the body by positive and negative forces.
It is not bad by itself and it cannot be avoided, but we can understand the cycle of stress. Initially, an event takes place and we go down and don't cope so we have a dip or a valley. Then when we over cope and later come back down to some sort of normal state, we never reach the same base line again. Something we need to remember is that stress is like the wind, you do not see it, but you see its effects as it passes by. Dynamics of Co-Dependents 1.