God gave women the ability to create and nurture life. During pregnancy, a woman makes room in her mind, body, and heart for another person-one who requires love and support to survive. While these are noble qualities, giving too much can have negative effects.

In A Catholic Woman's Guide to Recovery from Codependence, Brenda Daly, PhD, LCSW, explores the dark side of a woman's natural tendency to nurture and support: a soul sickness known as codependence. In caring for an alcoholic partner, for example, a woman may shift imperceptibly from caregiver to enabler. Just as her...