“Enmeshment” is a relational way of being and/or holding a pattern from subsequent traumas. Developing as an emotional fusion or an undifferentiated ego mass, the process of enmeshment often happens between family members (Parent-Child [Adult]) and/or other bonded relationships over time. 

This primarily happens in trauma-bonded experiences when there has been an emotionally-invasive parent or another authoritative figure (without boundaries). The absence of boundaries can result in a lack of distinct emotional fields or sense of self-agency, creating struggles when advocating for the self and challenges when responding to the emotional needs of others.

On the surface, an "enmeshed" framework can be observed as a way of relating between family members, often misread as closeness or over-concern. When it inhibits developmental growth or fosters un-boundaried emotional obligations—in and out of awareness—trauma-bonded relationships and dependencies may emerge.