Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving | A helpful book for clients
A colleague recently recommended this book to me, and it's just too good not to share with you!
Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving, by Pete Walker. This book is aimed at clients trying to recover from painful childhoods, and is quite comprehensive. You will likely see your spouse, friends, former friends, difficult coworkers illuminated here, as well as your own lifelong patterns.
It makes a broad sweep through the process of identifying how trauma and neglect affect kids (Complex PTSD), and then describes the recovery process in a clear, grounded, and accessible way. It talks about fight, flight, freeze, and fawn (what I call attach and submit), the protective origins of these, and what results when they are relied upon too much. I can't possibly do it justice here. The author, Pete Walker, a survivor of Complex PTSD himself, weaves his story through the text, in a sincere and humble way, highlighting the pitfalls and successes that are possible in the course of recovery.
If you have a serious trauma/abuse history, I urge you to give it a try. I will probably listen to it a number of times. If you don't like it, that's fine, and some people find it quite triggering early in their treatment. Take whatever is useful and leave the rest. You can get it on Audible, but the narrator is tough to listen to! If you prefer books, there are many used on Amazon too.
