Complex PTSD
by Pete Walker
A therapist and survivor on the effects of prolonged childhood neglect and abuse: emotional flashbacks, the inner critic, the four F responses (fight, flight, freeze, fawn), and a recovery path of grieving, shrinking the critic and reparenting. It is self-published, dense and beloved by readers who recognized themselves for the first time.
Read it if…
you had a difficult childhood and keep having reactions you cannot explain.
Skip it if…
you want polished prose; the value is in the content.
Three things you will actually use
- Emotional flashbacks are the signature; learn to name them.
- Shrink the inner critic; it was installed.
- Grieving the childhood you did not have is part of recovery.
Do this first
Read the chapter on emotional flashbacks and the thirteen steps for managing them.
Our verdict
Dense and deeply validating.
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