A review by polychromatic_hedgehog_parable
Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving by Pete Walker

informative reflective medium-paced
cn: this review contains capslock and ableism lmao

I feel like this book was exactly what I needed to read multiple years ago. At this point it was mostly things I already knew

good:
  • the book was split into short sections + has a very detailed table of contents
  •  the book begins with a REALLY beautiful section on taking what you need and rejecting any content that may be harmful to you
  • most sections on religion/spirituality are warned/caveated for people anyone who has experienced spiritual abuse

bad:
  • THERE IS SO MUCH ABLEIST GARBAGE IN THIS BOOK
  • THIS MAN LITERALLY THINKS THAT PEOPLE WITH NPD SHOULD BE LEGALLY BARRED FROM BECOMING THERAPISTS
  • the open disdain for people with NPD/BPD is off the charts. this is especially unfortunate given that lots of my loved ones with BPD also have C-PTSD
  • weird ideas about internet porn addition, but not much detail on them. if you don't follow any links you should be good.
  • a bit of "mother and father" stuff, possibly less great for folks with different family structures
  • white people who are super into Taoism/Buddhism make me anxious, but the book seemed pretty light on that. I ultimately don't feel fully equipped to determine whether he's engaging with it in a respectful way.
  • could have been copy-edited better

ultimately, lots of good content, but too much harmful content to recommend without strong and specific warnings
Expand filter menu Content Warnings