Book · 2013
Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving
by Pete Walker
Pete Walker names a fourth trauma response beyond fight, flight, and freeze: fawn, the instinct to appease the person who's hurting you.
What does Reddit think of Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving?
The ↑230 r/CPTSD comment lays out the book's central tool plainly: four coping mechanisms, fight, flight, freeze, and fawn, with the advice to identify which one you've overused and deliberately develop the others. r/CPTSD accounts for the overwhelming majority of tracked mentions, and the sentiment there runs positive, but the agreement isn't uniform. The ↑269 comment pushes back on the opening chapters specifically, arguing the book's early focus on war-veteran PTSD can feel unnecessary, even actively triggering, before it gets to complex trauma on its own terms. Elsewhere the reassurances get specific in ways that matter to this subreddit: the ↑189 comment notes Walker himself 'was never physically abused,' undercutting the common doubt that a reader's experience doesn't count, and the ↑186 exchange confirms directly, unprompted, that there's 'no god stuff' in it for a reader worried about religious framing. r/therapists logs mentions too, without a scored take behind them. Cost is real enough that one comment links a PDF and asks the mods first.
Community feedback & reader fit
Themes
- · The four trauma responses: fight, flight, freeze, and fawn
- · Addressing the 'I wasn't abused enough' doubt directly
- · Secular-friendly despite covering healing and recovery
- · The war-veteran PTSD framing reads dated to some readers
- · Cost is enough of a barrier that PDFs circulate in-thread
Common praise
- + The ↑230 comment credits it with the fourth trauma response, fawn, alongside fight, flight, and freeze.
- + The ↑189 comment calls it a godsend specifically because Walker wasn't physically abused himself, which undercuts the 'I wasn't abused enough to qualify' doubt r/CPTSD sees constantly.
- + The ↑186 comment reassures a self-described atheist reader, unprompted, that there's 'no god stuff' in it.
- + The ↑191 comment prefers it directly over an unnamed alternative it found 'too clinical.'
Common criticism
- − The ↑269 comment flags the early chapters' focus on war veterans as dated, arguing it can be needlessly triggering for a reader who came specifically for CPTSD, not combat-PTSD history.
- − r/therapists logs mentions with no scored sentiment attached — clinicians cite it, they don't rave about it in the displayed data.
- − Cost is enough of a barrier that the ↑183 comment links a PDF directly, asking the mods for permission first.
- − Engagement outside r/CPTSD stays thin across r/internalfamilysystems and r/attachment_theory — this reads as a CPTSD-subreddit book more than a trauma-therapy-wide one.
Who it's for
If you've spent time wondering whether you were abused 'enough' to justify the diagnosis, the ↑189 comment addresses that directly — Walker himself wasn't physically abused, and readers cite that as part of what makes the book land. Secular, and wary of self-help religiosity creeping in? The ↑186 exchange confirms there's none of that here. Expect the opening chapters to spend real time on combat-PTSD history before getting to complex trauma specifically; the ↑269 comment found that stretch more triggering than useful, and isn't alone in flagging it. r/CPTSD treats it as close to a default first read, worth knowing before you look elsewhere.
Mentions over time
Which Reddit comments matter for Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving?
The most relevant excerpts across the subreddits where this book is mentioned — opinionated, argued takes first, then top-upvoted mentions. Click through to read the full thread.
“The book that helped me was Pete Walker complex PTSD from surviving to thriving. He lists 4 coping mechanisms fight, flight, freeze, and fawn (when you try to give to your caretakers to ease them). The best way to cope is to find the coping mechanisms you have overused and develop the others. If you…
“I couldn't get into it, I found it too clinical. I'm reading Pete Walker's book now (Complex ptsd: from surviving to thriving) and I enjoy this one as lot more.
“It's part of it, I swear. The most common symptom I see is sufferers believing they have not suffered enough to earn the diagnosis. Welcome to the world's crappiest club, LOL. Pete Walker wrote "CPTSD: From Surviving to Thriving." He was never physically abused, and his work has been a god-send to…
“I am an atheist. I don't like that s*** either. Have you read CPTSD, from surviving to thriving by Pete Walker? Pretty sure no god stuff in there, very helpful.
“I think the book “Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving” by Pete Walker is a great place to start. When mine is tight, I know even buying a book can be a no-go however, so I’m posting a link to a pdf of the book. I hope that is okay, Mods (if not, lmk - I’ll totally understand).
“You are not alone. It's not your fault. There *is* hope out there, and I believe in you and that you will make it to a more peaceful place. It might have been suggested before, but I recommend Pete Walker's book CPTSD: From Surviving to Thriving. It has helped me so much more than anything else so …
“It seems a lot of folks here either like Pete Walker's book or The Body Keeps the Score and strongly dislike the other. Nothing wrong with it, just got me kinda curious and I like reading everyone's opinion.:) Personally I like both books but I can absolutely see how in different situations, only …
“Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving by Pete Walker. can't believe that ones hasn't been shared yet. Running on Empty: Overcome Your Childhood Emotional Neglect by Christine Musello and Jonice Webb.
“There's a quote in Pete Walker's "CPTSD: From Surviving to Thriving" that I like to bring up in these discussions: "If Cptsd were ever given its due, the DSM used by all mental health professionals would shrink from its dictionary like size to the size of a thin pamphlet." I definitely believe tha…
“Can second "The Body Keeps the Score," and I highly recommend Pete Walker's "CPTSD: From Surviving to Thriving." You won't find any of that crap in either book. Pete Walker suffered CPTSD and is well-versed in how devastating it can be. "It can be transformative... " So can acid.
“That's a pretty common view on here. That book was originally for mental health professionals, not trauma survivors. Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving by Peter Walker is written with the trauma survivor in mind.
“I highly recommend Pete Walker's book From Surviving To Thriving. He is a CPTSD survivor himself as well as a trauma therapist, and he emphasizes that emotional neglect is at the core of CPTSD. There is a whole chapter called What If I Was Never Hit? that validates anyone who has "just" experienced …
“Shrinking the Inner Critic: two pages from that chapter in Pete Walker's book, "COMPLEX PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving" describes what you're talking about. ​ >usually me defending my innocen…
“Therapy is so expensive, unless you have insurance to help pay for it. Here's a book that's been a huge help for me. Starting reading at Chapter 8 about managing emotional flashbacks will give you fast relief, if you need that. Also a must read is the Introduction, where he says how to use the book.…
“Complex PTSD: From surviving to thriving by Pete Walker really helped me understand my childhood. I was still kinda in denial and the neglect but I've started to realise that I was.
Convinced? Pick up Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving
Readers also mention
Books that share discussion threads with Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving — counted from the comments, not curated.
Guides featuring Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving
Ranked best-of lists and editorial guides where this book's tracked mentions place it.
Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving — frequently asked
Is Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving worth reading if I wasn't physically abused?+
Yes, and Reddit specifically calls this out — the ↑189 comment notes that Pete Walker himself 'was never physically abused,' which readers cite as reassurance against the common r/CPTSD doubt that your experience doesn't count. The book's framework, including the fourth trauma response, fawn, doesn't require a physical-abuse history to apply.
What are the four trauma responses in Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving?+
Fight, flight, freeze, and fawn, per the ↑230 r/CPTSD comment, which describes fawning as appeasing a caretaker to reduce harm. The comment's practical takeaway: identify which response you've overused and deliberately develop the others, rather than treating any one coping mode as fixed.
Does Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving have religious or spiritual framing?+
No, according to the ↑186 exchange, where a self-described atheist asks directly and gets told there's 'no god stuff' in it. That reassurance shows up unprompted in the tracked data, suggesting it's a real point of hesitation for some readers before they pick it up.
Is Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving dated or still relevant?+
Mostly relevant, with one real caveat: the ↑269 comment flags the early chapters' emphasis on war-veteran PTSD as framing that can feel like unnecessary throat-clearing, or worse, actively triggering, before the book reaches complex trauma specifically. Mentions have held steady year over year since 2022, which doesn't read like a book people have moved past.