Book · 2012
Daring Greatly
by Brené Brown
Shame research written for a general audience, adopted by a trauma-recovery subreddit as something closer to a manual.
What does Reddit think of Daring Greatly?
It isn't marketed as trauma literature, but r/CPTSD claims twenty-three of the recognized mentions here, more than any other subreddit in the sample. The connecting thread is Brené Brown's own definitions, quoted rather than summarized: vulnerability 'is not over sharing, it's not purging, it's not indiscriminate disclosure, and it's not celebrity-style social media information dumps' (↑29), a distinction the community cites to correct outsiders who conflate the two. Another commenter (↑36) pulls the perfectionism-shame mechanism directly, 'if I'm perfect enough they will love me,' then places it next to Pete Walker's CPTSD-specific work rather than treating Brown as the only voice worth having. A third (↑14) takes the belonging-as-necessity argument literally, comparing it to starvation. The plainest praise (↑12) calls it 'easy read as butter,' crediting Brown as 'a shame researcher' before recommending it. The content draws no pushback here. The only real tension is whether Brown alone is enough for CPTSD specifically, and the Pete Walker pairing suggests the community's answer is no.
Community feedback & reader fit
Themes
- · adopted by r/CPTSD as trauma-recovery reading
- · perfectionism as a shame-avoidance strategy
- · vulnerability redefined against oversharing
- · belonging as a survival need, not a nicety
Common praise
- + One commenter (↑29) quotes Brown's own definition of vulnerability verbatim to correct people who conflate it with oversharing.
- + The belonging-as-necessity argument gets taken literally by one reader (↑14), who compares it to starvation rather than treating it as a metaphor.
- + 'Easy read as butter' (↑12) is the plainest endorsement in the sample, paired with crediting Brown as 'a shame researcher.'
Common criticism
- − One commenter (↑36) reaches for Brown's perfectionism-shame framework, then immediately pivots to Pete Walker's CPTSD-specific work, suggesting Brown covers the mechanism but not the trauma-specific recovery.
- − Nobody in the sample names a specific flaw in the book itself; the closest thing to a complaint is treating it as a supplement rather than sufficient on its own.
Who it's for
If perfectionism feels like a survival strategy rather than a personality trait, the mechanism Brown names, 'if I'm perfect enough they will love me,' is the one r/CPTSD keeps quoting. Confused about the line between vulnerability and oversharing? Her own definition, not over sharing, not purging, not indiscriminate disclosure, gets cited to settle exactly that argument. Read this alongside Pete Walker's CPTSD-specific work rather than instead of it, per how the r/CPTSD sample actually pairs them. Want a low-effort entry point into shame research? One reader calls it 'easy read as butter.'
Mentions over time
Top subreddits
Which Reddit comments matter for Daring Greatly?
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.
“Brené Brown in Daring Greatly says that Perfectionism is one of the ways we seek connection. "If I'm perfect enough they will love me" But of course we are never perfect, so we feel shame: "I am a bad person, unworthy of love" Good read for other reasons. Pete Walker claims that "Left Brain Dis…
“I like Brene Brown's take on this, from Daring Greatly: Vulnerability is based on mutuality and requires boundaries and trust. It's not over sharing, it's not purging, it's not indiscriminate disclosure, and it's not celebrity-style social media information dumps. Vulnerability is about sharing o…
“I just finished Daring Greatly by Brene Brown, & she says that companionship, love, and belonging are all necessities in the same way that food is. She even wrote that *feeling* incapable of belonging with anyone can be one of the worst pains to experience. If you said you were starving & someone co…
“Well, I can’t say I’ve fully recovered, but I’ve definitely gotten better at social interactions. It’s interesting, because I’ve been diving really deep into my traumas lately, and I’ve reached a point where I lost a lot of my “friends”—mainly because I used to pretend I cared about them. In reali…
“I don't like the way the article approaches this subject. The writer comes off as sympathetic to abusive parents, making them into victims. I wasn't familiar with Patrick Teahan's story and work before reading the article. But six years ago when I was diagnosed with C-PTSD, the therapist I was w…
“I heard recently a quote from Brene Brown--- something to the effect of, if your healing is dependent on what the other person is going to say, don't do it. She may have been making a slightly different point (you may want to research what she was saying) but it's probably worth considering how you …
“Please get the book Daring Greatly by Brene Brown. She's a shame researcher and her book is easy read as butter. It's a very healing perspective, and it's important for anyone who experiences these things.
“i'm really sorry that's the messages you're absorbing from others. all of those seem really negative, unsustainable, and catastrophized. sure, you could live like that, hiding away from everyone, never trusting anyone or allowing yourself to be vulnerable--but to what end? in my opinion, the point…
“She’s right. We are wired for connection Lots of us have been dissapointed so often that we are counter dependent —- we try to not depend on anyone for anything. Ive learned a lot of skills from this. See jonice webb “running on empty” Brene brown “daring greatly” Janina fisher “healing the shat…
“Not trauma related specifically, but I'm working through Brené Brown's *"Daring Greatly,"* which, hoo-boy, is gonna be tough to implement, but I think worthwhile. It's all about actively attempting to be more vulnerable andseen, rather than covering up …
“It's not specifically a CPTSD book, but I've found a lot of powerful insights from Brene Brown's Daring Greatly. In my experience, CPTSD has caused me to put up walls in order to keep people out and protect against the "inevitable" pain they cause. I want love in my life but I'm so well versed in pu…
“Thank you for sharing this! The book, Daring Greatly - by Brene Brown, helped me understand the massive presence of shame in our society. She dismantles the power of shame by discussing her research and data. It felt confirming and made me feel less alone, I highly recommend 🌹
“I can never recommend Brene Brown's 'Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead' highly enough. She's studied vulnerability for over a decade. I love her work.
“I have read a lot of pop psych and brene brown has amazing books about shame. Daring Greatly really changed how I viewed myself. She also has a Netflix hour-long special. I highly recommend her stuff. Oh and Emily nagoski has a book on burn out as well, tho I thought it was quite simplistic, but yo…
“Anything by Brené Brown. Daring Greatly is a good one.
Convinced? Pick up Daring Greatly
What else does r/CPTSD read?
Other books mentioned in the same sub, ranked. Shared-sub overlap with this title breaks ties.
Daring Greatly — frequently asked
Is Daring Greatly considered trauma-recovery reading, or just general self-help?+
In this sample, trauma-recovery. Twenty-three of the recognized mentions of Daring Greatly sit in r/CPTSD specifically, where commenters quote Brené Brown's definitions of shame and vulnerability directly rather than treating it as generic self-improvement material.
What does Daring Greatly actually say about vulnerability, according to Reddit?+
One r/CPTSD commenter (↑29) quotes it directly: vulnerability 'is not over sharing, it's not purging, it's not indiscriminate disclosure, and it's not celebrity-style social media information dumps.' It's cited specifically to correct people who use 'vulnerable' and 'oversharing' interchangeably.
Should I read Daring Greatly instead of Pete Walker's CPTSD books?+
The sample suggests alongside, not instead of. One commenter (↑36) cites Brown's perfectionism-shame mechanism approvingly, then pivots straight to Pete Walker's CPTSD-specific work in the same comment, treating the two as complementary rather than substitutes.
Is Daring Greatly an easy read?+
Per one r/CPTSD recommendation (↑12), yes: 'easy read as butter,' the commenter writes, while introducing Brené Brown as 'a shame researcher' before urging someone to get the book. Nothing in the sample describes it as dense or difficult.