Pete Walker

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About Pete Walker

Pete Walker, M.A., LMFT has a private practice in Berkeley, California. He has been working as a counselor, lecturer, writer and group leader for forty years, and as a trainer, supervisor and consultant of other therapists for 40 years.

Pete specializes in helping adults who were traumatized in childhood, especially those whose repeated exposure to abuse and/or neglect left them with the symptoms of Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder [CPTSD].

Pete's NEWEST BOOK, "Homesteading in the Calm Eye of the Storm: A Therapist Navigates His OWN CPTSD", is a sequel to his best-selling book "Complex PTSD", which is described below. "Homesteading" illustrates the processes of recovering with examples from the author's own recovery process. It is a memoir written in narrative, easy-to-read narrative, that is rich, poignant, funny and full of self-disclosive anecdotes that are sure to help other survivors in their recovery. Many have also said that it greatly reduced their sense of shame and gave them hope and motivation for the journey of recovering. It is written in the spirit of singer/songwriter Brandi Carlile's verse: "You can dance in a hurricane, but only if you're dancing in the eye".

Pete's FIRST BOOK, "The Tao of Fully Feeling: Harvesting Forgiveness Out of Blame", has been acclaimed by many therapists and clients as a powerful, compassionate and pragmatic tool for guiding recovery. It contains practical, in depth guidelines for safely working with the anger and tears of grieving. It also provides a great deal of effective self-reparenting advice. Alice Miller, author of "The Drama of the Gifted Child", wrote: "Pete Walker wrote a book about his own recovery from emotional numbness. The author passionately explores as thoroughly as possible the role of emotions in human life. The result is not only a moving, honest recount but also an informative guide for people who want to become more aware of their buried feelings. Walker's well explained concept of 'reparenting' will help them go through this fascinating process in a safe, protected way."

Pete's SECOND BOOK, "Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving" is a comprehensive, user-friendly, self-help guide to recovering from all the the lingering effects of childhood trauma. It is an overview of the tasks of recovering, and an illumination of the silver linings that can come out of effective recovery work. It is also a map of the recovery process, and contains a great many practical tools and techniques for recovering from CPTSD. It is also richly illustrated with examples of his own and others' journeys of recovering.

"Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving" is also now available in SPANISH from Amazon.com. When you go to Amazon, type in the Spanish title: "TEP COMPLEJO: De Sobrevivir a Prosperar".

"Complex PTSD..." is also available in GERMAN at Amazon, as Posttraumatische Belastungsstörungand

It will also be available in CHINESE by March, 2020, and by the end of 2020 should be available in PORTUGUESE and RUSSIAN. Further info about purchasing these options can be found at the author's website by Googling: "Pete Walker and Complex PTSD", or via email: petewalker@earthlink.net

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Titles By Pete Walker

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Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving: A GUIDE AND MAP FOR RECOVERING FROM CHILDHOOD TRAUMA Dec 18, 2013

by Pete Walker

( 7,374 )

$8.99

I have Complex PTSD [Cptsd] and wrote this book from the perspective of someone who has experienced a great reduction of symptoms over the years. I also wrote it from the viewpoint of someone who has discovered many silver linings in the long, windy, bumpy road of recovering from Cptsd. I felt encouraged to write this book because of thousands of e-mail responses to the articles on my website that repeatedly expressed gratitude for the helpfulness of my work. An often echoed comment sounded like this: At last someone gets it. I can see now that I am not bad, defective or crazy…or alone! The causes of Cptsd range from severe neglect to monstrous abuse. Many survivors grow up in houses that are not homes – in families that are as loveless as orphanages and sometimes as dangerous. If you felt unwanted, unliked, rejected, hated and/or despised for a lengthy portion of your childhood, trauma may be deeply engrained in your mind, soul and body. This book is a practical, user-friendly self-help guide to recovering from the lingering effects of childhood trauma, and to achieving a rich and fulfilling life. It is copiously illustrated with examples of my own and my clients’ journeys of recovering. This book is also for those who do not have Cptsd but want to understand and help a loved one who does. This book also contains an overview of the tasks of recovering and a great many practical tools and techniques for recovering from childhood trauma. It extensively elaborates on all the recovery concepts explained on my website, and many more. However, unlike the articles on my website, it is oriented toward the layperson. As such, much of the psychological jargon and dense concentration of concepts in the website articles has been replaced with expanded and easier to follow explanations. Moreover, many principles that were only sketched out in the articles are explained in much greater detail. A great deal of new material is also explored. Key concepts of the book include managing emotional flashbacks, understanding the four different types of trauma survivors, differentiating the outer critic from the inner critic, healing the abandonment depression that come from emotional abandonment and self-abandonment, self-reparenting and reparenting by committee, and deconstructing the hierarchy of self-injuring responses that childhood trauma forces survivors to adopt. The book also functions as a map to help you understand the somewhat linear progression of recovery, to help you identify what you have already accomplished, and to help you figure out what is best to work on and prioritize now. This in turn also serves to help you identify the signs of your recovery and to develop reasonable expectations about the rate of your recovery. I hope this map will guide you to heal in a way that helps you to become an unflinching source of kindness and self-compassion for yourself, and that out of that journey you will find at least one other human being who will reciprocally love you well enough in that way.

Other Formats: Audible Audiobook , Hardcover , Paperback , Audio CD

The Tao of Fully Feeling: Harvesting Forgiveness out of Blame Nov 2, 2015

by Pete Walker

( 671 )

$8.99

This book is a handbook for increasing your emotional intelligence. Moreover, if you are a survivor of a dysfunctional family, it is a guide for repairing the damage done to your emotional nature in childhood. As such it is actually a sequel to my later book: Complex PTSD from Surviving To Thriving. The Tao of Fully Feeling focuses primarily on the emotional healing level of trauma recovery. It is a safe handbook for grieving losses of childhood.
Whether or not you are a childhood trauma survivor, this book is a guide to emotional health. The degree of our mental health is often reflected in the degree to which we love and respect ourselves and others in a myriad of different feeling states. Real self-esteem and real intimacy with others depends on the ability to lovingly be there for oneself and others, whether one's feeling experience is pleasant or unpleasant. Those who can only be there for themselves or another during the "good" times show no constancy, inspire little trust, and are only fair weather friends to themselves and others.
Without access to our dysphoric feelings, we are deprived of the most fundamental part of our ability to notice when something is unfair, abusive, or neglectful. Those who cannot feel their sadness often do not know when they are being unfairly excluded, and those who cannot feel their normal angry or fearful responses to abuse, are often in danger of putting up with it without protest.
Repressing our emotions creates anxiety and stress, and stress, like most of our emotions is often treated like some unwanted waste that must be removed. Until all of the emotions are accepted indiscriminately (and acceptance does not imply license to dump emotions irresponsibly or abusively), there can be no wholeness, no real sense of well being, and no solid sense of self esteem.
Thus, while it may be fairly easy to like oneself when feelings of love, happiness or serenity are present, deeper psychological health is seen only in the individual who can maintain a posture of self-compassion and self-respect in the times of emotional hurt that accompany life's inevitable losses, disappointments and unforeseen difficulties.
Finally this book explores the nature and limits of real forgiveness - identifying behaviors and people who cannot authentically be forgiven.

Other Formats: Audible Audiobook , Hardcover , Paperback , Audio CD

This title and over 1 million more available with Kindle Unlimited.

HOMESTEADING in the CALM EYE of the STORM: A Therapist Navigates His Complex PTSD Oct 13, 2017

by Pete Walker

( 117 )

$8.99

Homesteading in the Calm Eye of the Storm is a companion book to my self-help book: COMPLEX PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving. Homesteading is also a memoir of my journey of recovering from C-PTSD. Written in a more playful, easier to read style than my other books, it is much less dense and relatively free of psychological jargon. Several previewers have described it as rich, poignant, funny and full of self-disclosive anecdotes that are sure to help other survivors in their recovery.
"Homesteading" has two parts. In Part I, I escape from my dysfunctional family and backpack around the world seeking happiness while I unconsciously flee my suffering.
In Part II, I wander into the jungles of psychological theory and technique. I shift my focus from global adventurer to inner world explorer.
The many hits and misses of my recovery efforts are detailed in this book. Eventually, I discover what works, and gradually move from struggling to survive to discovering how to thrive.
Very gradually I find meaning, belonging and fulfillment. My fear shrinks, my toxic shame melts away, and peace of mind becomes my touchstone. My psyche heals as my self-kindness, self-care, and self-protection continuously grow.
Eventually, I break the pattern of being attracted to painful relationships that mirror my experiences with my parents. This in turn frees me to find a number of truly intimate and comforting relationships.

Other Formats: Paperback

TEP COMPLEJO: De Sobrevivir a Prosperar: UNA GUÍA Y MAPA PARA RECUPERARSE DEL TRAUMA INFANTIL (Spanish Edition) Nov 15, 2019

by Pete Walker, Mariana Menendez

( 57 )

$8.99

El libro de Pete, TEP Complejo: de Sobrevivir a Prosperar, es una guía comprensible, fácil de leer, de autoayuda para recuperarse de los efectos remanentes del trauma infantil. Es un repaso de las tareas de recuperación y una iluminación de los aspectos positivos que pueden extraerse del trabajo de recuperación efectivo. Contiene una gran cantidad de herramientas prácticas y técnicas para recuperarse del TEPC. También está copiosamente ilustrada con ejemplos de los viajes de recuperación de otros y de él mismo.

Other Formats: Paperback

Das Tao der Gefühle: Vergebung praktizieren und traumatische Kinderheitserinnerungen hinter sich lassen (German Edition) Mar 17, 2021

by Pete Walker

( 5 )

$22.99

Vergebung praktizieren und traumatische Kindheitserinnerungen hinter sich lassenMit dem inneren Kind die Seele heilen – auf dem Weg zu einem neuen Gefühlsleben Mit seinem Erstlingswerk "Das Tao der Gefühle" hat Pete Walker, Autor des Bestsellers "Posttraumatische Belastungsstörung", die Messlatte sehr hoch gehängt. Wie gravierend missbräuchliche Kindheitserfahrungen nachhallen können, erlebte Walker als Kind einer zutiefst dysfunktionalen Familie. Ganzheitliche TraumatherapieWalkers eigener hürdenreicher Weg zur Heilung sowie seine langjährigen Erfahrungen als Therapeut versetzten ihn in die Lage, mit diesem empathischen Ratgeber wesentliche Kernelemente ganzheitlicher Traumatherapie mit spirituellen Weisheiten zu verbinden. Die tief greifende Heilung von Traumata ist möglich, wenn Gefühle wie Schuld, Wut, Trauer und Scham zugelassen werden. Gegensätze in unserem Gefühlsleben unterliegen Yin-Yang-Prozessen und bilden eine Einheit, wenn wir negative Gefühle erlauben.Ein zentrales Element der Therapie ist die Rückverbindung mit dem inneren Kind (Reparenting), um sich wieder vertrauensvoll auf Beziehungen und das Leben einzulassen.Stationen erfolgreicher Heilung:

- Vergebung wirkt heilsam auf erlebte Traumata in der Kindheit

- Reparenting schafft die Grundlage für Beziehungsfähigkeit

- die 4 Dynamiken emotionaler Natur: ganzheitliches Denken, Akzeptanz der Polarität, Ambivalenz und im Fluss sein

Bildkräftige Formulierungen und Schilderungen aus Walkers Leben und seiner Praxis vermitteln das Gefühl, den Weg der Heilung mit einem verständigen Freund Hand in Hand zu gehen."Walkers detailliertes Konzept des Reparenting wird Ihnen helfen, den Heilungsprozess zu durchlaufen."– Alice Miller, weltberühmte Autorin & Psychologin, spezialisiert auf Eltern-Kind-Beziehungen

Other Formats: Hardcover

Posttraumatische Belastungsstörung - Vom Überleben zu neuem Leben: Ein praktischer Ratgeber zur Überwindung von Kindheitstraumata (German Edition) May 31, 2019

by Pete Walker

( 253 )

$22.99

Eine komplexe Posttraumatische Belastungsstörung (K-PTBS) ist weder angeboren noch charakterbedingt. Von dieser grundlegenden These ausgehend, hat der Autor und Therapeut Pete Walker seinen einzigartigen multimodalen Ansatz zur (Selbst-)Hilfe entwickelt, der ihn international bekannt machte. Geschrieben aus der Sicht eines Betroffenen und eines zugleich hoch spezialisierten Therapeuten, vereinigt Walker in diesem Buch Authentizität und fachliche Kompetenz zu einem eigenständigen methodischen Konzept, das unzähligen Betroffenen bereits neue Lebensqualität geschenkt hat.

Zu den häufigsten Traumafolgestörungen zählen emotionale Flashbacks, toxische Scham, Selbstaufgabe, soziale Ängste und andere belastende Symptome. Die wichtigsten Faktoren zu deren Überwindung sieht Walker in der Stärkung eigener Ressourcen zur Selbsthilfe und in gelingenden Beziehungen. Das können Beziehungen zu Freunden, Partnern, Lehrern, Therapeuten, Therapiegruppen oder beliebige Kombinationen daraus sein. Walker nennt das gemeinschaftliches Reparenting.

Mit seinem lösungs- und übungsorientierten Aufbau, zahlreichen Fallbeispielen sowie einer klaren, und präzisen Sprache ist Walkers Arbeits- und Praxisbuch sowohl für Therapeuten wie für Betroffene ein unentbehrlicher Begleiter auf dem Weg aus dem Trauma.

"Pete Walkers Arbeit zu komplexen PTBS ist eines dieser Modelle, auf das sowohl Klienten als auch Praktiker sich gut verständigen können! Es ist ein wirklich kooperativer Ansatz. Wenn ich dieses Framework in Workshops verwende, finden es Teilnehmer immer hilfreich. Das Konzept ist für Behandler und Klienten leicht nachvollziehbar. Anwender gehen in Resonanz mit den praktischen Anleitungen, die Walker zur Normalisierung und Bewältigung von emotionalen Flashbacks anbietet, die die Lebensqualität beeinträchtigen."
– Dr. Claudia J. Dewane, Associate Prof., Temple University

Other Formats: Hardcover

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