Pete Walker on Covid: Feeling Fully During Covid-19

This interview was recorded in the spring of 2020


Pete Walker, M.A., MFT is a licensed psychotherapist, MFC 25210, with degrees in Social Work and Counseling Psychology. He is a "general practitioner" who has a private practice in Berkeley, California, in the serene Claremont Hotel neighborhood. He has been working as a counselor, lecturer, writer and group leader for thirty-five years, and as a supervisor and consultant of other therapists for 20 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 most popular book, Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving is now also an audio book. It is the logical extension and evolution of the work presented on this website and in his first book. It deeply explores the causes of CPTSD that range from severe neglect to monstrous abuse. Many survivors of traumatizing families grew up in houses that were not homes - in families that were as loveless as orphanages and sometimes as dangerous.

Complex PTSD : From Surviving To Thriving is a comprehensive, user-friendly, self-help guide to recovering from 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 contains a great many practical tools and techniques for recovering from CPTSD. It is also copiously illustrated with examples of his own and others' journeys of recovering. Now available in Spanish, German and Chinese. 

Pete's first book, The Tao of Fully Feeling: Harvesting Forgiveness Out of Blame, is now also an audio book. It has been acclaimed by many therapists and clients as a powerful, compassionate and pragmatic tool for guiding recovery. 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 new book, Homesteading in the Calm Eye of the Storm: A Therapist Navigates his CPTSD, is a companion book to his COMPLEX PTSD book. It is a memoir of his journey of recovering, written in a more playful, easier-to-read style than his other books. It is poignant and humorous, and relatively free of psychological jargon.

In Part I of Homesteading in the Calm Eye of the Storm Pete escapes from his dysfunctional family and backpacks around the world seeking happiness, while unconsciously fleeing his suffering. In Part II, he wanders the jungles of psychological theory and technique, and shifts his focus from global adventurer to inner world explorer. Gradually, over time his fear shrinks, his toxic shame melts away, and peace of mind becomes his touchstone. His psyche gradually heals as his capacity for self-kindness, self-care, and self-protection continuously grow.

At last, he breaks the pattern of being attracted to painful relationships that mirror his experiences with his parents. This in turn frees him to find a number of truly intimate and comforting relationships. Eventually he is blessed with his own functional and loving nuclear family.

All three books are available as paperbacks and e-books.

The first two are also available as audio books.

http://pete-walker.com/

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