BookMaster - Workbook on Complex PTSD--From Surviving to Thriving--A Guide and Map for Recovering from Childhood Trauma by Pete Walker | Discussions Made Easy

Workbook for

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Editor Foreword

T hose who don't know history are doomed to repeat it. Edmund Burke

More than ever, it is important that we equip ourselves with the power of knowledge through meaningful and thought-provoking discussions to learn from some of the most impactful books in the marketplace today.

It is our aim to provide quality content for readers to learn critical lessons contained in these books - fast and efficiently . This is why we have distilled the major points into questions made easy for various settings, whether alone or with friends and family.

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Part One: Discussion Questions

About the Books Content

1. Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving: A Guide and Map for Recovering from Childhood Trauma is a nonfiction book by author Pete Walker. What do you understand by the term Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder? Discuss.
2. In his book, Walker explains how complex PTSD begins, the term is shortened to C-PTSD. He explains that it is brought about by traumatic experiences during childhood. Discuss what Walker means by traumatic childhood experiences. Give 3 examples.
3. Traumatic experiences as a child include a number of things from abandonment, lack of basic needs, and being bullied. Walker writes that it can also result from having parents who are too cold, distant, critical, or absent. Based on Walker's belief, who is the main cause of complex PTSD in children? Discuss.
4. Walker uses the terms "toxic environments" and "toxic families" to refer to places where parents "neglect and pay little attention" to the needs of their child. While it can sometimes be unintentional, parents could be overly critical or too cold. This can lead to a lack of emotional support for the children. Walker talks about how neglect can be unintentional and intentional. Discuss how these are different.
5. Walker believes "no family is perfect." However, not every family is toxic either. Walker claims one-third of families are toxic. Events in a family such as a divorce, depression, or difficult patches can lead to parents becoming emotionally dis-invested'' from a child. Discuss what Walker means by the term emotionally dis-invested.
6. In his book, Walker explains how children believe that their parents are perfect. They are after all the "protectors and providers." As such, in a "toxic environment," children automatically blame themselves for anything bad that happens. Do you agree that children see their parents as perfect? Discuss your own experiences.
7. In his book, Walker talks about how parents could meet a childs basic needs. He breaks them down into 4 categories. First is emotional nurturance which refers to providing love, compassion, warmth and tenderness, and importantly, humor. Second is physical nurturance'' which is the act of offering protection, affection, responsibility, a good sleep schedule, and a balanced diet among other things. Third is verbal nurturance which refers to having conversations with your children as well as giving praise, positive feedback, encouragement, and support. Lastly, Walker talks about spiritual nurturance which is ensuring your child knows that they are important and that their life is important. Part of this is making sure they spend time in nature and that their creative self is encouraged and nurtured. Read over these four categories carefully. Provide an example for each category of what a parent could do to meet a childs basic needs based on Walkers guidelines.
8. Walker writes that emotional neglect, alone, causes children to abandon themselves. It causes them to give up on the formation of a self. Why is it so important for children to develop their own sense of self? Discuss why you think children with complex PTSD would choose to abandon themselves.
9. "Toxic environments" cause children's brains to be rewired incorrectly. This means that as they grow into adults, they perceive harmless and unthreatening situations, subjects, and even objects as threats. Complex PTSD can affect emotional responses. Discuss some examples of subjects or situations wherein someone with complex PTSD might feel threatened.
10. As Walker explains in his book, someone with complex PTSD has "disproportionate emotional responses" to everyday, normal situations. These responses are directly linked to the person's history of emotional neglect. Emotional neglect can have terrible consequences on a person's self-worth. Discuss some of the feelings a person in this situation might experience.
11. Walker calls these responses emotional flashbacks. They are the delayed, but appropriate, responses to childhood neglect and abuse. People with complex PTSD go through life "emotionally surviving." They are constantly battling their past pain and are thus unable to lead a happy and fulfilled life. Stress, anxiety, and fear are three common emotions that govern the life of a person with complex PTSD. Have you ever experienced any of these feelings? Discuss a situation in which you felt fearful, anxious, or stressed.
12. Emotional flashbacks can be triggered through a number of methods that result in confronting unaddressed traumatic experiences head-on. These exercises, among others, include mindfulness, grieving, dealing with your critics both inner and outer, therapy, thought-stopping, and emotional flashback management. What do you think Walker means by de-minimization? And how does it apply to managing complex PTSD? Discuss your thoughts.