In this Secure Love Club book club session, Julie Menanno leads a discussion of Chapter 1 of Pete Walker's Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving. The group explores the lived experience of complex trauma, how emotional flashbacks and a harsh inner critic take hold after a painful childhood, and what the earliest stages of recovery actually involve. Julie connects these ideas directly to attachment: how our first relationships wire us for safety or for fear, and how understanding that wiring opens a real path to healing. You will learn to recognize emotional flashbacks in yourself, understand why you react the way you do under stress, and see how this connects to your patterns in relationships. Insightful and validating for anyone who recognizes themselves in the roots of complex trauma and wants a compassionate way forward. The full discussion is inside for members.