The Complex PTSD Recovery Guide

Proven Somatic Tools to Calm Emotional Flashbacks, Rewire Trauma Responses, Build Self-Worth, and Break Free from Shame, Guilt, and People-Pleasing

De: Elise Hart

Narrado por: Ally Ibach

Are you exhausted from trying healing methods that don't seem to work? Do you understand your trauma intellectually but still feel trapped in the same patterns?

You're not broken. You're not "too sensitive." And you're definitely not alone.

In The Complex PTSD Recovery Guide, trauma-informed educator Elise Hart offers a revolutionary approach to healing that speaks directly to your body—where trauma actually lives. This isn't another book telling you to "just think positive" or "let it go." Instead, you'll discover why your nervous system is stuck in protection mode and, more importantly, how to gently guide it back to safety.

Through a perfect blend of cutting-edge neuroscience and compassionate storytelling, you'll learn:

• Why emotional flashbacks hijack your present and how to ground yourself in 60 seconds.
• The fifth trauma response no one talks about (and why recognizing it changes everything)
• How to decode your body's unique safety signals and boundary warnings.
• Simple 3-minute practices that rewire decades of survival programming
• Why "getting worse" might actually mean you're healing faster.

Hart's warm, conversational style makes complex trauma science accessible without dumbing it down. She shares vulnerable stories from her own journey and those of clients (names changed) who've transformed their relationship with their nervous systems. No judgment. No shame. Just practical tools that actually work.

This audiobook includes exclusive bonus content: Each chapter features a downloadable tool, worksheet, or guided practice to deepen your healing journey. Visit the companion website to access your complete trauma recovery toolkit.

Whether you're new to trauma work or have "tried everything," this guide offers fresh insights and somatic practices small enough to slip past your defenses but powerful enough to create lasting change.

Stop managing symptoms. Start healing from the inside out. Are ready to move beyond understanding trauma to actually healing it?

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2025 Read Street Press LLC (P)2025 Read Street Press LLC

A LOT of Helpful Information

This book was a real eye-opener for me. I chose it so I could better understand my brother's lifelong struggles after being in war. But I've learned, there is so much more in our lives that leaves traumatic scars than just doing battle or being abused. Our bodies retain and remember so much, and it often takes a great deal more to heal than just sitting in a therapist's office, telling our story and hoping to 'get better.' This book shows that healing doesn't just mean healing the psyche, nor erasing the past, but gently updating your nervous system's understanding of safety. It offers multiple tools that work with trauma responses, not against. And since something that works for one might not work for another person, there are myriad practices to employ daily, slowly helping your body realize it's not in danger now. The book is a great resource to help us understand why we react the way we do.

Gentle, validating, and truly healing

This book doesn’t rush you or lecture you. It meets you where you are. The author explains trauma in a compassionate, human way and offers techniques that actually work in real life not just theory. The grounding and breathing exercises have become part of my daily routine.

Truly Healing and Practical

This audiobook is a game changer for anyone healing from complex trauma. Elise Hart explains everything with compassion and clarity, helping you finally understand why you react the way you do, and what to do about it. The somatic tools are simple, gentle, and actually work, even when other methods haven’t. It feels like having a calm, supportive guide walking with you every step of the way, no judgment, just understanding and hope.

A Supportive Guide to Healing

Living with CPTSD has been overwhelming at times, and I often felt stuck in old patterns. This book gave me practical tools I could try without feeling pressured. The techniques are simple but effective, and I’ve already noticed small changes in how I handle stress. It feels good to finally have guidance that makes sense.

Science based guide to real healing.

I liked how the author blends neuroscience, empathy, and then the tools for a transformative listen. The narrator was calm, the whole book is in a supportive tone. That’s helpful to me to understand trauma from the inside out. The practical techniques feel safe. Overall I’d say the book is clear, warm, and effective.

Practical Tools for Healing

This audiobook takes on tackling complex trauma, focusing on body-based methods. It dives into why emotional flashbacks hit so hard and offers quick, 60-second grounding techniques to try in the moment.

The narrator’s warm, down-to-earth tone makes heavy topics feel manageable, like a friend guiding you through. Each chapter includes simple, 3-minute practices that don’t demand hours of effort but still chip away at old survival habits. The bonus tools—downloadable worksheets and guided exercises—are a great add-on, letting you apply what you learn right away.

I appreciated how it addresses feeling stuck despite past therapy, with clear steps to rewire responses. It’s packed with real stories that ground the science in relatable ways, keeping things human and judgment-free.

Perfect for anyone dealing with anxiety, people-pleasing, or shame who wants practical, body-focused tools. This guide feels like a roadmap to lasting change, ideal for short listens during daily routines, helping you move from just coping to truly healing.

A Soothing and Insightful Guide to Healing

This audiobook offers the perfect mix of compassion, understanding, and actionable healing. It explains complex PTSD in a way that feels approachable and deeply human—never cold or clinical. The somatic practices are practical and calming, helping you reconnect with safety in your body while easing emotional triggers. What stood out most is how the author balances education with empathy, offering gentle structure without overwhelming you. The narration has a calm, grounding quality that makes it feel like a supportive friend guiding you through recovery. Whether you’re living with trauma or supporting someone who is, this is an incredibly healing and empowering listen.

Healing Trauma from the Inside Out

As a 49-year-old insurance agent with four kids (15, 19, 19, and 22), I just finished The Complex PTSD Recovery Guide and it’s been a transformative lifeline for my emotional struggles! Carrying unresolved trauma from past stress, I was tired of generic advice like “think positive.” This audiobook’s somatic tools such as body scans to calm flashbacks and breathing exercises to rewire trauma responses, spoke directly to my physical tension, helping me break free from guilt and people-pleasing habits. I’m already feeling more self-worth in client interactions and family moments, thanks to practical techniques tailored for complex PTSD.

The narrator’s compassionate, steady tone feels like a trusted guide, keeping me engaged during quiet evening listens. If you’re seeking to heal deep trauma, this audiobook’s a must-listen as it is profound, actionable, and truly empowering!

New insights into deep PTSD recovery healing

Hart goes into depth on discussing the latest research-based approach to repeated-trauma PTSD. She discusses the difference between a single event causing PTSD vs repeated trauma over time causing PTSD, how it imprints differently on the brain, and why therapy for one isn’t so successful for the other. Based more on acceptance of self and moving forward while still recognizing the past, this book offers help for those still struggling with unresolved PTSD and one they can refer back to over time, with many helpful tools included. The only reason for the 4 instead of 5 stars is because of the narrator’s and author’s lack of proofing the final recording. There are several spots where the narrator exercises her lips with a trill and then repeats a phrase to carry on with the narration. With proofing, these would have been detected and removed.

HOPEFUL, PRACTICAL AND KIND

The step by step exercises for flashbacks and nervous system resets were easy to remember on hard days. I finished feeling supported and finally believing healing is possible.