Try free for 30 days

  • The Tao of Fully Feeling

  • Harvesting Forgiveness out of Blame
  • By: Pete Walker
  • Narrated by: Christopher Grove
  • Length: 13 hrs and 3 mins
  • 4.9 out of 5 stars (40 ratings)

A 30-day trial plus your first audiobook free.
1 credit/month after trial—to buy any title you like, yours to keep.
Listen all you want to a selection of thousands of Audible Originals, audiobooks and podcasts.
$16.45 a month after 30 day trial. Cancel anytime.
The Tao of Fully Feeling cover art

The Tao of Fully Feeling

By: Pete Walker
Narrated by: Christopher Grove
Free with 30-day trial

$16.45/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $26.99

Buy Now for $26.99

Pay using voucher balance (if applicable) then card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions Of Use and Privacy Notice and authorise Audible to charge your designated credit card or another available credit card on file.

Publisher's Summary

The price of emotional renunciation is a constant, wasteful expenditure of energy that leaves us depressed and taciturn, imprisoned in the apathy and ennui of the "seen that, been there, done that" syndrome. When we surrender and soften to our feelings, we reconnect with our inborn vitality and with the invaluable instinct and intuition that our feelings naturally carry.  

The Tao of Fully Feeling describes the middle ground of emotional aliveness that lies between emotional deadness and emotional explosiveness. It helps us to soften and relax into our feelings without exiling them or enshrining them. It guides us to be emotionally expressive in benign, intimacy-enhancing ways.  

The Tao of Fully Feeling teaches us to respond to our painful and potentially disruptive feelings in healthy ways. It illustrates the enriching aspects of the so-called negative emotions and helps us achieve the emotional flexibility whereby sadness easily mellows into solace, anger unfolds into laughter, fear evolves into excitement, jealousy opens up into appreciation, and blame gives way to forgiveness.  

The Tao of Fully Feeling refutes the black-and-white notion that blame is never justifiable. It describes safe, nondestructive ways of feeling and expressing blame - ways that ironically enhance our capacity to feel genuine forgiveness.  

When we authentically forgive our parents, we know what we are forgiving them for and what specifically was blameworthy about their behavior in the first place. When we forgive before we blame, we risk dragging the full weight of our childhood hurt and anger around forever, like an exhausted backpacker who is too dulled and over-trusting to notice that someone has put a boulder in his/her pack.

©1995 Pete Walker (P)2019 Tantor

What listeners say about The Tao of Fully Feeling

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    37
  • 4 Stars
    1
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    25
  • 4 Stars
    3
  • 3 Stars
    2
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    28
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Incredibly wise and empowering

This is a must for anybody struggling with the legacy of abuse, or even those with a harsh inner critic. His goal is to help you reclaim your ability to feel emotions to live a rich inner life, it’s deeply humanist and compassionate and written by a highly skilled and experienced therapist. It’s the real deal. His other book complex ptsd is also amazing and the two complement but don’t repeat each other. Glad I have both and will listen as often as I need to.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful

I found this book incredibly helpful. It's not an exaggeration to say it was a little bit life-changing. Very affirming and so helpful for anybody who has historically been shamed out of properly feeling their emotions.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

so important for the adult child survivor

Pete's in-depth review of childhood trauma, how to survive it and then thrive, is invaluable.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Do not miss this book. The Tao of Fully Feeling truly serves those who suffered and can now heal.

An outstanding book on the terrible impacts of childhood trauma. From one who really knows. He provides the knowledge and understanding to heal. A superb contribution to those who have suffered and missed out on what might have been happy and playful years…a solid foundation for the years ahead.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A must for all CPTSD survivors

Also a must " Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving" by the same author, Pete Walker and "The Body Keeps the Score
Mind, Brain and Body in the Transformation of Trauma" by Bessel A. van der Kolk

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Five Stars for Content

This book is very, very helpful, but the narration is somewhat clinical - especially given the content focuses on feeling.
Thank you for this insightful work!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Z X
  • 15-08-2022

It's changing my life, I think

I came to this book after the author's 2013 book about cPTSD. For me this book is harder to work through because it's much more thought-provoking. It truly brings me on a journey to facing the pain I didn't realise I had all these years and it encourages me to internalise strategies to battle the intrusive thinking that has been bothering me.
I'm half way through the book when writing this review. Although my gp and psychiatrist are very helpful in identifying some of the issues causing me troubles (major depression, addiction, adult ADD, childhood trauma, bpd-like thinking), this book allows me to take time to address the problems on a deeper level medications can't reach. My goal is to one day become medication independent and build a stronger/flexible mind. I'm very optimistic that this book is going to help me achieve it.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic Insights

The shame and blame game is important lesson to learn. Without it, you get pushed around and feel guilty for the actions of others. Being able to say "No", and not be disrespected is paramount to maintaining healthy boundaries.

The narration by Christopher Grove is top notch. It shows that this something he really cares about 👍.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Life changing

I’ve listened to this book twice and will probably listen to it again. It makes a lot of sense and provides answers to questions I’ve had for a long time.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Lots of ‘A-Ha’ Moments

Such a beautifully written and enlightening book by an incredibly knowledgeable and experienced psychotherapist. I gained many insights, learned so much more about myself, loved the quotes at the beginning of each chapter, and will be recommending this book to friends and family.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.