Author Archives: Shay Seaborne, CPTSD

About Shay Seaborne, CPTSD

Former tall ship sailor turned trauma awareness activist-artist Shay Seaborne, CPTSD has studied the neurobiology of fear / trauma /PTSD since 2015. She writes, speaks, teaches, and makes art to convey her experiences as well as her understanding of the neurobiology of fear, trauma theory, and principles of trauma recovery. A native of Northern Virginia, Shay settled in Delaware to sail KALMAR NYCKEL, the state’s tall ship. She wishes everyone could recognize PTSD is not a mental health problem, but a neurophysiological condition rooted in dysregulation, our mainstream culture is neuro-negative, and we need to understand we can heal ourselves and each other through awareness, understanding, and safe connection.

Beyond “The God Shot”: SGB is a Tool, Not a Cure for PTSD

Posted on March 23, 2026 by Shay Seaborne, CPTSD

Publicity for an interview with Dr. Eugene Lipov includes the question, “What if PTSD isn’t a mental disorder—but a physical injury that can be healed?” It refers to “advanced brain scans” that “revealed trauma’s visible scars on the brain,” and … Continue reading →

Posted in PTSD | Tagged #TheGodShot, Dr. Eugene Lipov, DSR, Eugene Lipov, hype, marketing, miracle, Nerve Block, SGB, SGB4PTSD, Stellate Ganglion Block | Leave a comment

Complex PTSD From An IPNB Perspective: Survival Adaptations and the Roots of Symptoms

Posted on March 20, 2026 by Shay Seaborne, CPTSD

When people talk about Complex PTSD or other trauma-related conditions, they often focus on the symptoms. They make lists of patterns, put them into clusters, and give them names. That sounds organized, but it hides the bigger picture. It puts … Continue reading →

Posted in PTSD | Tagged Complex PTSD, CPTSD, IPNB, labels, Medicine, Nervous System, psychiatry, recovery, relationships, survival, survival adaptations | Leave a comment

Victim Selection and the Structural Mechanics of Harm: Why Vulnerable People Are Chosen and Left Unprotected

Posted on March 18, 2026 by Shay Seaborne, CPTSD

Victimology examines patterns of harm and how systems respond to them. It shows that perpetrators rarely act randomly. They select targets who are vulnerable in ways that reduce risk to themselves and maximize the impact of the harm. Factors such … Continue reading →

Posted in Abuse | Tagged accountability, Complaints, courts, harm, hospitals, justice, law, legal, Medicine, power dynamics, standard treatment, support, victim services, victimology | Leave a comment

Losing a Point of Safety: Why I Cried at the DMV

Posted on March 16, 2026 by Shay Seaborne, CPTSD

When I cried at the Delaware Division of Motor Vehicles last week, it wasn’t because the line was so long and the agency was staffed with sloths, but a far deeper reason. I even cried when I had to make … Continue reading →

Posted in Gardening, Mental Health | Tagged death, Delaware DMV, Delaware State Police, DMV, grief, loss, Matthew Snook, memorial, police, solidarity | Leave a comment

The Granddaddy Effect: Honoring Raxley Leonard Obarr on His 140th Birthday and the Neuroscience of a Life-Saving Connection

Posted on March 13, 2026 by Shay Seaborne, CPTSD

Today, March 13th, marks the 140th birthday of my maternal great-grandfather, Raxley Leonard Obarr, my Granddaddy. He was the only grandfather figure I knew. He was also a Knight Templar, a master of bird magic, a juggler, and the kindler … Continue reading →

Posted in co-regulation, Family | Tagged activism, belonging, connection, Granddaddy, great-grandfather, justice, legacy, Mental Health, safety, well-being | Leave a comment

Putting Our Lived Experience on the Record Can Help Build a Sense of Safety

Posted on March 13, 2026 by Shay Seaborne, CPTSD

I started bringing a printed page to my pain specialist appointments because I needed a way to communicate that worked for my nervous system and his. Each page bears the date and his name, plus brief status updates on regional … Continue reading →

Posted in Healthcare | Tagged continuity, Doctor, IPNB, notes, pain specialist, records, Regulation, safety | Leave a comment

Why So Many People Can’t Believe and Support Trauma Survivors

Posted on March 11, 2026 by Shay Seaborne, CPTSD

Recently, I encountered significant opposition after I posted about the sexual assault committed against me by a member of the US Coast Guard (USCG). The attack had clearly been set up, and it was obvious to me that it was … Continue reading →

Posted in Abuse, IPNB of Hierarchy | Tagged coast Guardsman, cognition, cognitive dissonance, consent, denial, Education, hierarchy, institutions, justice, law enforcement, Medicine, professional abuse, psychiatry, safety, sailing, sexualized violence, survivors, systems, titles, uniforms, United States Coast Guard, USCG, victim blaming, victims, vulnerability | Leave a comment

“The God Shot”: Magical Thinking for a Culture That Refuses to Change

Posted on March 9, 2026 by Shay Seaborne, CPTSD

Dr. Eugene Lipov, who helped develop the use of Stellate Ganglion Block (SGB) for PTSD, announced the release of his new book, “The God Shot.” The title also refers to a medical procedure he calls a “Dual Sympathetic Reset (DSR).” … Continue reading →

Posted in IPNB of Hierarchy | Tagged Anesthesiology, anesthetic, Domination, Dr. Eugene Lipov, DSR, Eugene Lipov, hierarchy, interpersonal neurobiology, IPNB, Lipov, magical thinking, nerve blocks, neurobiology, PTSD, Relational Neuroscience, SGB, SGB4PTSD, shots, silencing, Stellate Ganglion Block, Trauma, trauma recovery | Leave a comment

IPNB: A Superior Theoretical Model of Trauma, Chronic Pain, and Complex Stress

Posted on March 6, 2026 by Shay Seaborne, CPTSD

Interpersonal Neurobiology (IPNB) serves as a theoretical model in a very different way than most biomedical models, and that difference is the point. IPNB does not try to explain outcomes by isolating a single structure, pathway, or intervention and assigning … Continue reading →

Posted in Neurobiology | Leave a comment

Symbols as Mirrors: Building Coherence Through Tarot

Posted on March 4, 2026 by Shay Seaborne, CPTSD

I pulled three cards from a tarot deck without looking: the Knight of Swords, the Six of Swords, and the Five of Wands. At first glance, they are just symbols: energetic, chaotic, transitional. But when I looked at them together, … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged archetypes, cohesive narrative, Nervous System, story, survival, symbolic, tarot | Leave a comment