Author Archives: Shay Seaborne, CPTSD
Grief Moves When the Body Is Allowed: Trauma Integration and the Power of Witnessing
I went into my craniosacral appointment without an agenda, not trying to make anything happen. I laid on the treatment table and my doctor cradled my head with his hands. Before long, I felt a huge wave of deep grief rise … Continue reading
Self-Harm: A Survival Adaptation, Not a Character Flaw
A few years ago, when I was struggling the hardest, I occasionally engaged in self-harm. My body knew the practice offered relief, but I still felt some shame, because I’d been indoctrinated to believe self-harm is a kind of pathological … Continue reading
The Falsehood of “Post-Traumatic Growth”
People sometimes tell me I am experiencing “post-traumatic growth.” They say it like it’s a compliment, and I should feel encouraged. As if this is the gold at the end of years of fighting for my life. That’s a falsehood. … Continue reading
The Hidden Load of Heat When You Live With CPTSD and CRPS
Lately, everything feels more challenging. I have been sleeping more. Some days I take two or three naps. I feel lethargic and become cognitively stressed more easily. My productivity, which is already limited by chronic illness, is even more impeded2. … Continue reading
Posted in Brain Function
Tagged brain fog, cognitive issues, fatigue, health, heat, heat stress, high temperatures, homeostasis, Mental Health, Regulation
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Extreme Wealth Gaps Create Widespread Chronic Stress
Extreme wealth gaps, like we have today, create widespread chronic stress. But there are other ways to structure society, ones that support mutual thriving, shared safety, and dignity for all. Reducing inequality is about making sure our collective nervous systems … Continue reading
Letter to a Now Former Friend
One of the hardest things about trauma recovery is the process of recognizing which relationships are mutual and supportive and letting go of those that are not. I’ve done this over the course of years, particularly with family members, most … Continue reading
Posted in Relationships
Tagged boundaries, connection, friends, friendship, no contact, relationship, safety
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The Doctors in My Recovery Plan
Many people have trouble believing that caring doctors became an essential part of my Interpersonal Neurobiology-based trauma recovery plan. Some dismiss it entirely because they assume healing relationships have to happen with family, friends, a romantic partner, or a therapist. … Continue reading
Posted in Healthcare
Tagged Complex PTSD, connection, doctors, healthcare, Medical PTSD, MPTSD, PTSD, recovery, safety
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Where Psychiatric Labels Fall Apart
Psychiatry puts forth the idea that a person is one thing, then something happens inside them, a kind of switch, and they become something else. As if so-called “mental illness” appears without context, history, or conditions that accumulate over time. … Continue reading
Posted in Mental Health
Tagged behavaioral health, capacity, Community, conditions, Mental Health, network, psychiatry, Psychology, resilience, support
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There is No Shortcut to Meaning
A LinkedIn member posted that “Changing ‘why is this happening to me?’ into ‘what is this trying to teach me?’ is a game-changer.” From an Interpersonal Neurobiology (IPNB) perspective, that reframe can actually be harmful because it skips over the … Continue reading
When “Patient and Family Relations” Becomes Part of the Harm
The original harm was devastating. What happened afterward taught me just as much about the system. After the psychiatric abuse, I contacted the hospital so-called Patient and Family Relations Department. I expected a process that was interested in understanding what … Continue reading
Posted in Accountability
Tagged delaware, healthcare, hospital, medical harm, Patient and Family Relations, patient harm, psychiatric abuse, Wilmington
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