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.

The Growing List of the World’s Worst Authoritarians in Modern History

Posted on July 18, 2025 by Shay Seaborne, CPTSD

Here’s a list of some of the worst authoritarians in modern history, in rough chronological order, emphasizing the scope of their harm, how they used power, and how they manipulated institutions or populations: Benito Mussolini (Italy, 1922–1943) Promised national strength, … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics | Tagged authoritaianism, dictatorshipTrump, Donald Trump, fascism, Hitler, Kim Dynasty, Mao, Mussolini, Pinochet, Pol Pot, Putin, Quadaffi, Stalin | Leave a comment

One Nation Under Jeffrey Epstein

Posted on July 17, 2025 by Shay Seaborne, CPTSD

What happens when the rich and powerful decide predators are more valuable than justice? Even the president’s followers are pissed off. And they should be. This isn’t a red or blue issue. It’s not partisan. It’s the fact that Jeffrey … Continue reading →

Posted in Predators | Tagged 47, Epstein, Epstein files, Maxwell, predators, Sex Abuse, sexual predators, tapes, trafficking | Leave a comment

Predator Week Begins Soon!

Posted on July 16, 2025 by Shay Seaborne, CPTSD

Predator Week begins soon! The Trauma Aware America website and Facebook page will feature numerous posts, images, quotes, and resources for understanding predators, how they get away with it, and how we can protect ourselves. Blog posts include: Who Do … Continue reading →

Posted in Predators | Tagged abusers, connection, institutional betrayal, IPNB, predators, safety, systems, targets | Leave a comment

Building Bridges, Not Walls: The Relational Antidote to Extremism

Posted on July 14, 2025 by Shay Seaborne, CPTSD

An article at PsyPost reveals a connection between genetic essentialism and “nationalism, xenophobia, racism, right-wing authoritarianism, social-dominance orientation, sexism and conservative ideology.” From an Interpersonal Neurobiology (IPNB) perspective, these traits can be seen as adaptive responses to unmet relational and … Continue reading →

Posted in Extremism | Tagged belonging, Community, dehumanizing, extremism, powerlessness, relationship | Leave a comment

The Shame-Busting Power of IPNB

Posted on July 11, 2025 by Shay Seaborne, CPTSD

Interpersonal Neurobiology (IPNB) is inherently shame-busting because it shifts our understanding of human behavior, emotion, and relationship from a lens of personal blame to one of compassionate, embodied context. Here’s how: Normalizes Survival Responses IPNB teaches that many behaviors people … Continue reading →

Posted in Mental Health | Tagged connection, Interpersonal Neurobilology, IPNB, safety, survival, survival adaptations | Leave a comment

How SEIU F***** Over Trauma Survivors

Posted on July 9, 2025 by Shay Seaborne, CPTSD

Several years ago, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) put up a website saying that they were looking for stories from people who had been gaslit, threatened, and otherwise abused by Universal Health Services (UHS), America’s largest psychiatric hospital chain. … Continue reading →

Posted in Abuse | Tagged Behavioral Health, delaware, DOJ, exploitation, fraudulent billing, lawsuit, Mental Health, psychiatric hospital, SEIU, UHS, Universal Health Services | Leave a comment

From Tyranny to Corporate Rule: Reclaiming “We, the People”

Posted on July 4, 2025 by Shay Seaborne, CPTSD

On this Fourth of July, we’re not only celebrating independence. We’re mourning how much of it we’ve lost. The founders of this country declared their refusal to live under tyranny. They rejected inherited power, royal decrees, and governments that served … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics | Tagged 4th of July, America, Community, connection, Empathy, Independence Day, kings, safety, tyranny | Leave a comment

Can Trauma Survivors Recover Without Access to Professional Help?

Posted on July 3, 2025 by Shay Seaborne, CPTSD

According to a 2021 study, “most states have fewer than 40% of the mental health professionals needed” and “more than half (51%) of counties in the United States have no practicing psychiatrists.” Even where mental illness industry practitioners exist, many … Continue reading →

Posted in PTSD, Trauma | Tagged Complex PTSD, CPTSD, Medicine, Mental Health, Nervous System, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Psychology, PTSD, Regulation, Trauma | Leave a comment

Standard Treatment Is Abuse: What ChristianaCare Taught Me About Mental Health “Care”

Posted on June 30, 2025 by Shay Seaborne, CPTSD

It’s been seven years since a ChristianaCare physician lied, gaslit, and coerced me into agreeing to psychiatric hospitalization. Here, I share the grievance I filed with ChristianaCare’s Patient and Family Relations department two years later. As the system continued to … Continue reading →

Posted in Abuse, Psychiatry | Tagged abuse, Behavioral Health, black box medication, ChristianaCare, disabled, Emergency, Emergency Room, exploitation, Lexapro, Mental Health, neglect, patient safety, pharmacogenomic testing, psych medications, psych meds, psychiatric abuse, psychiatric hospital, Rockford Center for Behavioral Health, safety fail, SSRIs | Leave a comment