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.

My Manufactured Mental Health Crisis

Posted on June 12, 2025 by Shay Seaborne, CPTSD

On June 12, 2018, seven years ago today, I sat in the office of ChristianaCare psychologist Dr. Alan L. Schwartz and told him I had been triggered by unexpected contact with my mother. I told him I had cut myself … Continue reading →

Posted in Mental Health, Psychiatry | Tagged anti-depressant, ChristianaCare, hospital, Lexapro, Mental Health, psych drugs, psychologist, Psychology, Rockford Center for Behavioral Health, SSRIs, standard treatment, UHS, Universal Health Services | Leave a comment

HR 1: “The Chronic Stress Amplification Act”

Posted on June 11, 2025 by Shay Seaborne, CPTSD

The bill known as H.R. 1 has been called the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” but the reality is far from beautiful for many people. If passed, it would cut billions from Medicaid and other essential programs that millions of vulnerable … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics | Tagged Big Beautiful Bill, billionaires, CEOs, Donald Trump, dysregulation, harm, HR 1, legislation, oppression, President, tax breaks for billionaires, taxes, Trump | Leave a comment

Beyond Diagnosis: What Children of Parents with Mental Illness Really Need

Posted on June 9, 2025 by Shay Seaborne, CPTSD

According to an article from Neuroscience News, a new study confirms that children of parents with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder are at a significantly higher risk of developing mental health issues than peers whose parents do not have these diagnoses. … Continue reading →

Posted in Children, Mental Health | Tagged bipolar disorder, interpersonal neurobiology, intervention, IPNB, schizophrenia, stuidy, support | Leave a comment

Connection in Healthcare is Essential, But Medicine Sabotages It

Posted on June 6, 2025 by Shay Seaborne, CPTSD

Connection is vital in medicine, and is often ruptured by institutional demand for rushing and the culture of separation. That’s two strikes against doctors who want to connect, understand the importance, and need to feel connected themselves, and all doctors … Continue reading →

Posted in Healthcare | Tagged co-regulation, connection, disconnection, doctor-patient relationship, doctors, healthcare, IPNB, Medicine, rushing, safety | Leave a comment

Tripping on Power: Elon Musk’s Altered States of Influence

Posted on June 4, 2025 by Shay Seaborne, CPTSD

What Happens When a Billionaire Mixes Drugs with Far-Right Ideology? Continue reading →

Posted in IPNB of Hierarchy, Mental Health | Tagged abuse, Drug abuse, Elon Musk, grandiosity, hierarchy, ketamine, power | Leave a comment

“Well, We All Are Going to Die”: A US Senator’s Cold Response to Legitimate Fear

Posted on June 2, 2025 by Shay Seaborne, CPTSD

A sitting U.S. Senator, Joni Ernst of Iowa, recently responded to concerns from her constituents about the life-and-death consequences of proposed Medicaid and food assistance cuts by saying, “Well, we all are going to die.” This was during a town … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics | Tagged Empathy, Federal Government, Leadership', Medicaid, policy | Leave a comment

The Oysters of Betrayal: How My Father’s Cruelty Fed My Fire

Posted on June 1, 2025 by Shay Seaborne, CPTSD

As I grew up, I became increasingly oppositional to my father, who exhibited multiple symptoms of malignant narcissism and was likely a dark tetrad. In reaction, the man charged with my care targeted me more intently. I had the gall … Continue reading →

Posted in Abuse | Tagged betrayal, father, interpersonal neurobiology, IPNB, Narcissist, oysters | Leave a comment

Medicalized Trauma: ChristianaCare’s Behavioral Health Fail

Posted on May 31, 2025 by Shay Seaborne, CPTSD

Seven years ago today, I first met with Alan L. Schwartz PsyD, the “embedded” psychologist at ChristianaCare’s Family Medicine Center at Foulk Road, having been referred to him by an intern at that facility. Schwartz (I refuse to use the … Continue reading →

Posted in Mental Health, Uncategorized | Tagged ChristianaCare, neglect, psychologist, Psychology, Rockford Center for Behavioral Health, UHS | Leave a comment

$45M Military Parade: What’s Really Happening?

Posted on May 30, 2025 by Shay Seaborne, CPTSD

It’s important to name what’s really happening here, not just from a political lens, but from a human one. Interpersonal Neurobiology (IPNB) teaches us that health, individual and collective, depends on systems that support regulation, connection, and integration. An administration … Continue reading →

Posted in IPNB of Hierarchy | Leave a comment

The Mental Illness Industry Barks Up the Wrong Tree

Posted on May 28, 2025 by Shay Seaborne, CPTSD

When someone is depressed, their whole system is in a state of distress. Low energy, low motivation, negative thinking, and isolation are all signs that the nervous system struggles to find safety and stability. The shift doesn’t begin with forcing … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment