Author Archives: Shay Seaborne, CPTSD
Community Resilience
Community resilience comes from preparation that supports the ability to adapt to changing conditions and recover rapidly from disruptions. Key Characteristics Social Connectedness: Neighbors trust and support each other during normal times and crises. Robust Infrastructure: Physical and digital systems … Continue reading
Posted in Emergencies
Tagged adapt, change, Community, connection, resilience, supplies, support, training
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Caring for Yourself When Helping During or After an Emergency
A guide for volunteers and neighbors exposed to other people’s suffering When an emergency affects a community, people step forward to help. You may listen to someone’s story, witness injuries or destruction, provide food or transportation, search for belongings, or … Continue reading
Posted in Emergencies
Tagged care, disaster, Emergency, emergency preparedness, help, self-care, support
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From Survival to Safety: Nervous System Regulation is the Missing Piece in Healing
Six years ago, I was so close to death that my recovery goals were to drink a little water, eat a piece of toast, and walk to the end of the driveway. That was all I could manage. My hair … Continue reading
Posted in Mental Health
Tagged class, classes, co-regulation, connection, Foundations of Regulation, IPNB, Relational Neuroscience education, safety
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Triggered in Qigong Class
I was triggered in class, which happens periodically. It happened at my nervous system’s speed. I chose to make the potentially triggering movement. Maybe I chose it because some part of me knew I needed to do this work. The … Continue reading
Posted in PTSD
Tagged co-retulation, implicit memory, Quigong, Regulation, triggered, triggering, triggers
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How to Help Someone Right After an Emergency
People react to emergencies in all kinds of ways. Someone might break down crying, shut down completely, get restless or angry, or even seem surprisingly fine. Some of these reactions hit right away, while others show up hours or days … Continue reading
Posted in Emergencies
Tagged care, choices, Emergency, emergency preparedness, emergency response, helping, support, Trauma-Informed Care
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Psychiatric Confinement Through the Eyes of a Torture Survivor
One of the most important connections in my history is between the torture and trafficking I survived as a teenager and what happened years later when I was sent to a psychiatric hospital after developing intensifying suicidal ideations from Lexapro. … Continue reading
What is Secondary Traumatic Stress?
“Secondary” traumatic stress is a misnomer used to describe emotional and physiological distress that develops from indirect exposure to another person’s traumatic experiences. Trauma is trauma. Your body doesn’t care whether something scary happened directly to you or if you watched … Continue reading
Posted in PTSD
Tagged disaster recovery, PTSD, secondary PTSD, secondary trauma, secondary traumatic stress
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Polyvagal Theory vs. Relational Neuroscience
Understanding our nervous system states, what influences them, and how we can shift them is essential for trauma recovery and self-regulation. However, Polyvagal Theory (PVT), developed by Dr. Stephen Porges, introduces a heavy layer of complex clinical jargon, such as … Continue reading
Trauma Anniversaries: An IPNB View
I experience trauma anniversaries throughout the year. There is no month or season untouched by abuse and neglect at the hands of caregivers and others in positions of power. For a survivor, such anniversaries are not merely calendar dates, but … Continue reading
Posted in Mental Health, Trauma
Tagged body memories, chronic trauma, complex trauma, flashbacks, months, Psych ED, recurrent triggers, seasons, Trauma, trauma anniversaries
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IPNB-Informed Practices for Cultivating Safety and Setting Boundaries
The use of grounding practices in Interpersonal Neurobiology (IPNB) offers small, consistent signals of safety and predictability that allow your nervous system to naturally settle, integrate, and restore balance. Building Internal Safety and Somatic Self-Regulation To shift the body out … Continue reading
Posted in connection, Safety
Tagged boundaries, connection, hypervigilance, overwhelm, practices, safety
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