by Dr Pam | Oct 25, 2025 | Blog
The PTS response is fear. That gut punch rolls out from our amygdala when trauma memory is activated, and then our brains can’t readily tell the difference between whether something bad is happening NOW, or whether something bad is ABOUT to happen. This immediate...
by Dr Pam | Sep 5, 2025 | Blog
Sexual trauma happens to girls and boys, women and men, in every sector of our society. We have a reasonable expectation that we are safe in all of these places. Shameful acts of violence occur in all these sectors, to shame a few. Homes – families, neighbors,...
by Dr Pam | Aug 7, 2025 | Blog
“Your brain became hard-wired for danger. That’s not weakness. That’s survival.” ~ Dr. Hall, Ph.D- PTSD Unplugged PTSD doesn’t care how strong you are. It doesn’t discriminate between medals, years of service, or how well you “held it together.” It shows up...
by Dr Pam | Jul 7, 2025 | Blog
The idea that we take all of our “hot trauma” and shove it into a box in our minds with a lid is a powerful metaphor for understanding how trauma affects our emotional landscape, particularly in relation to ptsd. The lid is unlocked when something around us looks,...
by Dr Pam | Jun 2, 2025 | Blog
To struggle like mad to try to climb its way out. I would actually be miming, in sort of a grand way, struggling with arms and legs flailing around. And we all know from watching movies or cartoons what happens when you try to struggle your way out of quicksand,...
by Dr Pam | Jun 2, 2025 | Blog
In 2025, we know that it’s essential to survival that our brains hotwire to what happened. We’re just lucky to be in safer times. If we stayed/lived in the warzone, or if we lived where perpetrators had the power to repetitively assault us, hypervigilance wouldn’t be...
by Dr Pam | Feb 21, 2025 | Blog
Purchase the Audiobook here 📖 If you met me at work, it would be at a waiting room door or over a telehealth secure video server. This is what happens after saying hello 👋 I’m Dr. Hall, clinical and forensic psychologist. I’ve been doing psych exams for VA benefit...
by Dr Pam | Feb 26, 2022 | Blog
Trauma Memory is a Nightmare The most persistent, noticeable, and painful part of PTSD has to be the way that the past feels like it is happening over and over again in the present. This is what we call trauma memory. It’s different from any other kind of memory...
by Dr Pam | Feb 18, 2022 | Blog, Uncategorized
When Combat Got Real… This is why I love working with vets. When it comes to hardships, the basic attitude is f*** it, just rip that bandaid off. The gloves come off. Nothing is safe from criticism. You expect a lot from yourself. You expect a lot from the...
by Dr Pam | Feb 11, 2022 | Uncategorized
What if we want to get out of the house, but PTSD wants us to stay home? We don’t feel safe so we have to check everything out before we go. We don’t want to be around people who expect us to be cheery. We find it hard to get motivated to do fun things. I’m...
