Hearts Shattered By Trauma…
Healing Together

Dr. Loring has given lectures about trauma and abuse across the country. She has treated individuals, families and groups healing from trauma. Dr. Loring was active during the Olympic Bombing and the Atlanta courthouse shootings in helping traumatized individuals. Her numerous articles and two books (including EMOTIONAL ABUSE) explore the role of emotional abuse and other factors in creating trauma, as well as methods of healing. The desperation and despair experienced by trauma victims can lead to hopelessness and confusion. Many battered women state that the threats and put-downs they have experienced are more painful than broken bones resulting from physical abuse.

Natural disasters also cause trauma- hurricanes, tornadoes, flooding, airplane and train accidents. And man-made disasters, such as terrorist attacks and killings, can cause devastating trauma to individuals, families, and groups of people. The shock, horror, loss of understanding and meaning, and disruption of normal human functioning can be temporary or more chronic when people develop Post-traumatic Stress Disorder with its anxiety and sadness.

Dr. Marti Loring is an expert witness in court cases across America when trauma and abuse have contributed to a person’s criminal behavior. Emotional abuse can occur in the form of threats to harm or kill either the woman or her loved ones. Trauma may result from some type of abuse directly experienced by the child, teenager, woman or man. Or, people can be devastated when they witness emotional, sexual, and/or physical abuse toward a loved one. Especially harmful are 1) a child seeing her sister or brother abused; 2) a child witnessing the mother beaten or threatened by the father. Sometimes emotional abuse in the form of threats to harm or kill either the woman or her loved ones can drive a woman to commit behaviors she would never have considered in all of her life. And battered women may recant by denying very real accusations they have previously made to police. It is important for an expert witness to help attorneys, police, judges, and juries understand a person’s history— what was going on in his/her life that led to behaviors that may be violent or unlawful.

Dr. Loring has worked with traumatized soldiers who have returned from war in Vietnam and Iraq. She appeared on CNN International to describe the trauma of hostages returning from Colombia. (view video)

Dr. Loring can be reached at: Post Office Box 2322, Decatur GA 30031 or by e-mail at mloring@earthlink.net

If you would like to interview Dr. Loring, please contact the Center for Mental Health and Human Development at 404-377-7732.