Member since November 2025
Christiane Scarpino is a licensed Speech Language Pathologist and retired Massage Therapist who now devotes her life to raising awareness of about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Christiane survived the 1977 FALN terrorist bombing of the Mobil Oil Corporation employment office in 1977, when she was 21 years old. After the bombing, she faced three years of FBI and NYPD interrogations and testified in a federal murder trial against a terrorist. Her memoir "Missing PIeces" is her story of living with PTSD symptoms long before PTSD became a trauma diagnosis. Her story provides a powerful perspective integrating clinical perspective with lived experience on the hidden strength required by trauma survivors to function.
My passion is training dogs, and this has been my lifeline for many years. There is nothing like the human animal bond. I currently have three Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers. One is currently my service dog. I train and compete with them in Dock Diving, Hunt tests, Agility, Obedience, Trick Dog, and Obedience. I also volunteer as a dog trainer in a local dog rescue. I also love hydroponic gardening and watercolor painting.
August 3, 1977, when I interacted with a woman applying for a clerical job at Mobil. She insisted that she take her application out of the office to gather information, which was against office policy. We needed to keep all applications on file. This resulted in a verbal argument, and I grabbed the application from her and she ran out of the office. An hour later, the office was demolished by a bomb she left in an umbrella on a coat rack 10 feet from my desk. The woman was a member of the FALN, a terrorist group who left several threats and bombs in major corporations all over NYC that day. When the bomb exploded, I was walking away from my desk to get a cup of coffee, which saved me. The fingerprints on the application connected this terrorist to the event, and she was apprehended 3 years later.
It was a challenge to find appropriate interventions for my trauma symptoms (nightmares, dissociation, panic attacks, flashbacks, eating disorder, OCD, cognitive impairments, post traumatic amnesia) during a time when trauma based mental illness was not recognized. I managed to find my way to a variety of interventions and was functional until the 9/11 terrorist attack in 2001. My symptoms came back with a vengeance. EMDR was recommended and it was a turning point in my recovery. My EMDR therapist suggested that I write a book. In 2017, I started writing and I realized that my story was relevant, given the increase in global terrorism and domestic violence. My goal was to give other survivors of violent crimes hope and to increase general understanding of how PTSD affects one's life, warranting early and continued intervention. My memoir, "MIssing Pieces: A Terrorist Attack Survivor's Memoir of Trauma, Resilience and Healing" was published on 9/30/2025.
My memoir provides a powerful perspective on the hidden battles faced by trauma survivors and the extraordinary strength required to overcome adversity and stigma. My story exemplifies the long-term effects of trauma and impact in every day function.
Buy NowAugust 3, 1977, when I interacted with a woman applying for a clerical job at Mobil. She insisted that she take her application out of the office to gather information, which was against office policy. We needed to keep all applications on file. This resulted in a verbal argument, and I grabbed the application from her and she ran out of the office. An hour later, the office was demolished by a bomb she left in an umbrella on a coat rack 10 feet from my desk. The woman was a member of the FALN, a terrorist group who left several threats and bombs in major corporations all over NYC that day. When the bomb exploded, I was walking away from my desk to get a cup of coffee, which saved me. The fingerprints on the application connected this terrorist to the event, and she was apprehended 3 years later.
It was a challenge to find appropriate interventions for my trauma symptoms (nightmares, dissociation, panic attacks, flashbacks, eating disorder, OCD, cognitive impairments, post traumatic amnesia) during a time when trauma based mental illness was not recognized. I managed to find my way to a variety of interventions and was functional until the 9/11 terrorist attack in 2001. My symptoms came back with a vengeance. EMDR was recommended and it was a turning point in my recovery. My EMDR therapist suggested that I write a book. In 2017, I started writing and I realized that my story was relevant, given the increase in global terrorism and domestic violence. My goal was to give other survivors of violent crimes hope and to increase general understanding of how PTSD affects one's life, warranting early and continued intervention. My memoir, "MIssing Pieces: A Terrorist Attack Survivor's Memoir of Trauma, Resilience and Healing" was published on 9/30/2025.