What is BAM-T?

Leave it in the Ring: Process Trauma, Build Resilience

  • Combines boxing techniques (non-contact, focus-mitt work) with mindfulness practices to provide cathartic physical release, promote present-moment awareness, deep breathing, balance, control, discipline, and empowerment.

  • Starts with a guided meditation and visualization to gently access uncomfortable memories for reprocessing.

  • Includes warm-up, followed by an intense boxing workout using recorded audio prompts for striking.

  • Therapist holds mitts, guides reactions, and rotates in small groups.

  • Ends with cool-down and checkout.

  • Intake Process: New clients begin with a 30-minute one-on-one assessment to discuss specific trauma, ensure safety, and learn techniques properly. Sessions are individual or very small groups (max 3 people).

  • Benefits Reported: Over several years, clients have experienced relief from PTSD, general anxiety, trauma, depression, addiction, and social anxiety.

  • Who It's For: Individuals seeking therapeutic processing through movement and mindfulness, often with trauma histories.

  • Who It's NOT For: People solely wanting a fitness-oriented boxing workout (this is licensed therapy, not general training).

Paul Stubbs, LCSW

Paul has studied Okinawan karate, American Kempo, Krav Maga, Silat, Kali, the Marine Corps Martial Arts system and was a boxer.  He doesn't call himself a fighter, as he never competed, but he's had a passion for the martial arts that began when he was 12 years old.  A Veteran of the Army, Navy and Marine infantry, he found martial arts workouts, and specifically boxing helped him reduce stress and be present again when difficult memories from Iraq and Afghanistan became a problem.  After he retired due to his injuries, he went to Graduate school and became a trauma-focused therapist helping clients who struggled with their own traumas to release them and live their own better lives.

What clients are saying

“I wanted to take a moment to express my sincere gratitude for you, our relationship, and the work you do. BAM-T has had a profound and lasting impact on my life, and I don’t say that lightly. What you’ve created is not just a program—it is a space where people are allowed to be honest, courageous, and whole again.

Your remarks, your presence, and the way you guide without imposing have stayed with me. The way you hold the balance between strength and vulnerability, discipline and compassion, is rare. You helped me see that healing is not about becoming someone new, but about reclaiming who I was before pain and powerlessness shaped my story. That perspective alone shifted how I view myself, my worth, and my capacity to move forward.

There were moments in BAM-T that changed how I understand trauma, identity, and courage. Hitting the pads and saying, “You can’t hurt me anymore,” forced me to confront not just what happened, but what I had internalized about myself. You gave me a framework to name it, claim it, and tame it—to stop being ruled by old wounds and start partnering with them in a way that restores agency and dignity.

Your work embodies moral courage. You don’t just teach resilience; you model what it looks like to show up for yourself and others with integrity. That has influenced how I think about leadership, service, and what it means to truly help people heal rather than simply endure.

I am deeply grateful for what you’ve given me, and I feel a responsibility to help amplify the impact of BAM-T so others can experience what I did. This program belongs in the conversation about how we care for service members and veterans, because it reaches places many traditional approaches cannot.

Thank you for your trust, your guidance, and your commitment to this work. Your influence will stay with me, and it will shape how I show up for others."

-Anthony Cato

“You knocked something loose; I finally know I can hit back. ”

Female client, human trafficking survivor

“That was the first time in years that I’ve been out of my head ”

USMC Afghanistan Veteran

“Whenever I have a day that tries to take from me, I do this and I get it all back.”

Federal Law Enforcement Officer

FAQ

For BAM-T Clients

  • "I have some injuries; will that be a problem?" I work within your capabilities. I have had clients with fairly severe limitations and have never had a problem adapting the program, but if it is not safe for you we can discuss other options.

  • "I've never boxed before; do I need to have experience?"
 Not at all. Absolute beginners and fairly seasoned competitors have worked with me to process and release trauma with this program. The only technique work I will offer, unless you need more of a challenge to keep you focused, is so you do not get hurt by throwing a strike in a way that could injure you.

  • "How is this different than just a boxing workout?"
 We start out by accessing a difficult memory that you would like to process with a guided meditation of about 5-10 minutes. Then we do the workout, which occupies your mind by requiring you to hear the prompt and respond. We take you back to something disempowering and then do something very empowering. Then you revisit the memory from a place of empowerment and accomplishment.

  • "What if I start having a hard time with the memory?"
 That is why I am there. I'm not a boxing coach, I am a therapist that uses boxing to empower you as you resolve the trauma. You will be safe, encouraged and understood throughout this process.