SPECT imaging confirms trauma, but DHS targets the protective mother instead.
By Richard Luthmann with Michael Volpe
The Science is Clear—But Oregon DHS Doesn’t Care
The Amen Clinic’s SPECT imaging saves lives.
In April, Portland Family Court reviewed medical imaging that revealed traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) in Martina Flanigan.
The SPECT scans—analyzed by Dr. S. Gregory Hipskind, MD, PhD—showed abnormalities consistent with physical abuse, including signs of strangulation and oxygen deprivation.
“These were not minor injuries,” said Dr. Hipskind. “The damage is consistent with repetitive trauma and cannot be ignored.”
However, Oregon’s Department of Human Services (DHS) acts like it never happened. DHS Caseworker Christina Schlichten has ignored this definitive medical evidence and continues retaliating against the protective mother who brought it forward.
“They would rather silence science than admit they’re wrong,” said Jill Jones Soderman, Director of the Foundation for the Child Victims of the Family Courts (FCVFC).
SPECT imaging—used in over 80 peer-reviewed studies by Amen Clinics—has proven effective in diagnosing PTSD, TBI, and abuse.
It’s helped NFL players, veterans, and children recover. In this case, it confirmed what Martina and her kids had said all along: the father is dangerous.
DHS Targets the Mother—Not the Abuser
Despite irrefutable brain scan evidence, Schlichten suspended Flanigan’s visits for saying she was “fighting for her kids in court.”
“In reviewing the visitation note from this week, I need to suspend your visits,” Schlichten wrote on April 18. “This decision is based on your comments about fighting for them in court.”
Let that sink in.
A mother’s visits were canceled because she told her children she would advocate for them in a legal forum.
When someone says there’s no due process in family court, here’s your “Exhibit A” to prove them undeniably correct.
This was one small portion of a supervised meeting where the children expressed fear and distress over their father. The majority of the time was spent coloring Easter eggs and eating snacks. Here is the VISIT NOTE:
“They are punishing her for being a mom,” said Soderman. “That’s sadism disguised as policy.”
Schlichten went further.
On April 21, she told Flanigan to “give them permission to be happy with their father.”
The same man the children say abused them.
The same man whose actions left one child with neurological injuries, as documented in brain scans.
“Do you have a therapist?” Schlichten asked. “I would like you to write them a letter giving them permission to be happy with their father. Is this possible for you to do?”
It’s gaslighting straight from Orwell. Or Kubrick. Or the People’s Republic of Oregon.
“You said this is A Clockwork Oregon,” journalist Michael Volpe told Richard Luthmann on The Unknown Podcast. “Except in this version, the criminals wear badges.”
DHS Attacks the Family, Not the Problem
DHS didn’t stop at Martina. They went after her parents too.
Richard and Deanna Flanigan were slapped with a “founded” CPS disposition for nothing more than believing their daughter.
“They found us guilty of protecting our grandchildren,” the Flanigans wrote in a letter to the court. “No one called us. No one asked for our side.”
Schlichten also barred the grandparents from attending visits.
On April 8, she wrote: “Your parents are not able to attend at this time.”
Instead, she offered to deliver gifts to the children, letting them know they were from their mother.
“These people are treating this like a hostage negotiation,” said co-host Richard Luthmann. “You can send socks, but don’t you dare try to speak the truth. It’s sadistic.”
Schlichten’s pattern is clear: erase the protective support system, isolate the children, and force a false narrative.
Meanwhile, DHS refuses to consult with the father’s parole officer, who reportedly has serious concerns about the man’s behavior.
“They won’t even make the call,” Soderman said. “Because they know what they’ll hear.”
The Brain Doesn’t Lie—But the System Does
The Amen Clinic’s SPECT scan was the only reason the court didn’t return the children to their abuser.
“The imaging showed very abnormal brain perfusion consistent with diffuse traumatic axonal injury,” said Dr. Hipskind in his report. “It indicated a history of head trauma and likely oxygen deprivation.”
However, Oregon DHS doesn’t want to see the scans because the science contradicts their narrative.
“SPECT scans are courtroom game-changers,” said David Weigel, founder of the Family Court Fraud Warrior Project (FCFW Project). “Dr. Amen’s brain imaging work is a revolution—finally, we have quantifiable proof of what these courts deny exists: trauma.”
The FCFW Project was founded by Wall Street’s Weigel to expose how America’s family courts operate on a business model rooted in systemic fraud. Its mission is grounded in data-driven analysis and lived experience, revealing that these courts are not therapeutic forums for resolving conflict, but rather profit-driven systems that manufacture high-conflict litigation to extract money from vulnerable families.
The Project documents how Title IV-D and IV-E funding mechanisms incentivize prolonged custody battles, punitive enforcement actions, and unnecessary child removals.
It asserts that family courts monetize trauma and criminalize protective parenting, often weaponizing psychological services and child welfare agencies to distort outcomes and maximize state reimbursement.
“For the first time, we’re optimistic. Dr. Amen’s work gives us the medical tools to expose the abuse, prosecute the corruption, and restore lives,” Weigel said.
SPECT imaging distinguishes PTSD from TBI with 94% accuracy and has been proven effective in complex psychiatric and trauma cases.
“Corrupt systems crumble when confronted with science,” Weigel said. “These SPECT scans are our battering ram.”
But in Oregon? The scans are inconvenient.
When Will It End?
As of May 2025, Flanigan’s children are still in foster care. Her visits are suspended. Her parents are barred. DHS has not acknowledged the medical evidence. No one has been held accountable.
“They want her to surrender,” said Soderman. “They want her to accept the abuse and pretend her kids are happy.”
But she won’t.
“These children deserve more than state-sanctioned torture,” Soderman added. “And this mother deserves justice.”
Wiegel echoed the sentiments.
“We’ve seen parents gaslit, criminalized, and destroyed by this system. We must turn the gaslight off—with science, factual analysis, and truth,” he said. “We owe it to our children.”
The question is: Will Oregon ever stop the slaughter? Or will it keep feeding children into the system for profit and revenge?
For now, the court has seen the scans.
The people of Oregon are watching.
And so is the world.
