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A Therapist Takes Her Own AdviceMeditation: Relax into Sleep with Bilateral StimulationEpisode Title: Relax into Sleep with Bilateral StimulationWelcome to A Therapist Takes Her Own Advice. I’m Rebekah Shackney, and in this episode, I’m guiding you through a sleep meditation designed to gently activate your parasympathetic nervous system using slow bilateral stimulation—an approach that engages both sides of the brain to promote deep relaxation and rest.For best results, listen with headphones as you settle into bed. Many find this practice helps them ease into a calmer state and fall asleep more easily.Please Note: This medita...2025-06-1809 minA Therapist Takes Her Own AdviceMEDITATION: Cultivating Compassion for Challenging PeopleWelcome to A Therapist Takes Her Own Advice. I’m Rebekah Shackney, and in today’s episode, I offer a guided meditation to help you navigate interactions with the challenging people in your life with more steadiness and compassion.Whether it’s a colleague, family member, or someone from your past, this practice invites you to stay grounded in your best self—responding with empathy without abandoning your boundaries. You’ll be guided through breathwork, heart-centered awareness, and visualization, reconnecting with your wise mind and inner peace.This meditation isn’t about excusing harmful behavior. It’s about h...2025-06-0411 minA Therapist Takes Her Own AdviceRethinking and Reworking A Therapist Takes Her Own AdviceEpisode Summary:When standard treatments for depression stopped working, I found myself in uncharted territory—searching for healing in unexpected places. This episode marks the relaunch of A Therapist Takes Her Own Advice—and the beginning of a deeply personal journey through soul sickness, alternative medicine, holotropic breathwork, and the longing for true community.Join me as I share what led to the podcast's rebrand, how I began exploring alternative healing modalities, and why this space now exists as a lifeline for anyone navigating profound inner work.What You’ll Hear in Thi...2025-05-2818 minA Therapist Takes Her Own AdviceAn Aligned Path with Jess VecchiarelliToday local mom Jess Vecchiarelli, shares her profound experience with a shamanic healer after a period of loss and emotional distress. Now she's reimagining her life and she’s using what she learned to uplift our community. Jess's upcoming offering:The Aligned Path's Women's Wellness RetreatSaturday, June 7 from 9-3:00 pm at Reid Castle (Manhattanville Campus, 2900 Purchase Street, Purchase, NY)Tickets will go on sale in the next few weeks on my website, and I will send you a direct link when available. 🌎...2025-05-2835 minA Therapist Takes Her Own AdviceGuided Meditation - Bilateral Stimulation for RelaxationThis relaxing meditation uses bilateral stimulation, meaning it stimulates both sides of the brain to help trigger your para-sympathetic nervous system and increase relaxation. To fully take advantage of the bilateral stimulation you must be listening on headphones. This type of slow bilateral stimulation typically results in a deep calm, helping to reduce anxiety or other intense emotions or even to relax into sleep. However, it’s not recommended for those with current migraines, head trauma or dissociative identity disorder as it might exacerbate those conditions. If you have a question about whether this medication is appropriate for...2023-11-1512 min
Selling the CouchENCORE: Depression and Private Practice BuildingToday’s topic is a popular one that affects many people. I’m not ashamed to say that I have struggled with mental health and depression. It’s especially important to know how to balance mental health and the challenges of entrepreneurship. Join us for this incredibly open and honest conversation. Our Featured Guest-Rebekah Shackney, LCSWRebekah Shackney has struggled with depression, which runs on both sides of her family. She’s here to share her story and how her life and business have been impacted. She will help guide us and share what she has lear...2023-08-3135 minA Therapist Takes Her Own AdviceDBT Problem Solving - Use Skills to Suffer LessThis new series of podcast parent tips aims to help you reduce conflict and better connect with your teen. In the fifth episode, I talk about problem solving options. When we encounter problems in life, we have choices about how to respond. 1. You can solve the problem.2. You can change how you feel about the problem.3. You can tolerate the problem.4. Stay miserable or make the situation worse.DBT is Dialectical Behavior Therapy, a model of therapy created by Dr. Marsha Linehan, that has been proven effe...2023-02-1407 minA Therapist Takes Her Own AdviceDBT SELF SOOTHING KIT - Calm a Meltdown QuicklyThis new series of podcast parent tips aims to help you reduce conflict and better connect with your teen. In the fourth episode, learn to create a self-soothing kit to ease emotional intensity and get through a meltdown without making the situation worse.DBT is Dialectical Behavior Therapy, a model of therapy created by Dr. Marsha Linehan, that has been proven effective at helping people learn to tolerate stress, regulate emotions, improve communication and create a happier more contented life. Thanks so much for your support of A Therapist Takes Her Own Advice. If you c...2023-01-2707 minA Therapist Takes Her Own AdviceDBT VALIDATION SKILL - Because Every Emotion is ValidThis new series of podcast parent tips aims to help you reduce conflict and better connect with your teen. In the third episode, learn to empathize with your teen even when you don't agree with them with the DBT Validation Skill.DBT is Dialectical Behavior Therapy, a model of therapy created by Dr. Marsha Linehan, that has been proven effective at helping people learn to tolerate stress, regulate emotions, improve communication and create a happier more contented life. Thanks so much for your support of A Therapist Takes Her Own Advice. If you connected with w...2023-01-1808 minA Therapist Takes Her Own AdviceDBT THINK SKILL - Improve Your PerspectiveThis new series of podcast parent tips aims to help you reduce conflict and better connect with your teen. In the second episode, learn to change your perspective on your teen's behavior with The DBT THINK Skill.THINK is an acronym that can help you change how you see your teen's behavior. THINK stands for: Think differentlyHave empathyInterpretationNoticeKindnessThe THINK Skill is just one of the many DBT Skills I teach my clients to help them communicate more effectively and reduce suffering for both themselves and their teens. DBT is Dialectical Behavior Therapy, a...2023-01-1107 minA Therapist Takes Her Own AdviceDBT STOP SKILL - Stop Conflict In Its TracksThis new series of podcast parent tips aims to help you reduce conflict and better connect with your teen. In the first episode, learn to stop conversations from becoming fights with the DBT STOP Skill.The STOP Skill can help you Stop a conflict in its tracks by encouraging you to StopTake a Step BackObserveProceed MindfullyThe Stop Skill is just one of the many DBT Skills I teach my clients to help them communicate more effectively and reduce suffering for both themselves and their teens. DBT is Dialectical Behavior Therapy, a model o...2023-01-0307 minA Therapist Takes Her Own AdviceGUIDED MEDITATION - Accessing Wise MindIn the last episode I told a story illustrating the DBT concept of the three states of mind, emotion mind, reasonable mind and wise mind. In this episode, I offer a guided meditation that will help you access wise mind when you need to make an important decision. As a reminder, wise mind is when you are thinking and behaving wisely. Seeing things as they are. Wise mind is in alignment with values and goals where you can access both reason and emotion. When you in wise mind you are moving through the world mindfully. Seeing reality...2022-04-2808 minA Therapist Takes Her Own AdviceDemystifying Mindfulness: Accessing Wise MindIn this episode, I tell a personal story that illustrates the DBT concept of the three states of mind, emotion mind, reasonable mind and wise mind. Emotion mind is when you’re thinking and behaving emotionally, treating feelings as facts about the world and letting your emotions rule your behavior. Emotion mind decisions disregards reason and pragmatics. They are pressured and desperate, you feel as if you must do it now or your life will be over. Reasonable mind decisions are logical and pragmatic…they are the know it all of decisions. They are the choi...2022-04-2209 min
A Therapist Takes Her Own AdviceGUIDED MEDITATION - Paced BreathingThis episode offers a paced breathing guided meditation to help reduce emotional pain quickly and allow you to get through a difficult moment without making the situation worse. When emotional arousal is high the body goes into fight or flight mode. The adrenaline pumps and blood flows to the extremities to prepare the body to face danger. This process works well if you're in real danger, but it's uncomfortable and can lead to problems when you're not. Paced breathing is a Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skill that rapidly sends a message to your mind and body to stop t...2022-03-2808 min
A Therapist Takes Her Own AdviceGUIDED MEDITATION - Begin AgainFor years I’ve told new meditators to allow themselves to begin again without judgement. When you realize the mind has drifted away just begin again. And, yet, until now, I didn’t connect this powerful concept to the rest of life. I didn’t really allow myself to fail without judgement. In this episode, I will discuss beginning again and offer a guided meditation to practice the concept. Thanks so much for your support of A Therapist Takes Her Own Advice. If you connected with what you heard here, and you want to work with me, go to...2022-01-1709 min
A Therapist Takes Her Own AdviceGUIDED MEDITATION - New Year New IntentionsAs we celebrate the New Year and a New Moon, I invite you to practice this guided meditation that asks you to go of what no longer serves you and make room for new intentions and new dreams for the year ahead.Together lets examine the previous 12 months and decide what’s been working for us and what hasn’t. Then we can make the choice to say goodbye to the old and invite in the new. We can let go of old thoughts, behaviors, habits, relationships, etc. that no longer serve us. In doing so we crea...2022-01-0409 min