Rebecca Spear (she/her)

I have a Master's Degree in Counseling Psychology with an Emphasis in Depth Psychology, with many advanced trainings in Jungian Therapy, known also as Analytical Psychology or Depth Psychology. These include Certification in Jungian Studies, and ongoing Sandplay Training from the C. G. Jung Institute. I attend weekly educational seminars in psychoanalytic counseling with Jungian Analysts in the international and local communities.

I use Brainspotting with The Crocodile Set-Up for Addiction Relapse Cessation, developed by Dr. Roby Ables to treat behaviors clients previously felt they had little to no control over, including addictions, leaving toxic relationships, self-harm, Obsessive Compulsive Disorders (OCD), Tourette's symptoms, as well as food compulsions, eating disorders, and other behaviors which happen in a dissociative state. Often these patterns occurs in combination with each other treated together.

I use Brainspotting with The Crocodile Set-Up for Addiction Relapse Cessation, developed by Dr. Roby Ables, to treat behaviors clients feel out-of-control with, including addictions, leaving toxic relationships, self-harm, Obsessive Compulsive Disorders (OCD), Tourette's symptoms, as well as food compulsions, eating disorders, and other behaviors which happen in a dissociative state. Often many behaviors occur together as negative coping mechanisms, and we work on one at a time.

Depression and Anxiety are classical symptoms of PTSD, where clients repeatedly become triggered by ordinary life. The self-perpetuating cycle often activates powerful inner shaming in clients with a harsh inner critic. I help clients release these patterns through Somatic Experiencing (body-focused treatments), Brainspotting (brain-based changes prompted from advanced EMDR research methods), and Mindful Awareness techniques.

Artistry not required! I use active imagination to explore images, symbols, and dreams. These share a common thread in containing messages from the unconscious. Psyche communicates to us in the world of symbols and images. I have specialized training in Dream Analysis, Painting Therapy, Spontaneous Drawing, and am currently enrolled in a 2-year Sandplay training working with symbolic image creation. Let’s decipher the messages from your unconscious to realize your higher Self!

I use body-work to guide clients in releasing their trauma histories. When trauma occurs early in life before language skills are fully developed, the trauma automatically becomes stored in the body. Symptoms of pain, repeated injuries, and even susceptibility to illness can all be signs of unprocessed childhood trauma. When we work somatically, we release the emotions stored in the body to relieve the physical symptoms and postural habits.

I use body-work to guide clients in releasing their trauma histories. When trauma happens before clients have developed the language skills to speak of the complexity of traumatic situations, the trauma automatically becomes stored in their bodies. Symptoms of pain, repeated injuries, and even susceptibility to illness can all be signs of unprocessed childhood trauma. When we work somatically, we release the emotions stored in the body to relieve the physical symptoms and postural habits.

The landscape of depression treatment has changed from medication being the only option. Depression sedates us, making us sluggish, slowing our thoughts, making isolation appealing. Even common experiences such as divorce can activate negative brain changes. I use Brainspotting techniques to rewire the brain for healthier responses to overwhelming situations. Then I move in with Relational Therapy, Dream Analysis, and Expressive Arts Therapies.

Anxiety hijacks our nervous system with no warning. We can be socializing, spending time alone, or watching a show when it hits. In the Jungian-trained healing community we know that the anxiety is attempting to send a message from the unconscious that is calling for attention. I work with Jungian Analysis along with a trauma-focused lens, using techniques from Brainspotting (BSP), Somatics, Dream Analysis, and creative outlets to reduce symptoms and explore just what message is trying to arise.

My view of Alcohol or Substance Abuse is that it sources from loneliness and abandonment. Feeling forsaken, we turn to substances when our early attachment figures could not ease our pain. Substances become substitutes for secure attachment figures…always there when you need them, never to be abandoned again. Dependence is also an ailment of the Soul. Healing occurs through the attachment relationship in therapy, ultimately extending to renewed connection with humanity, light and love.

Through advanced training, I have learned that trauma symptoms may start in adulthood with signs of depression, anxiety, PTSD or dissociation, but leads back to defenses that we developed in childhood for protection. ACES, or adverse childhood events, include children experiencing divorce, having a family member who suffers from substance abuse or is incarcerated, or being neglected or abused. Together we can explore the unconscious to relieve symptoms with trauma-focused psychoanalysis.

Food is a nourishing symbol to our body and soul. Often food compensates for feeling unloved, neglected, or shamed. Feelings of emptiness call for self-medication through food and other substances. Your personal relationship with food is entangled with your childhood experiences and how you made sense of those experiences at the time with an immature nervous system. A deep dive into Jungian Analysis, along with Brainspotting, body work, and dreamwork can ease symptoms in this and other areas.

Jungian Psychology is one of the few that include spirituality in therapy. We live our personal mythologies through collective myths, with symbols that are common across cultures. Jung called these Archetypes, i.e. The Healer, The Wise Woman, The Hero. Exploring our personal Shadow within our unconscious gives us information about our inner conflicts and how to integrate them into a new psychic wholeness. I have years of ongoing training in Jungian Analysis. Creatives Welcome!

The harsh inner critic tells you that suicidality is the answer. Unexplored intrusive thoughts of self-harm are part of your personal Shadow, erupting from the unconscious to attack you without warning. In Jungian Therapy we get to know your Shadow in a safe space, welcoming in its voice with curiosity. Shadow-work explores the origins of shame, blame, and violence, connecting with your wounded Inner Child, realizing their Dreams, and releasing the “stuckness” of life energy to move forward.

I often treat addictions along with eating disorders as they occur in dual diagnosis. Substance abuse may arise with no identifiable trauma history, but in my experience it often is coupled with feelings of being unlovable and unworthiness. Our task may be to disarm a harsh shaming inner critic. We do this by opening a dialogue with the unconscious through creative arts, dream, Brainspotting (neuroscience), psychoanalytic techniques, and with assistance from 12-Step Programs, if desired.

Working with adults, children, and young adults, one of my goals is to harness the power stored in creative expression. Many feel that Art Therapy is for children or teens, or certainly for artists. Jungian therapy uses the arts as a portal to express the higher Self, which includes the desires of the unconscious. In this manner, exploring images or music from dreams, or any images that arise while we talk, is therapeutic in connecting you to your soul’s longings!