

Deconstruction
Rachael Spyker
Deconstructing the narratives that define our lives to find the common humanity in all of us. Deconstruction explores psychology, spirituality, and society to navigate the world with depth, clarity, and liberation. Hosted by Rachael, a psychedelic psychotherapist, this podcast offers:
Interviews – Conversations with visionaries shaping new ways of being.
Anam Cara – A series with Alice as a container of belonging and relational depth.
Experientials – Guided meditations, bodyful practices, and immersive experiences.
Join us as we reclaim wholeness and belonging.
www.alchemycounselling.ca
Interviews – Conversations with visionaries shaping new ways of being.
Anam Cara – A series with Alice as a container of belonging and relational depth.
Experientials – Guided meditations, bodyful practices, and immersive experiences.
Join us as we reclaim wholeness and belonging.
www.alchemycounselling.ca
Episodes
Mentioned books

Apr 21, 2024 • 49min
Overcoming Stigma in Sex Addiction Therapy (Davis Wiggs)
 In this conversation, Davis Wiggs, a sex addiction therapist, discusses his approach to therapy and the importance of building trust and breaking barriers with clients. He emphasizes the need to work from the bottom up, addressing underlying wounds and trauma before focusing on specific addictions. Davis highlights the role of curiosity and connection in therapy, and the importance of pacing and allowing clients to work at their own pace. He also explores the impact of social media on body image and self-perception, and the process of reclaiming a true sense of self. Davis concludes by discussing the power of therapy as a dress rehearsal for life and the potential for change outside of therapy
Learn more about Davis on his Website: 
Between The Vines Counselling 
Follow him on Instagram:
Between The Vines Counselling
Click to learn more about Alchemy and Rachael.
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Mar 19, 2024 • 1h 8min
Beyond the Veil: Exploring Tarot and Dream Realms (Vickie Grayson)
 In this conversation Rachael speaks with Vickie Grayson as they discuss her passion about tarot and dreams. She discusses her early fascination with dreams and the support she received from her mother. Vickie also recounts a visitation dream she had after her grandfather passed away. She then explains how she got interested in tarot and how it helped her during a period of burnout. Finally, she talks about her discovery of dream work and how it has become an obsession for her.
Vickie is a registered nurse, folk herbalist, tarot reader and dream worker passionate about exploring our inner worlds through story, symbol, and ritual. To her, tarot and dreams provide a portal for reflection, magic, and transformation.
Learn more about Vickie on her Website
Follow her on Instagram
Content mentioned in the podcast:
Initiation into Dream Mysteries: Drinking from the Pool of Mnemosyne
@sarahjanesdreaming @mossdreamsart
Click to learn more about Alchemy and Rachael.
Help us amplify the message!
Please Rate and Review the podcast on Apple and Spotify!
 

Mar 3, 2024 • 1h 8min
Mirrors of the Soul: Authentic Relationships and Political Compassion (Alice Buckley)
 In this conversation, Alice and Rachael discuss the importance of embracing difficult emotions and developing a relationship with them. They explore the power of gratitude for emotions and how it can lead to healing and transformation. They also delve into the significance of authentic mirroring in relationships and the role it plays in personal growth. The conversation then shifts to the rehumanization of politics and the impact of trauma in political environments. Finally, they explore triggers as guideposts for healing and the importance of embracing our shared humanity.
*Alice leads a grounding meditation exercise in the beginning of this episode. Interview begins at the 9:00 minutes*
Alice Buckley, is a cherished friend, sister, storyteller, wise woman, activist, retreat runner, and politician serving as a State Representative for Bozeman, Montana.
Follow Alice on Facebook  & Instagram
Click to learn more about Alchemy and Rachael.
Help us amplify the message!
Please Rate and Review the podcast on Apple and Spotify!
 

Feb 24, 2024 • 51min
Unlocking Transformation: The Healing Power of AEDP (Zara Neukom)
 In today's episode, Rachael speaks with Zara Neukom as they engage in a captivating conversation exploring the transformative modality of Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP). Zara shares her personal journey to AEDP and how it has become her clinical home, offering insights into its depathologizing framework and emphasis on the inherent healing capacities within each individual. Throughout the discussion they touch upon themes such as embracing the unfelt, navigating the intensity of healing, and reorienting towards the experience of embodiment.
Based in Kelowna British Columbia, Zara Neukom is a dedicated psychotherapist whose practice centres around relational and somatic approaches. With a focus on facilitating deeper connections to one's body, accessing innate wholeness, and privileging lived experience, Zara's work embodies a commitment to holistic relational healing. 
Learn more about Zara on her Website.
Click to learn more about Alchemy and Rachael.
Help us amplify the message!
Please Rate and Review the podcast on Apple and Spotify!
 

Jul 18, 2023 • 49min
Somatic Experiencing Part II
 In this episode, I finish my talk with the master somatic practitioner and my dear friend, Tanya Wishlove. Here, she talks about the ways our bodies are hardwired for our benefit and survival. She shares how through SE practices, we can move through stuck processes looping in our system releasing them: coming home to ourselves. 

Jun 30, 2023 • 38min
Somatic Experiencing Part I
 In this episode, I talk with the master somatic practitioner and my dear friend, Tanya Wishlove. Tanya has been practising SE for over 15 years. She has studied trauma-informed somatic practice for over 5 years, and is currently in the 3rd year of a 4-year training program that further addresses the power of the body and nervous system to transform parasitic patterns of behavior. We spent time talking about the way trauma overwhelms the nervous system and how to unlock and heal it through somatic practises.  

Jun 20, 2023 • 50min
Relational Healing II
 In this episode, I finish my talk with the brilliant entrepreneur Ryan Langford. We talk about somatic experiencing, the healing power of touch, curiosity, and wonder. Content Warning: Suicide and Abuse. https://kelownatraumatherapy.com https://www.hopeguide.com/story https://www.alchemycounselling.ca 

Jun 8, 2023 • 48min
Relational Healing Part I
 In this episode, I talk with the brilliant entrepreneur Ryan Langford. We discuss the idea of "what is wounded in relationship only heals in relationship" which is a core component of the therapeutic modality I use: Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP). We also cover topics around embodiment, witnessing, and collective healing. Content Warning: Suicide and Abuse. The interview starts at: 8:53 minutes. 
https://kelownatraumatherapy.com
https://www.hopeguide.com/story
https://www.alchemycounselling.ca
 

Jan 8, 2023 • 22min
Season II
 Welcome back! It feels so good to be back in this space after a couple years off. This episode speaks the the 'why' beneath the purpose of this podcast and lets you know what you can expect for the season ahead. 
Check out Beyond the Wound., the religious trauma summit I will be co-hosting. 
https://www.beyondthewound.com/
My practice's website
https://www.alchemycounselling.ca/ 

Apr 30, 2021 • 1h 12min
Deconstruction Part I.
 I am back after a bit of a break! This week's episode, my partner Jon interviewed me. I hope you enjoy getting to know me a little better. This episode focuses on my research, psychological conceptualization, and my therapeutic modalities. Part II focuses more on my own journey, my career moving forward, and the reasoning behind the name "Deconstruction".
I recently graduated with my Masters of Counselling Psychology, and this fall it will be 10 years that I have been studying Psychology in some capacity. Therefore, it felt right to take some time to reflect on all that I have been learning. On top of studying Psychology, I have worked in the mental health field for many years. I started out worked as a Behavioural Interventionist while simultaneously working for the Crisis/Suicide hotline. I then worked for the coolest organization in the world: CRIS Adaptive Adventures. Look them up. Then I worked as a family preservation worker. For this job, I worked with parents in order to help them get their children back when they had been/ or were at risk of being removed from their homes by MCFD. From there, I went on to work as a Clinician at the Adult Withdrawal Management Unit, Adult Psychiatric Inpatient Unit, Opioid Substitute Treatment Program, Nechako Youth Treatment Centre, and with the Intensive Case Management team. I also got to spend a short time at the Suspected Child Abuse and Neglect clinic. Finally, I ended up at my most favourite job in the world: The Early Psychosis Intervention Team. Here I got unbelievable access to psychiatric training by phenomenal psychiatrists and a psychologist. On top of the medical school level training, (our program was affiliated with UNBC's medical program so we always had med students and psychiatry residents) I was able to work with the most incredible, resilient, and fascinating individuals. I was unbelievably lucky to have the opportunity to work closely with some of the most rare and severe psychiatric disorders in society. I cannot even begin to explain the learning and growth this job fostered. On top of that, I worked in collaboration with the best team in the world (Love you EPI).
These last last 8 months for my practicum, I have been working as a psychotherapist in private counselling, school counselling (middle school and University), and non-profit counselling settings. While a jarring difference from the clientele I was used to working with, it expanded my repertoire of knowledge and expertise. I loved working with this population just as much as the more severe cases; humans are Fascinating!
All that to say: I. Love. Psychology.
Enjoy. 


