Greetings!
This is my effort to help people tap into their innate ability to experience happiness and positive, uplifting emotions to improve self-care, self-awareness, relationships and coping abilities.
Mentally and emotionally flexible people make better decisions from which we all benefit.
There are many health benefits from the ability to maintain or quickly regain a stable mood.
The Science of Empowerment
Coherence
Using biofeedback to measure heart-rate variability while reading a generic document. Compared to Breathing Healing Mantras (2:40).
The simple DIY technique to attain coherence is explained near the end of this page.
My practice has transitioned from office-based bio/neurofeedback to modalities that are more compatible with telemedicine-treatment delivery.
In addition to mental health “talk” therapy, consulting is available for online clients who are interested in non-pharmaceutical approaches to health and wellness. Combining technology with behavioral techniques can produce powerful and empowering results. One example is AVE combined with hypnosis.
Interventions are based on my personal journey recovering from injuries sustained in a fatal auto accident many years ago, plus knowledge of behavioral medicine, and subsequent clinical practice at MindSpa Sarasota, in addition to a graduate degree and 15 years (at that time) practicing behavior therapy.*
Mental/emotional distress invariably produces physical symptoms just as physical injury/illness always has a mental/emotional component. Effective treatment addresses the whole person.
That event, combined with an aversion to the health-care system in this country, renewed my quest to provide clients with more empowering methods to attain and maintain physical and mental health.
Everything is connected. Our bodies are designed to alert or rescue us from ‘danger’ – real and imagined.
Fortunately, we’re born with some amazing, innate abilities to self-regulate physical, mental, and emotional pain. Technology can be a very useful adjunct to skill acquisition.
I have personally used the devices and techniques described here (plus PEMF and TENS), and delivered these treatments to clients.
*I highly recommend obtaining a brain map for possible neurofeedback if a concussion, head injury, cognitive, behavioral, or emotional distress, or broken bones result from an impact.
Biofeedback
Entrainment & Cranio-Electrical Stimulation (CES)
Low Level Laser
Biofeedback devices increase your awareness of physiological responses to stimuli (otherwise known as Life), which allows you to learn a new, more adaptive response.
Benefits include improvement in a wide range of physical and mental health conditions.
Audio-Visual Entrainment (AVE) devices deliver an audio and/or visual stimulus to which your brainwaves will synchronize to improve mental functioning and performance.
CES is the application of a mild electrical current to the brain to improve neurotransmitter production.
Also referred to as a Cold Laser, LLLT devices emit visible light at varying wavelengths, which stimulates cellular processes.
Benefits include pain relief, tissue repair, and reduced inflammation.
A meta- analysis study by Gilula & Kirsch (2005) of 290 depressives showed a direct comparison of CES against various depression medications. -Dave Siever, C.E.T. 2014
Relaxation Training
Clinical Hypnosis
Lifestyle & Environment
Techniques to train more adaptive physical and mental responses to conditioned stressors.
Elicits the relaxation response, which slows breathing, relaxes muscles and reduces blood pressure.
By increasing receptivity to verbal suggestions, clinical hypnosis builds on the relaxation response to shift clients from habitual, unwanted patterns to new possibilities.
Lifestyle examples include good nutrition and healthy eating habits. Restful sleep. Regular physical activity. Stable and enjoyable relationships. Work-life balance. Curiosity. Constructive participation and purpose in life.
Environmental examples include economic opportunities. Access to safe and affordable housing. Freedom from harassment, intimidation, coercion, bullying, and physical or lethal aggression.
J. Neysa Buckle, M.S., LMHC
Behavior Analyst / Therapist
M.S., Behavior Analysis & Therapy
SIU-Carbondale, IL
B.A., Psychology
SIU-Carbondale, IL
Licensed Mental Health Counselor
Certified High-Performance Neurofeedback Provider
Inactive Credentials:
Board Certified Behavior Analyst
HeartMath Certified Practitioner
Certified Cognitive-Behavior Therapist
Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor
Nat’l Board Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist
Assn for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (Full Member)
Seeking services? Questions? Text me at 813-461-6130.
Coaching & Consulting
Therapy
The Coaching & Consulting option does not require a diagnosis and insurance is not used. Clients access services as needed with ease of use and reasonable rates. Sessions may also apply toward your insurance deductible requirement.
Therapy requires a diagnosis for insurance payment. The diagnosis becomes a part of your permanent health record. It’s possible to obtain an initial impression via the Coaching & Consulting option – I’m both a Behavior Analyst and a Behavior Therapist (LMHC) – then decide whether to use health insurance, which determines your cost. Out-of-network benefits may be comparable to in-network, depending on your insurance.
Behavior Coaching
As a Behavior Coach, I work with people who are curious about learning and growing in ways that create opportunities from life’s challenges. By focusing on achievement, exploring newly created options, and identifying potential barriers, coaching allows clients to reach for more in life. Importantly, coaching is about doing something else to create the life you want—with the help of an experienced guide. My training and experience (of 30+ years) as a Behavior Analyst uniquely lends itself to identifying patterns, their origins, and how they’re maintained. Thus providing valuable information on what to do differently to achieve the results you want.
The field of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) has many very useful applications to human behavior. Derived from the scientific study of behavior, it’s the ‘brass tacks’ of my clinical training. Having a solid behavioral background is an excellent springboard into other more eclectic approaches to helping people create, grow, and change in ways that are more authentic to the self. Incorporating Eastern philosophies and dialectical thinking allow shifts in perspective that can be very freeing.
Behavior Analysis
According to cognitive scientist and professor, Arthur B. Markman, PhD: “Smart Thinking and intelligence are not the same. Self-knowledge is the first step to smart thinking. Evaluate your own behavior.“
Thirty years and thousands of clients later, it has come to my attention… ‘The Problem’ is rarely what you think it is! It’s difficult to solve ‘The Problem’ unless you actually know what it is. I can usually identify ‘The Problem’ in one session.
Q: What is Behavior Analysis?
A: The field of Behavior Analysis grew out of the scientific study of principles of learning and behavior. Experimental Analysis of Behavior (EAB) is the basic science of this field and has over many decades accumulated a substantial and well-respected body of research literature. This research literature is the scientific foundation of Applied Behavior Analysis.
Q: What is Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)?
A: ABA—which I practice—is both an applied science that develops methods of changing behavior, and a profession that provides services to meet diverse behavioral needs. Professionals in Applied Behavior Analysis engage in the specific and comprehensive use of principles of learning applied to a wide range of clients in various settings.
Q: Why is Behavior Analysis important?
A: Many people have difficulty accurately evaluating behavior. Accurate evaluation is the bedrock of potential change.
Q: Don’t most clinicians use Behavior Analysis?
No, ABA requires specialized training and experience. In fact, many clinicians fail to scrutinize—behaviorally—what is actually going on now or recently in a person’s life. Yes, they talk about these events but often fail to address what elicits and maintains current behaviors. Analysis of these events is the laboratory for the behavior change needed to re-wire the brain.
Q: How is Behavior Analysis different from Behavior Therapy?
A: Accurate Behavior Analysis identifies specific behaviors to change via coaching or Behavior Therapy, which also has a well-respected body of research literature with many clinical applications.
Q: What about Unconscious Behavior?
A: My graduate training in ABA did not address unconscious behavior per se. However, many people engage in (thinking and doing) behavior ‘automatically’ and do become very conscious of these reactions and patterns through Behavior Analysis. They also learn why certain behaviors occur and can then consciously choose a different response. Also, Clinical Hypnosis—which I practice—is a very useful adjunct to Behavior Analysis and Behavior Therapy.
Q: What are other benefits of Behavior Analysis?
A: First and foremost is the ability to accurately identify ‘The Problem’ then knowing what creates and maintains it. Also, knowing when, why and how to apply behavior change strategies is the hallmark of effective intervention. Many clients have tried other avenues without relief and want my opinion. They seek a behavioral assessment and treatment recommendations.
Behavior Therapy
‘Behavior’ is defined as overt (observable actions of a person), covert (thoughts/beliefs), and somatic (body/emotional) responses. Therefore, Behavior Therapy also encompasses what is more popularly known as Cognitive-Behavior Therapy (CBT). There are many misconceptions about CBT even among practitioners who call themselves CB therapists. One is that anyone can do it without specialized training. Another is that ‘cognitive-behavioral’ refers only to cognitive behavior or thoughts, which is more accurately known as cognitive therapy. Or, that CBT just addresses the symptoms without getting to the deeper issues.
CBT is a bio-psycho-social approach to improved functioning that does not subscribe to the belief that getting to the ‘deeper’ issues will spontaneously provide relief. It’s about changing the brain by doing something different. There are key ingredients to behavior therapy that set it apart from other forms of therapy. Professional training and credentials plus the skillful use of evidence-based treatment (vs theories) are hallmarks of CBT.
CBT examines the client’s internal and external environments in great detail to ascertain what has shaped and continues to maintain behavior—this is the conditioning mentioned earlier. Many people have episodes in which stress or illness or trauma put their coping abilities to the test. To that end, CBT is often more focused on the ‘here and now’ versus re-visiting the distant past at length. Interest in past events is typically focused on the contribution of those events to the current problem, and educating the client about the conditioning that took place. Likewise, understanding that all behavior is functional, i.e., serves a purpose—whether or not it’s adaptive—is also empowering.
CBT tends to be aimed at more immediate change and can be sought on an ‘as-needed’ basis versus a treatment approach that requires one to settle into therapy for many months or years. And, while the primary goal is not to gain insight per se, it is a natural byproduct of CBT and most forms of therapy. CBT goes beyond the ‘light bulb moments’ to learning the skills to improve coping and one’s quality of life. Changing behavior changes the brain.
Some people experience recurrent or persistent problems with ‘normal’ functioning, on a regular basis. They experience some degree of mental or emotional distress; or debilitation often in the form of withdrawal or anxiety and avoidance; or over-reactivity such as anger or panic. There is typically a corresponding mental health diagnosis (DSM V) describing common symptoms of the disorder. Likewise, there are conditioned responses. But the difference that results in seeking therapy is the interference with optimal brain or body functioning. This is reflected in impairment in some area of life such as job, family or social relationships, health, or legal consequences.
My clinical practice specializes in improvement of mental and physical health and wellness through the application of cognitive and behavior therapy, hypnosis, and behavioral medicine in the treatment of anxiety and stress-related disorders which can result in mood- and emotion-regulation problems; obsessive and compulsive behaviors; phobias and panic, as well as interpersonal and relationship problems.
Behavioral Medicine
Mental/emotional distress invariably produces physical symptoms just as physical illness always has a mental/emotional component. Effective treatment addresses the whole person. Behavioral medicine has applications to many chronic health problems. Extensive research in the use of behavioral medicine documents such effects as enhanced immune response, decreased inflammation, and increased relaxation.
My interest in behavioral medicine stems from the physical effects of stress and anxiety on the body. Signs and symptoms of the anxiety disorders can include feeling jittery, unsettled, overwhelmed, excessively worried, preoccupied with catastrophic thoughts, easily startled or being emotionally overreactive. There are often disturbances of sleep, concentration, or mood, which in turn affect social relationships or occupational functioning.
Addressing the mind-body connection is an important part of my practice. Changes in thoughts, emotions, behavior and lifestyle can improve health and prevent, reduce, or eliminate symptoms of illness. Behavioral medicine interventions empower the client to do what works, thus reducing reliance on medication. You can self-schedule a telehealth appointment on Headway, or check to see if I’m online now at 813-461-6130.
Tell Your Brain!
In each of the books (listed below) I’ve constructed 60 pairs of coping statements, which are alternatives to common thinking errors and brain traps that contribute to intense distress.
Unpleasant and unwanted thoughts contribute to anxiety and rumination, thus fueling physical and emotional dysregulation.
People often have valid reasons for distressing thoughts and feelings. This is about learning how to free yourself from the negative effects of ‘stewing in your own juices’. These breathing mantras are designed to:
1. Build on the Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) concept of improving the moment.
2. Build on the Behavior Therapy (BT) concept of using coping statements and alternative incompatible behavior to neutralize catastrophic or intrusive negative thoughts.
3. Build on the Cognitive-Behavior Therapy (CBT) concept of identifying, challenging, and replacing common thinking errors.
4. Build on the power of words to provide comfort, inspiration, and new insights – shifting mood and improving adaptive responses to stressors.
5. Provide a template for different combinations to create your own healing mantras. With practice, you will have an effective technique to manage stress through self-regulation of the heart-brain connection by using this well-researched rate of breathing.
Each pair of statements allows for about 10 seconds: five (5) seconds on the inhale and five (5) seconds on the exhale. Silently breathe through your nose, slowly inhaling every syllable of the first statement then slowly exhaling every syllable of the second statement.
Variations include adding a (nasal) gasp at the top of the inhalation; holding the breath for a moment before exhaling; and, extending the exhale. Tweak the process to find out what works best for you. Remember to breathe through your nose.
Feeling stuck? Pick a page at random. You don’t have to believe the mantras – just begin breathing the ones that speak to you, and see what happens. For those interested in meditation, this can be a good place to start. Regular practice is the key!
Books available on Google Play Books
Feedback from Light Bulbs Reader 2023:
“Five Stars!! It’s a delightfully quick read, providing insight into the mind and its mechanisms of understanding and reacting to the environment. I hope the author continues to expand our understanding with more books on this topic in the future.” – Sky S.
“Talk Therapy Doesn’t Work”
Somehow I found myself in a conversation with a female acquaintance about mental health and “talk” therapy. We had previously enjoyed many friendly conversations… however, this one evolved from lighthearted topics and banter into hearing about her remarkably stressful experiences navigating the mental health system on behalf of her husband.
Becoming increasingly agitated while recounting her desperation and despair, the woman repeatedly stated that “talk therapy doesn’t work”. That’s a strong statement in light of my decades-long career as a mental health therapist. However, it sheds light on a few things, including the rush to medicate vs starting with a less invasive approach; psychiatry vs non-pharmaceutical interventions; and the role of confounding variables in treatment.
As the discussion kicked off, I observed that her husband’s retirement likely triggered obsessive catastrophic thoughts of getting cancer, which in turn triggered compulsive visits to various doctors. She identified an event when her husband was a young man in which he was told by a doctor that an injury, for which he was being treated at that time, could cause cancer later in life. She strongly agreed that he later became stuck in rumination (which I refer to as ‘stewing in your own juices’).
As her aging husband became increasingly fearful and agitated he was subjected to numerous medical tests and treatments involving medication, ECT (“shock therapy”), hospitalization, and apparently “talk” therapy. Though it’s not clear whether the talk therapy was part of his visits to various psychiatrists. She was becoming increasingly angry and agitated, which made it difficult to extract the particulars.
The upshot is that his psychotic episodes became more frequent and more intense; he could not be dissuaded by his wife from the conviction that he was dying as ‘evidenced’ by bizarre hallucinations involving his body. She regularly reminded him of his family’s longevity and that he likely had a couple more decades. Her husband passed away last year.
When a patient is subjected to different treatments simultaneously such as medication and talk therapy or talk therapy and you-name-it, there are at least two interventions at play. How is it conclusive that talk therapy is the intervention that doesn’t work?
What was the talk therapy? There are different treatment approaches depending on education, training, experience, etc. The preponderance of potential treatments was another source of agitation and confusion for this woman. How to find what works? What are the most important criteria to apply? Is it the clinician’s advertising budget, self-promotion, smiling pictures? Is it the recommendation of others? Is it the ability to discern the likely efficacy based on accredited education, professional credentials, experience, and patient outcomes?
Delivering more than one treatment at a time increases confounding variables. It’s important to deliver one treatment at a time and carefully track the results over a reasonable amount of time. Know the target behaviors.
Hence the importance of evidence-based treatment modalities when selecting “talk” therapy. Do your homework and know your criteria. It’s difficult enough to discern reality in this fabricated, photo-shopped, 21st- century, AI world. Using an information/decision matrix can help sort out what’s best for you. -Neysa