With a focus on self acceptance, cultivating inner awareness, and reclaiming a sense of wholeness, Rebecca helps guide clients through the survivorship process.
mission
After treatment ends, life seldom returns to "normal." There is a huge gap in support from medical teams, because appointments are much further apart. This gap is most strongly felt in our lives, as we sort through the roles we identified with before diagnosis, and recognize how much we have changed. Rebecca's goal is to provide support, empowering patients through the inner healing journey at any point through the patient/survivorship experience.
In the News
NY Times 'Going Flat' After Breast Cancer
“It’s a tremendous amount to put your body through, and it’s not like we’re going to get our breasts back,” said Rebecca Pine, 40, who decided against reconstruction surgery after a mastectomy.
As our Pink Power TODAY series marking Breast Cancer Awareness continues, breast cancer survivor Joan Lunden sits down with three women who made the very personal choice to forego breast reconstruction after their mastectomies.
Pine, a breast cancer survivor, wants other women to know that healing is a highly personal process and that reconstructive surgery, while right for many women, may not be right for everyone.
A series of striking images of women who have had double mastectomies has been featured in a US newspaper. Rebecca Pine was one of the women. She spoke to BBC Outside Source. Photos courtesy Miana Jun.
Westmed Medical Group "Free Art Therapy Classes for Breast Cancer Patients"
Westmed has added a unique workshop to its Calendar of Events. It’s a FREE five-session series of Art Therapy classes designed for women who are breast cancer survivors. All costs are covered by Westmed.
The facilitator of this support group is Rebecca Pine, an eight-year breast cancer survivor. With a focus on self-acceptance, cultivating inner awareness, and reclaiming a sense of wholeness, Rebecca helps guide participants through the process of embracing their inner scars.
Rebecca’s strength and resilience shine through as she describes her journey. This episode is full of clear and evocative language, as she walks us through her decision-making process. As she talks, she brings the listener, no matter where they’re at in a breast cancer journey, to the reminder of self-care, self-acceptance, and the realization of beauty.
Creative Expression for Healing Trauma:
-For artists and non-artists alike
-Learn to tap into the hidden power of creative expression to draw upon the deeper, intuitive nature that cultivates the inner healing process
Healing with Journaling:
-Utilize thought-provoking writing prompts to delve into the depths of personal reflection and self discovery
Body Image and Self Acceptance:
-Explore ways of welcoming a deeper connection with yourself
-Shatter the inner voice of "not good enough"
-Learn tools of self empowerment as you cultivate your intuitive nature
-Redefine beauty and wholeness in terms that feel positive and nurturing
The Underbelly: Parenting Through Breast Cancer and Beyond
I was diagnosed with breast cancer over the summer of 2009. My husband and I were about to get married, merging our two smaller families and moving the smallest of the two—mine—across two bridges, an interstate, and two parkways. Our children were six and ten months apart; my son became the “middle child” overnight. They were nine, nine-and-a-half, and ten years old, and the transition from buddies to siblings was boisterous, busy, and messy as we unpacked boxes, played, and explored the local area.
While preparing for my second mastectomy, I wanted to do something different to help with the emotional transition of losing my breast. This was to be a prophylactic surgery—I carry the BRCA-1 gene—and unlike my previous mastectomy, I had the gift of additional time to prepare for this loss. I was familiar with the idea of making plaster casts of the torso area to create a three-dimensional, life-sized memory...
After the whirlwind of breast cancer subsided, my husband and I broached the question of pregnancy with my doctor. My medical team met with the tumor board to discuss my case. We were not sure what to expect. Having a baby post-breast cancer is a controversial topic, and the information I pored over at the library and online seemed inconclusive, if not bleak. I was discouraged. My breast cancer had been highly estrogen receptor-positive, and all of the young women I met through a support group had been told they could not or should not have more children.
Up Journey:
All too often, we play a seemingly endless loop of negative thoughts. Critical messages aimed at ourselves.
The good news is, even when this negative inner critic is ingrained in our subconscious, we can re-train ourselves to replace these messages with more positive ones.
Projects
A written and photographic project for and about breast cancer survivors, with photographer, Miana Jun.
The Breast and the Sea empowers breast cancer survivors, previvors, and patients in the process of emotional healing sharing our journeys through reflective, nature-based workshops. Gatherings involve community support, movement practices, and photographic witnessing; deepening participant connections to themselves and the environment.
about rebecca pine
Rebecca Pine supports individuals in the process of healing the emotional scars of trauma and loss. She shares practical, easy-to-apply tools that can lead to profound inner healing. Rebecca's FREE-ACT™ system offers a transformative approach to everyday hurdles, drawing upon the pillars of Feel, Regroup, Evaluate, and Empower before ACTion.
Rebecca is a writer, workshop facilitator, and international speaker, who has presented across the US and India. She is also the co-founder of The Breast and the Sea, a written and photographic project empowering breast cancer survivors. With a background as an herbalist and naturalist, she weaves her lifelong love of nature into every aspect of her work. Raised by a disabled and chronically ill mother, Rebecca experienced illness early on from the perspective of the caregiver. Diagnosed with breast cancer herself in 2009, Rebecca developed an intimate understanding about the losses related to cancer and beyond.
By cultivating creative expression and personal ritual, Rebecca offers a powerful experience of change and growth for her clients and audiences. Her keynote attendees, clients, and workshop participants learn practical techniques they can immediately begin to implement in their daily lives.
NY Times Insider "The Women Who Showed Their Breast Cancer Scars"
In this article, Well reporter Roni Caryn Rabin reflects on why the women whom she and photographer Béatrice de Géa featured in a recent story about “going flat” after mastectomies were surprisingly eager to reveal themselves to the world.
The Today Show "Mom Asks Daughter to Have Surgery"
Gail Pine was an impressive woman: she was born with spina bifida and doctors told her she wouldn't be able to walk or have children, but she did both. Later in life, she was diagnosed with breast cancer, and doctors warned that she didn't have much time left...
For women who've had mastectomies, what to do next is, increasingly, a matter of choice. And what some women are choosing to do may surprise you.
Women choose to "go flat" after cancer surgery. Women choose to 'go flat' after cancer surgery." Rebecca Pine, The Breast and the Sea. PANEL: Rep. Donna Edwards (D-MD), Ann Stone, Jennifer Higgins, Lara Brown
Rebecca Pine, 41, of Long Island, NY, who decided to go flat after her second mastectomy in 2013, launched an online project called "The Breast and the Sea: Transforming Our Scars"" with Bucks County photographer, Miana Jun. This weekend, Pine is to lead a workshop on reconstructive decisions, body image, and self acceptance at the annual meeting of Living Beyond Breast cancer, the Bala Cynwyd-based advocacy organization.
Courage in the Face of Fear:
-There is no avoiding the storm, but deep roots provide a tree with strength and stability despite the wind
-Discover ways of cultivating your personal "roots"
-Unearth powerful inner tools and learn how to call upon them in times of fear, pain, and difficulty
Nature and the Quiet Mind:
-Learn how to cultivate a deeper connection to the natural world
-Discover ways of welcoming and accessing this connection in your daily life
-Increase peace, mindfulness, and wellbeing
This week, as part of our September focus on going flat, we welcome Rebecca Pine. A talented writer and advocate for women with breast cancer, Rebecca shares her experience as a young mother who faced mastectomy. She also touches on the inspiration for The Breast and the Sea (follow the link or see the end of this article for details on this project).
In reaching out, we take a tremendous risk. Our needs may not be met. Yet in not reaching out there is a greater risk. Feeling connected to community was very important to me. My experience of cancer had been lonely and isolating. I did not want to go through that again. So I followed my mother’s example and began talking about my upcoming surgeries with people from every aspect of my life.
It was a bright autumn day. The car was packed with paints, brushes, and other artistic materials. I was on my way to a workshop I was facilitating for a group focused on creative healing through loss.
As I made my way onto the highway, my heart sank. There was traffic. Lots of traffic. The line of cars extending as far as I could see made me realize the severity of the situation. Although I typically arrive early to set up, I was still a long way from my destination. Very likely, I would be late...
The Breast and the Sea, Workshops
Westmed Medical Group, Workshop Series
Memorial Cancer Institute,
Breaking the Silence SymposiumWego Health, Innovation Day
Stand up for Suzanne, Annual Luncheon
The Yoga Institute in Ambedkar Hall (Mumbai, India)
Soho Photo, Artist Talk and Workshop
Here for the Girls, Workshops
Zufall Health, Workshop Presentations
Testimonials
Vickie Gould, Certified Law of Attraction Business and Book Coach, shares her experience hearing Rebecca's keynote talk.