Scheana Shay opened up about her postpartum struggles on an episode of her podcast last week.
Before revealing she’s back in therapy for the first time since her split from Robert Parks-Valletta and looking back on a messy moment involving Brock Davies and his family trauma, the Vanderpump Rules star said she’s been coping with “intrusive thoughts” since daughter Summer Moon‘s April 2021 birth.
“Postpartum OCD is no joke,” Scheana admitted on the December 16 episode of Scheananigans. “It’s often misdiagnosed as postpartum depression.”
According to Scheana, she’s trying to avoid being put on a medication by seeking out more unconventional treatments, including “exposure response therapy,” saying there are a couple of “different kinds” available.
As for therapy, Scheana is partaking in that as well — for the first time since her breakup from Rob.
“Up until the last six months, just being a new mom and dealing with these intrusive thoughts and feelings that I knew wasn’t postpartum depression, I didn’t know what it was, and I think therapy is really helping me, and I love it,” Scheana explained. “But I think it’s finding the right person.”
“It has to be the right time of your life. [And] you have to be open and accepting of it,” she continued.
Although Scheana’s husband, Brock, and mom, Erika Von Olphen, aren’t currently in therapy, Scheana told them on her podcast that she’d love for both of them to “try a little therapy.”
“It might bring up something that can help you cope with things not completely on your own,” she noted as Brock confirmed he isn’t against the idea.
Moving on to Brock’s family trauma, Scheana said that after his family came to visit them in Los Angeles from Australia, deep-rooted issues came to a head.
“Some past family trauma stuff that [his sister] had never told him, he had never told her… all of this stuff… It was to the point where I was like, ‘Nicole, I love you, but if you keep raising your voice and wake up my baby one more time, we’re gonna have an issue.’ But I was like, you know what, this is family,” Scheana recalled. “There were a lot of things I think none of [them] had talked about. It was a conversation that was a long time coming.”
Luckily, by the end of it, everyone was in tears — the good kind.
“Everyone was hugging, and I felt like there was so much resolution,” she revealed.
As for Brock’s interaction with her family, Scheana looked back on an awkward encounter between Brock and her dad, during which Brock referred to Ron as an “old mate” out of respect, which got lost in translation for Ron.
“He just thought you were calling him old and fat the whole trip. He was so offended. His feeling was genuinely hurt,” Scheana explained.
And Erika had struggles with Brock as well.
“Brock comes in, and he’s just a total extrovert, and I felt like it was a lot for me. I’m not used to having someone challenge me,” Erika admitted.
Vanderpump Rules season 10 is expected to premiere on Bravo sometime in early 2023.