More by Rayleigh Joy
Dr Rayleigh Joy is one of the main authors of the LifeCare blog. She has been practicing clinically in the psycho-social health field for over 25 years. She gained her Doctor of Philosophy in 2004 where she mapped across the fields of psychology and law in the context of child abuse. She brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to her practice, providing clients with individualised interventions that are grounded in research and underpinned by respect, sensitivity and empathy.
Separation – Looking through the hourglass
Family Law is fraught with complexity, competing interests, suffering and potent, palpable anger. The process of separating undoubtedly qualifies as a high stress life event with many individuals experiencing significant anxiety, depression, increased substance abuse and difficulty regulating their emotions.
Enough… Is Enough!
Current society is filled with hustle and bustle. It’s evidence-based, future-focused and embraces instant gratification like never before. There is pressure to excel and then some more, increase productivity, have more and sleep less. ‘Strive for more’ is seemingly the 21st century mantra. The underpinning message I fear is a resounding, ‘I don’t have enough, …
Stress and the Mind Body Brain Connection
Overwhelmingly, a factor known to create illness and unwellness is stress. As a process of learned associations is developed from infancy we develop habits of knowing, feeling, thinking and responding and this is now known to impact very deeply even effecting our DNA. Elizabeth Blackburn, who I must add at this point is an Australian …
The Mind Body Brain Connection
Mind Body Brain – What is this? We all know from experience that our mental and emotional state can affect our body. You only have to think about speaking in front of a large crowd to know what havoc nerves can have on the digestive system, well for me anyway! Recent research suggests that this …
Finding love doesn’t always run smoothly
Real love is no easy path- readiness is everything. Sometimes people walk away from love because it is so beautiful that it terrifies them… Sometimes they leave because the connection shines a bright light on their dark places and they are not ready to work them through. Sometimes they run away because they are not …
What can I expect from counselling?
You may be wondering if counselling is for you and we appreciate that making that first leap can be a difficult decision for some. Here we outline a little of what to expect from a counselling session at LifeCare. At LifeCare, seeing one of our counsellors can assist in easing distressing feelings such as anger, …
Dark night of the soul: A journey into total oblivion, surrender and re-invention
We will all, at some point in our lives and probably even a few times over, go through a dark night of the soul. It’s not an experience that discriminates between who is deserving or non-deserving, it’s a human reality. A dark night of the soul can emerge from things external to us – the …
Bringing in the love
As a society we are outwardly focused. We want someone to tell us the rules of love and how to give it and get it. This ‘process’ is not about that. You won’t find any hard and fast rules on how you or others are supposed to behave in order to find and keep love. …