Maia Psychological Services in Burleigh, Queensland, Australia | Mental health service

Maia Psychological Services

Locality: Burleigh, Queensland, Australia

Phone: +61 412 010 371

Address: 1842 Lower Gold Coast Hwy 4220 Burleigh, QLD, Australia

Website: http://www.maiapsychology.com.au

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25.01.2022 To many, change represents death and, in a number of ways, change is death whether this be literally (the passing of a loved one) or metaphorically (death of a relationship, of a role in a job etc). Therefore we fear change as we would fear death itself. This fear can lead to unhelpful habits of avoidance (filling our lives up to cope with emptiness, drinking, taking drugs and seeking out pleasurable activities at the avoidance of the pain) or struggle and control (tryin...g to stop change by controlling others or events). Change can challenge us in more ways than we ever imagined. During change periods we are stripped of old roles, and if our whole sense of self worth was embedded within those roles we can feel a total loss of identity. Who am I? becomes a terrifying question, we feel unmasked, bare and naked. At the same time these periods can be harnessed for some of our greatest periods of growth. Change is neither good nor bad, change IS. Our emotional reaction is not inherent in the change itself, it responds to what the change represents. We experience grief, a total sense of loss around what was and what could have been, we feel resentment, anger, we try to bargain, we try to go back to where we once were, we make comparisons, judgements and we can feel helpless or hopeless. Alternatively the change period can be associated with a manic phase of doing everything all at once, feeling good ALL the time and only seeking good things to replace the bad. These emotions and actions are part of the normal process of change and over time can become damaging if we don’t have a plan on how to effectively manage a change period. Our next few posts will provide some practical tips around how we can mindfully navigate change.

24.01.2022 Learning specific strategies in mindfulness was an absolute game changer for me. Both personally and professionally. I 100% think of myself in terms of pre-mindfulness Rhi and post mindfulness Rhi. Spoiler Alert: Life is a million times easier to navigate in the post mindfulness era. My heartfelt enthusiasm for mindfulness stems from the penny dropping aha moment of understanding it provided me and the positive impact it had in all areas of my life. And I never grow tired of seeing that same positive impact in my clients lives. My enthusiasm and appreciation for mindfulness grows stronger every day because of the way I see it transform and create meaning in my clients lives too. - Rhi Mott For more information about Rhi or to book in, please go to our website: https://www.maiapsychology.com.au

24.01.2022 Digging deep into self limiting beliefs can make you feel you have ventured far away from the familiar stories that originally helped you to navigate struggle...this can be destsbilising at first...keep going...you are on the path.

24.01.2022 There is nothing more important to true growth than realizing that you are not the voice of the mind - you are the one who hears it. - Michael A. Singer, The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself We are starting a book club at MAIA psychology and would love for you to be a part of it! Each month, one of the psychologists at the practice will be selecting a book. We will then come together to review it and share our views with you all. This month we have picked Michael A. Singer’s The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself. So please join along and watch this space for our review! @ Maia Psychological Services

22.01.2022 M I N D F U L N E S S A popular term that is used to help us navigate the traffic jams that back up in our head. We are told to "be more mindful" or to "mindfully respond" by most experts in psychology. We all get it and most people agree it could be helpful. But, too often our clients don't really know HOW to incorporate mindfulness meaningfully into their everyday life. So what is mindfulness and how do we DO life mindfully? Mindfulness is paying attention to the presen...t moment, making room for a positive or negative experiences and observing them just as they are, without judgement. BTW, this requires practice and skill, it isn't always easy, in fact it can be really bloody hard. All of our practitioners at MAIA utilise mindfulness training within therapy and our own lives. We train this moment-to-moment awareness through a number of skills based techniques. When we teach the mind to be more present, we see clients improve in their relationship to self and others, reduce stress and anxiety, navigate discomfort and pain with skill and experience a greater sense of purpose and meaning. Our next few posts will explore some of the techniques we use with clients.

22.01.2022 Love. A universal experience, across cultures and ages. A basic human need that helps us to feel a sense of belonging. But also a place where we can experience our greatest trauma, hurt and loss. How do we practice love with each other during times like these?... Love at it's core is compassion and acceptance. Deeply allowing what we are turning towards (ourselves, our friends, partner, children) to just BE. To create space for that BEING with all of our energy and not try to reshape or rename but to be witness to it. Deepening our sense of connection and belonging without judgement or expectation. Using our senses to be as present as we can. Making room for discomfort and breathing around it with love. Witholding advice, positive spins, criticism or judgements. Letting whoever we are turning towards to feel that wherever they are at in that moment is okay, it is okay to be right there and they are unconditionally accepted in that place. People mistake acceptance as an act of passive conformity, when it is actually our greatest form of active resistance. Resistance to anything that doesn't allow us to experience the moment exactly as we are. Become an activist with LOVE NOTE: This reflection is about love within our intimate and safe relationships in our community and families NOT about relationships that are unsafe or oppressed - DO NOT ACCEPT THAT!

21.01.2022 Building resilience is critical through these times of unknown outcomes and left hand turns. Sleeping, morning rituals, eating well and movement are some of the foundations for resilience. While you probably already know this, the basics are often the first to go in response to stress, overwork or crisis.... Keeping up basic self care rituals can feel impossible when life gets too busy or challenging. We want you to think of self care as an essential part of your day like brushing your teeth. Self care is central to mental hygiene just like brushing your teeth is to oral hygiene. Guard these aspects of your life, your nervous system and loved ones will thank you for it.

19.01.2022 In our previous post we discussed what burnout is. Most people will have periods of burnout at some point in their lives. But how do we prevent or treat it? Here are 6 ways to help prevent burnout: 1. Watch for warning signs. Irritability, loss of interest in your job, constant fatigue or exhaustion may be signs of burnout. 2. Establish boundaries. Healthy boundaries need to be your best friend! Often burnout is an unconscious difficulty with saying no, asking for help or d...elegating. 3. Self-Care (refer to our previous post, we are very passionate at MAIA about self-care). 4. Set personal goals and tasks to complete and celebrate reaching milestones. This will increase your self-efficacy! 5. Find creative outlets like art, music, dance or anything else your heart desires. 6. USE YOUR LEAVE.. this is sooo important! We know the thought of saving leave can be tempting, however leave is there for.a.reason...to make sure you are taking time out to rest and rejuvenate. If you run your own business block out 1 week every 2 months to work "on" the business instead of "in" it. Note: Interestingly, burnout is most effectively treated with multiple little interventions daily instead of one big retreat or break only every now and then. Try to give yourself "leave" regularly in your day by sitting in the sun, stretching or taking regular mindful breaks. Finally, Seek help and support if you need it, therapists, friends and family are all there to support you!

19.01.2022 Painful feelings are uncomfortable for most of us. They sit on our bodies in ways that feel odd or destabilizing. Our minds aren't that great at sitting with discomfort. We often experience an intense urge to fix the issue, analyse why the feeling exists or do something to change our internal state or environment to make us feel good again. Discomfort is seen as a sign of something bad that needs to be treated. What if discomfort was where we find out greatest moments of insi...ght? In the muddy soil of discomfort, just below it, lies the seed of a new growth. If we sit with it, turn the soil, experience contact with discomfort, we can learn more about ourselves and our relationship to the world. We can start to have a conversation with discomfort in a new way. Instead of telling it to get lost, we might ask it where did it come from? What is does it need? What is it trying to do? We treat it with compassion instead of contempt. Let discomfort be a teacher. Don't live in the mud forever, but don't frog leap it every time it pops up in your life either. Stop and listen to what it has to say.

18.01.2022 Acknowledgement to country... The words cannot just be a tagline on your website or at the bottom of emails. It is an ongoing commitment to awareness, competency and participation. Psychology has a lot to answer for with our indigenous brothers and sisters both here in Australia and internationally. ... The rebuilding of trust, safety and relationship is our responsibility within our discipline. Indigenous Psychologies existed before Western Psychology...there is a lot to learn. Therapy is a form of activism against the status quo and what we were taught (or not taught) about our relationship to our indigenous past, present and future.

18.01.2022 Emotional freedom technique (EFT) is an alternative treatment that was developed by Gary Craig for physical pain and emotional distress. It’s also referred to as tapping or psychological acupressure. Gary Craig reports that the disruption in energy is the cause of negative emotions and pain. Though EFT is still being researched, it has been used to treat anxiety and people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Similarly to acupuncture, EFT focuses on the meridian points... - to restore balance to the body’s energy. It is hypothesised that restoring this energy balance can help to relieve symptoms that a negative experience or emotion may have caused. Based on Chinese medicine, meridian points are thought of as areas of the body in which energy flows through. These pathways help balance energy flow to and help to maintain your overall wellbeing. Acupuncture utilises needles to apply pressure to the energy points. Whereas EFT uses finger tapping to apply pressure. Over the coming days we will introduce Wendy who is an EFT practitioner here at MAIA Psychology.

18.01.2022 Self-limiting beliefs affect our BODIES by releasing stress hormones that make us perceive the arena we are about to step into as a threat. This often triggers "survival mode" responses in our BEHAVIOUR. Behaviours can range from impulsive reactions to total withdrawal. The FEELINGS associated with these beliefs are very overwhelming and powerful and "sit" on our bodies for long periods if we don't process them. The cycle of self limiting beliefs - feelings - body - beh...aviour all fuel each other and a repetitive pattern is formed. For example someone thinks they aren't good enough, they feel anxious, this stops them from applying for the course they want, they end up working in a job they hate which in turn, fuels the I am not good enough story. The most debilitating effect of self limiting beliefs is that they hold us back from living life to its fullest, from living our life aligned with our values and our HEARTS. This form of disconnection from purpose, meaning and belonging can be debilitating if you don't seek help.

18.01.2022 Mindfulness is a mansion with many rooms. Often clients think it is taking time out and doing breathe work. While this is one aspect, mindfulness is multifaceted. Our next two posts will share various practices for being mindful: EVERYDAY MINDFULNESS: Attending fully to what you are doing. For example, slowly drinking that cup of tea, noticing the smell, taste and touch of the tea or mindfully driving to work, turning off the music and noticing your surroundings. If your... mind wanders, gently bring your attention back to what you are doing. This kind of mindfulness allows you to keep in motion, do what you usually do, but just doing it with more awareness. SELF KINDNESS: Noticing the inner dialogue and naming "the critic" when it pops up. Cultivating kind statements to yourself as you go through your day, eg. It is ok that you made that mistake, this is how we learn and grow. COMMON HUMANITY: Mindfully noticing that you are not alone in your struggle and connecting with others stories around the challenges you face. RADICAL ACCEPTANCE: The hard yards of mindfulness. Being able to look upon your emotions and thoughts instead of from them. Make room for painful feelings and be able to navigate them by responding instead of reacting. MEDITATION: Creating space for awareness of your body through the breathe and being aware of the movement of your mind.

16.01.2022 M I N D F U L N E S S practices continued: FLOW: This is the state that we get into when everything feels aligned. You might be surfing, walking in nature or playing music. There is a sensation of connection and flow with your environment. This feeling cannot be forcefully experienced it is a spontaneous biproduct or experience that arises from engaging in acts that give us access to a state of flow. ... HARD WIRING HAPPINESS: When a positive moment pops up in our life, stopping, noticing and absorbing that moment on a deeper level than what you usually would. Neuropsychology reveals that we have a negative encoding bias. We pay more attention and wrap more language around negative experiences. GRATITUDE: Often helpful as a daily practice to reconnect with aspects of your life that you are grateful for. Mindful gratitude journaling has been found in research to improve mood. COMPASSION: Mindfully look at ourselves and others through the lens of compassion. Cultivating a practice where we empathetically try to understand what is going on in our world. As you can see, mindfulness can be practised in a number of ways. There are certain skills good for particular challenges and different people connect with mindfulness in unique ways. Mindfulness is not cookie cutter and needs to be tailored to the circumstances and your particular ways of learning and doing.

16.01.2022 Balance, we believe, is an overused term in self help circles. Balance conjurs up images of someone who has it all together and is somehow magically staying on top of everything while looking like they aren't breaking a sweat! At MAIA, many of our clients share they feel out of whack and want to achieve "balance" as a therapeutic goal. We like to get away from the hype and break balance down into it's simplest form. Balance occurs on many levels (physical, spiritual, emot...ional, social) however it is primarily biological. While we are such a diverse lot, we ALL share the same nervous system. The Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) is a constant dance between the parasympathetic (PNS) and sympathetic (SNS) arms. When our ANS is working "with us" instead of "against us" we can strike a balance between stress and recovery, between activation and deactivation and between "fight or flight" and "rest and digest". Sometimes we need to be on our game and in an activated state, however we also need periods of deactivation to top up our tanks. The ANS is rhythmic, not static. If you don't dance with your ANS you can feel like you are running on empty. . The SNS facilitates behavioral activation (fight/flight response) and creates an increased heart rate, pupil dilation and sweat secretion. The PNS supports homeostasis in the body (rest/digest/recovery) and results in a reduced heart rate, pupil constriction and increased blood flow to the organs. When faced with stress, our ANS registers it as a threat and puts us into a flight or flight response. That extra load at work, the argument with a spouse or coping with a sick loved one can trigger stress. Our body thinks we are facing a saber tooth tiger that is about to eat us. The SNS will only deactivate when the PNS takes over. The crappy thing is that the ANS lives up to it's name, it is highly automatic. To activate our PNS we need to engage in conscious parasympathetic activity. . Over the next 2 posts we will discuss the relationship between burnout and the Nervous System and what we can do about it! @ Gold Coast, Queensland

15.01.2022 When we become overwhelmed, remember to come home to the breath.

15.01.2022 There are many different types of "Self-Care", however these can be broken down into 8 main groups. - Physical Self-Care: movement of the body, your health and nutrition, rest and physical touch. - Psychological Self-Care: learning new things, engaging intrinsic motivation, using consequential thinking, practicing creativity and mindfulness.... - Emotional Self-Care: enhancing emotional regulation and literacy, accepting and navigating emotions, increasing our empathy, managing stress and developing self-compassion and compassion for others. - Social Self-Care: having a supportive network of relationships surrounding you. This helps build a sense of connection and belonging. - Professional Self-Care: sharing strengths, having professional boundaries, and gaining supervision from a senior. - Environmental Self-Care: having an organised work and home, minimising waste, monitoring technology time and being mindful of your community. - Spiritual Self-Care: beliefs and values that are important to you and guide your life. - Financial Self-Care: being responsible with your finances and having a conscious relationship with money. Self-Care is multifaceted. You can't focus on every aspect all of the time however it can be useful to do an overall check in these domains and incorporate practices that enhance self care in that area. For example, prayer or meditation for spiritual health.

15.01.2022 Understanding more about the beauty and mystery of crying on your journey of self discovery.

14.01.2022 What is Burnout? Burnout occurs as a direct result of chronic stimulation of the SNS (see previous post). With longer working hours, higher demands for efficiency and the use of smart phones and technology, we are at an age of human history described as an "always on" culture. Our nervous system was not designed for this. Our brain is exactly the same now as it was when we evolved into homo sapiens hundreds of thousands of years ago. Our nervous system has not received the... upgrade it needs to run the kinds of programmes we ask it to today. We are asking a 1980's Nokia to run multiple apps all at once. Our batteries are burning trying to keep up. The ONLY way to navigate this is to engage in parasympathetic activity AND actively rise against the "always on" culture by changing habitual patterns of uncosciously staying activated. We all need support, resources, and healthy coping mechanisms to help us avoid a mental crisis. Burnout isn't just "stress". Burnout occurs when we are stressed almost constantly PLUS we have inadequate support and resources to help us navigate it. Burnout is our sign that something has to change! @ Gold Coast, Queensland

14.01.2022 L A U G H T E R Therapy isn’t always about the deep, dark, heavy feelings. Healing and growth journeys often involve excitement, inspiration and a good old belly laugh. Laugh my friend, for laughter ignites a fire within the pit of your belly and awakens your being. - Stella McCartney. @ Maia Psychological Services

14.01.2022 Links for our recent podcast are here: https://www.alisonhill.com.au/drmeltaitimu https://open.spotify.com/show/076JwDPMk3F79ucFeMVnbM... https://podcasts.apple.com//p/stand-out-life/id1172630469

14.01.2022 I began using ‘Tapping’ with clients because I wanted to release their emotions at a deep level, even if they didn’t realise they were still being held onto. Tapping has the ability to access core issues, rather than trying to let issues and emotions go with thoughts. It can access the subconscious and find hidden emotions and memories that we may not have been aware were there. - Wendy Mackay For more information about Wendy or to book in a session, go to the link in our bio to visit our website

13.01.2022 V A L U E S Following on from our post, our most accurate definition of hapiness is living a life aligned to our values. Values help us know what is important to us; guide our actions, how we treat ourselves and others, and our interaction with the world around us. We may find that our self-limiting beliefs actually stop us from doing things that are in line with our values. Beliefs lead to actionsor in some cases lack of action. It is important to remember that beliefs may... or may not be true and/or helpful, but they still dictate the way we behave in life. If we believe that we are not good enough, we will not put ourselves forward for a promotion at workand seeing someone else get that promotion will then reinforce that same belief. You may think 'ok got it' but what do I DO?! Step 1: Name the belief - call it something eg. " the not good enough story or "the outsider" ...then name it when it pops up in your life and bring awareness to the impact it has. Step 2: Turn towards your body and use your breath to make room for how you feel. This reduces the likelihood of reacting impulsively. Step 3: list your top 3 values Step 4: Act on your values. Sounds easy, but that whole process can take a lot of time to dig into and repetition to rewire. Be kind to yourself and those you love and take your time to do the work that is needed.

12.01.2022 Stress, struggle and a never ending list of tasks can impact on our posture unconsciously. In many situations it can be difficult to change the circumstances immediately (that pile of work, an argument with a loved one, losing a job) however we can, in one small way, change how we respond. Posturing up has been found to increase lung capacity, improve concentration, problem solving, processing speed and mood. The simple act of changing our posture can make those difficult day...s or moments much more doable. Start by rolling your shoulders back, straightening your spine and pulling your abdominal muscles in at your navel. Take a long, deep breath, tracing the breathe up and down your spine. Reorient to your task/conversation/moment. Notice if there is an immediate change to your experience, even the slightest shift can create enough space between you and the problem to respond differently. You might need to work on this practice multiple times throughout the day. Let us know how it works for you!

11.01.2022 G R O U N D I N G Grounding is best understood through the metaphor of the tree. While the wind may howl and bend our branches we remain strong in our roots and dig deep into the soil to face the weather. Grounding is a technique that supports us to reorient to the present moment. ... Grounding skills can be helpful in managing overwhelming feelings or intense anxiety. Grounding can enhance mental focus from an often intensely emotional state. Grounding skills can be trained with two specific approaches: Sensory Awareness and Cognitive Awareness. Sensory awareness utilises our senses to bring us back to the present, for example name 5 things you can see and 5 things you can feel. Cognitive awareness uses questions to reorient you to the present moment, for example what day is it? Where am I?, what stories is my mind telling me right now? Grounding can transform our responses to situations. When we aren't grounded we tend to live in the branches of our lives - swaying too and fro. With grounding, we allow that part of us to sway but bring our awareness back to the stability of our roots.

10.01.2022 W A V E S O F E M O T I O N We hear a lot about waves of COVID 19 and how to prepare socially and economically for successive "waves"... however we aren't talking enough about the waves of emotion that are often paired with the acute adjustments and pivots we need to make on the regular in 2020. We have seen a new 'set' of emotions coming in to our rooms much like a set of waves appearing on the horizon hitting us with renewed force.... The current state is akin to being in that part of a marathon where you feel like some little gremlin is messing with the finish line and placing it further away than you thought it was. This stage is one of despair, exhaustion and literally feeling like you are hitting a wall. If this is your current state. It is OK. Don't despair. We are all in this marathon together...look to your left and right and get some strength from those around you atm. If you need to walk for a little, WALK. If you need to take a breath STOP and take a breath, the journey is a long one, rests are good, recovery is needed. Fatigue is a natural given...we have been in this race since March or even earlier. Even those who found the earlier part of the year refreshing may only now be starting to feel things for the first time...remember WE ARE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER. A recent quote from an NZ politician sums it up nicely when he said: "Every person in this team of 5 million has a role to play." Right now we have an opportunity to strengthen our common humanity more than ever. Sharing our struggles and triumphs. The sweat on our brow dropping to the ground and melding together with each step of this race as our friends, colleagues, brothers and sisters do what they can to keep the momentum going. The emotional waves are real and they are collective. Ride them together and we will be stronger for it.

10.01.2022 You can’t stop the waves. But you can learn to surf . Mindfulness is a down to earth and supportive practice that teaches a deeper level of insight, awareness, self-love and acceptance. It provides an effective foundation to respond to life’s challenges resulting in increased happiness, gratitude, and purpose. It’s basically the answer to the question you didn’t even know you were asking! - Rhi Mott .... In the next post we will introduce Rhi and why Mindfulness is such an important practice See more

09.01.2022 Our instinctual response with discomfort can be one of correction. Instead of "doing" just "be", hold space for yourself, tune in to how you are feeling, notice where the feeling is in your body, breathe around that space and the ask yourself, "what do I need?".

05.01.2022 New round of tickets available due to further lifting of COVID restrictions. Remember if you can't make it we will be live streaming on the DUST TEMPLE website.

05.01.2022 Self limiting beliefs are those uncoscious little rascals that take over the steering wheel at inopportune times as we navigate the roads of life. They are cunning little f%#$ers and often try to stop us from stepping into the arena of our lives, telling us that they are protecting us but in reality they are often limiting our potential. Self-limiting beliefs can show up in our lives from a young age. From day dot we begin to form beliefs about the world and our place within ...it. Our brains are quite clever at spotting patterns and to conserve energy they develop generalised beliefs for us. This is ok for certain concrete learning like how to use a knife and fork but can get a bit wonky with complex things like human relationships. If I hurt someone, I get in trouble, so hitting people must be wrong or bad. If I say please and thank you, I get rewarded and kindness. So, being polite must be something good. Once we get older we form more complex beliefs and are able to draw on a much larger range of sources such as social media, movies, our wider culture, the behaviour of our peers, and more. Self limiting beliefs can be very powerful. We cling to these old beliefs because they feel safe and familiar, despite the fact that they could be harming us or others. Growth work involves diving deep into self limiting beliefs, understanding how they were formed and rewriting them.

04.01.2022 We have (after a few busy years ) decided to bring back our MAIA Blogs. Every 2 weeks we will be uploading a blog that digs deeper into the thoughts, experiences and learning we are sharing on Instagram or Facebook. Our first blog was created by Bec, one of our psychologists, and explores self-care. As you can probably already tell, we are extremely passionate (or more appropriately, fist pumping activists) about promoting self-care with our clients. Please click on the link on our profile to read more about self-care!

04.01.2022 Truth speaker, word weaver, mountain mover.

03.01.2022 Moving between the "I am ok" and "I am not ok" moments can feel like a roller coaster ride. Many people say I am one person one moment and a totally different person the next. They feel disconnected or disjointed. You are not two people but one person having two different but connected experiences. The oscillation between these two states of being ok and then suddenly not being ok is the very nature of the healthy adaptation required when we experience grief and loss. If... your daily life feels like a tennis ball being in one court and then the next, and back again, you are not alone. Grief and loss is a natural part of life during COVID. If we can get some skills to navigate the oscillation and not judge ourselves for it, we can show up in our lives with less struggle or suffering. The video that will be uploaded this Friday was developed to support our community to understand the nuts and bolts behind grief and loss and to be supports for ourselves and those we love during these changeable times. Watch this space for Friday’s video from Dr Mel.

03.01.2022 We are proud to be co hosting this event. It is already sold out however you can login to the dust temple facebook page to watch it live on Friday night.

03.01.2022 We wanted to reach out and say welcome to all of our new and existing followers here on Facebook! We are currently working on some exciting projects here at MAIA so keep your eyes peeled for regular updates from us all. So once again, welcome to our wonderful community!... From Mel, Rhi, Wendy and Bec See more

02.01.2022 Self-care is any activity that we do deliberately in order to take care of our mental, emotional, and physical health. Although it seems like a simple concept, it is in fact something that is overlooked most of the time. Good self-care is important for positive mood, and reduced stress and anxiety. Self-Care is an important function for a strong relationship with self and also with others around us. - Bec McWilliam. . We will be posting more about Self-Care from Bec’s perspective in the coming days

02.01.2022 Grief and loss is a universal experience. The tapestry of nature teaches us this. EVERYTHING CHANGES and rhythms/cycles are inherent in even the simplest of organisms. Yet, us humans fear change. We try to keep things in a constant state of growth. This false sense of control is an illusion and against the forces of nature. Grief and loss is flexible, it moves like a dance between loss and rebuilding, life and death, new growth from old, falling down and getting back up ag...ain...down....up....up....down. A heart beat rhythm that forms the very DNA of our existence. If we get into that rhythm. Make some space for it. Understand the language of it, support our bodies through the dance of it, we will be ok! And then we won't...and then we will again. A beautiful and painful dance of loving and grieving, of rebuilding and loss. . Mel the director of Maia recently spoke with @alihill speaking all things mental health, swipe across for more information on the podcast @ Burleigh Heads, Queensland

02.01.2022 S E L F L I M I T I N G B E L I E F S Self limiting beliefs aren't all negative. They once helped us to navigate the world (eg. Being a "good girl") however they may not serve us as adults.Self-limiting beliefs can stop us from stepping into the arena @brenebrown It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, wh...ose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat. Theodore Roosevelt, the Man in the Arena.Self limiting beliefs result in many people staying in their comfort zone. But is the comfort zone really that comfortable? And what is the cost of staying there? We need to work on 4 levels to rewire them and reduce the impact they have on our lives .Our bodiesOur thinkingOur behaviourOur hearts See more

02.01.2022 R E A D I N G For those of us who have spent hours with our nose in the pages of a good book, it is of little surprise that research shows reading can be good for your mental health and your interpersonal relationships. Here are 3 psychological benefits to reading: 1. Reading makes us more empathetic- One study found that literary fiction, which simulates our everyday lives, increases our ability to feel empathy for others. 2. Reading makes us more mentally flexible- one ...study reported: The research found that the sustained experience of reading poems might increase mental flexibility through the process of the reappraisal of meaning and the acceptance of new meaning, ( Professor Philip Davis). 3. Reading improves rationality and creativity- findings suggest that reading fictional literature could lead to better procedures for processing information generally, including those of creativity,’ (Professor Maia Dajkic). During these acute times of change life can fill up with distractions (Netflix, social media) just to give us a break from the hectic nature of everyday life. Books can help us to learn, grow, relax and even laugh...They can help us to travel to places, gain some perspective and seek advice in troubled times. So pick up that book and make a tea, and allow yourself to immerse in some Monday night reading!

01.01.2022 MAIA (pronounced "my" "a"), within Maori language, means to be brave, courageous and capable. MAIA is also the goddess of growth in roman mythology. Our team is based on this ethos. MAIA, at it's core, represents the bravery that each client displays showing up for their first session in the direction of their growth. We acknowledge the first session seems like the beginning of a journey to us, however for our clients there may have been a long path with many pit stops and ...twists before they arrive in our rooms. Our clients have gone through a process of facing challenges, wondering whether they need to seek help, talking to their supports, researching where to get support and going through a referral process, all before they walk through our door. We acknowledge this process and remain inspired by the brave choices people make to work on their growth and wellbeing. The use of the name MAIA infuses the practice with values, responsibilities and rights. All of our therapists share a similar values base while maintaining unique approaches to therapy. Please see our website to read more about our philosophy and team at MAIA.