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Positive Energy: The Missing Link in Health and Healing & Interview with Judith Orloff, MD |
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Positive Energy: The Missing Link in Health and Healing
An Interview with Judith Orloff, M.D on her bestseller Positive Energy
Visit www.youtube.com/judithorloffmd for a mini video class on this topic
Judith Orloff, M.D. is at the forefront of transforming the face of psychiatry. She insists that the links between physical health, mental well-being, and spiritual connectedness can’t be ignored. A psychiatrist and intuitive, as well as bestselling author, she is known as a down to earth, insightful guide who teaches people to follow their inner guidance. An assistant professor of psychiatry at UCLA with twenty years in practice, she hails from long line of intuitives which include her grandmother, mother, and aunts. Judith continues to push the envelope of what a physician can be by integrating her gift of intuition with her conventional medical training. At a time when so many of us are bombarded daily with information that creates a sense of fear, stress, overwhelm and helplessness, she offers a path to consciousness that allows us to rise above the noise and negative energy and follow our guts and hearts.
She introduced us to the importance of discovering and honoring that intuitive voice in her first book, Second Sight, and she gave us the tools to put intuition to work in our physical, emotional and sexual lives in Dr. Judith Orloff’s Guide To Intuitive Healing. Her latest book, Positive Energy: Ten Extraordinary Prescriptions For Transfoming Fatigue, Stress, and Fear Into Vibrance, Strength, and Love introduces the breakthrough field of “energy psychiatry” and offers prescriptions for transforming our lives by understanding the subtle energies that can guide us – as well as derail us – in all areas.
In Positive Energy, Orloff addresses the hidden energy crisis that threatens our world – and she’s not referring oil and gas, but rather to the energy crisis in our daily lives. She contends that most of us are “running on empty,” rushing around, barely keeping up, enslaved by computers and cell phones, trying to live a normal life while dealing with ever-present personal stresses and the looming threats we feel from the world at large. What’s worse, we’ve come to accept this exhaustion and this state of being as “normal.”
Positive Energy tells us how to elevate ourselves in all areas of life and how healing ourselves enough to love passionately and with an open heart will have a ripple effect on those around us, and the world.. To illustrate her points she interviews some of her personal heroes who tell their inspiring tales, including: Quincy Jones on awakening intuition, Jaime Lee Curtis on protecting yourself from energy vampires and Larry King on attractting positive people and situations.
To learn more about Judith’s workshops, and books visit www.drjudithorloff.com.
SML: Your latest book, Positive Energy, is very timely. The world seems to get wackier and scarier every day.
JO: We are going through what I call a “hidden energy crisis.” We’re inundated by violence in the news, and we’re faced with negativity every day. We must learn what drains our energy and how we can protect ourselves! I wrote Positive Energy to give people the tools to cope with it all.
SML I love how you share the stories of patients as well as your own struggles with honoring your own energy. You don’t set yourself up as a perfect person. You’re real.
JO: I know first hand that it is very difficult to respect our own energy and boundaries without a conscious strategy. For years I ran around the country giving lectures nonstop, and it led to my own “energy crash.” As committed as I was to helping others connect with their intuition, I was ignoring my own exhaustion. Like many of us, I teach what I need to learn. Honoring my energy is a hard earned lesson I want to share with others. It is so crucial – especially these days – that we need a game plan for protecting ourselves from the harmful energies in the world and for maintaining inner balance.
SML: What is energy psychiatry?
JO: Energy psychiatry is a term I coined to describe a new type of psychotherapy that I practice. It addresses the subtle energetic components of health and behavior. It ís a subspecialty of energy medicine which views our bodies and spirits as manifestations of subtle energy.
SML: What does subtle energy feel like? How can we become aware of it?
JO: Our bodies are made of flesh and blood, but they’re also composed of energy fields that project beyond the body. The best way to feel these is to notice how you respond to others. Who gives you energy and who drains you? It’s all a function of subtle energy.
SML: How can intuition help us sense energy?
JO: There’s no way to experience subtle energy with your intellect alone. So, throughout the book I focus on how to tune into intuition so you can be more sensitive to the energy that ís in and around your body, and the energy coming from other people. This means learning how to be open to images and impressions that reveal your energetic responses to the environment. Intuition is amazing because it helps you know all that.
SML: How does subtle energy impact our bodies?
JO: Every aspect of health is related to subtle energy. You can’t talk about a biochemical reaction without talking about a subtle energetic reaction. The field of prescription-based psychiatry needs to be reinvented to bring spirituality, subtle energy, and intuition into the healing process. Many people are scared to death of traditional psychiatry, afraid they’re going to be called crazy or pathologized.
SML: You write about the intriguing concept of intuitive empathy. Can you explain how this can help people who have very real symptoms, but the doctor finds nothing wrong.
JO:. An intuitive empath is someone who not only senses energy but also absorbs it from others and the environment. Their body takes on the angst of the world. It can be very draining. Iíve been an intuitive empath since childhood which prompted my exploration of this phenomena. I couldnít go to shopping malls or crowded places because I’d get overwhelmed by the energy. Iíd walk in feeling fine and walk out exhausted, anxious or with a new ache or pain. I told my mother who was a physician and she said, “Oh no, dear you just don’t have a thick enough skin.” So I thought there was something wrong with me. Only as an adult did I realize that I’m an empath and I was absorbing the energy of crowds. Being compressed in crowds can zap your energy. Traditional medicine doesnít address this at all, but Energy Psychiatry does.
SML: Do you find that many people are intuitive empaths?
JO: At my workshops on energy I ask people to raise their hands. At least a third to half of the room are empaths to some extent. And of course some people don’t realize it. You see empaths run from doctor to doctor with mystery symptoms that canít be solved by traditional medicine. They are labeled “hypochondriacs” or “crazy” and sent to psychiatrists. But psychiatrists don’t know how to deal with the energy component of whatís going on. Energy psychiatry gives patients a home to come to so that they can be understood. In my book I describe many techniques to center your energy and not absorb it from others. We empaths need to learn this to survive!
SML: I find it interesting how you relate empathy to overeating and weight gain. Can you explain?
JO: Empaths often overeat to ward off negative energy. That’s why old time faith healers used to be obese women. They packed on the pounds to buffer the negative energy of their patients, believing that was the only way to cope with it. Nonsense. That ís an unhealthy way to deal with negativity and in my book I outline other alternatives. Iíve identified a new eating disorder, “Energetic Defensive Eating,” which explains why many diets fail. People aren’t aware of how they energetically cope with negative energy by running to the refrigerator. You don’t even have to talk to someone. Just being around negative vibes can cause you to overeat.
SML: Wow. Sometimes I feel that ís my problem.
JO: Yes, many people can relate. It’s a huge missing piece to obesity. When I give lectures about energetic eating disorders people are going “Ah ha!” all over the place because they’ve never thought of it that way. What I suggest to people who have weight they want to get rid of and can’t is to notice how they relate to others in the world. If they start reaching for food or carbs, they must see if it ís related to some negative interaction.
SML: This brings us to the part of your book on energy vampires. What are they?
JO: These people can suck the life right out of us. Energy vampires roam our world. Itís an epidemic that medical texts don’t address. People are attacked all the time by energy vampires and mope around in an exhausted state not realizing what ís happening.
SML: You write about several kinds of energy vampires. Some are obvious, but others aren’t. Can you describe the types?
JO: One of the vampires is the sob sister. She makes herself a victim. She whines and complains, appears utterly helpless. When you present her with a solution, she says, “Yes, but . . .” These are big drainers. Another type is the blamer. This one has a sneaky way of making you feel guilty for not getting things right. This person doles out endless servings of guilt or resorts to verbal abuse. Then there ís the drama queen, the Sarah Bernhardt of vampires. She exaggerates small incidents into off-the-chart dramas. Another type is the constant talker, a chronic motor-mouth with no interest in what you’re saying or feeling. She doesn’t let you get a word in edgewise. Often these vampires stands right in your face and when you back off they take one step forward. The most malevolent of bloodsuckers is the go-for-the-jugular type who cuts you down with no consideration for your feelings. Often this one is driven by envy, competition, or insecurity. Her jabs just cut right in. Then there are the unintentional zappers--your children, your mate, friends. They don’t intend to deplete you but they do
SML: How can we deal with family members who drain us?
JO: The key is to set clear boundaries and practice shielding yourself with white light as a protection. You’ll also need to plan regular mini-breaks from your children and mate. Experimenting with creative living conditions is another option. Many intuitive empaths can’t sustain a relationship because they don’t know how to design a living space with enough alone time. I can personally relate to this in terms of romantic relationships. Iíve learned I need separate bedrooms. I even believe in separate houses or separate wings for those of us empaths who require lots of solitude. Learning how to assert these needs makes a big difference. If you do this in a kind way so that others can hear it they won’t take it as a rejection.
SML: I love how you say in the book that the quality of the energy of all our connections matters. To me, that ís how we participate in changing the world.
JO: Absolutely. I’m a big believer in small interactions and the love you interchange with them. How you treat your FedEx person counts. If you hold an elevator for a little old lady instead of smashing it in her face. It all makes a difference. We can exchange positive energy in the grocery line, on the street, in the bank. It’s all about service. We live in a world of violence, selfishness, an erratic economy and scary diseases. We also live in a world of love, miracles and healing. My intention for writing this book is to help people transform the negative into the positive and work towards a better, more peaceful world.
SML: To conclude Positive Energy you say, We must wage a revolution of love and extend this globally. You speak of love as sustainable energy. I was very moved by that.
JO: Love is the ultimate sustainable energy. And it starts with being loving to the self, then being loving to others, to the Earth, and extending it out to the globe. When you tune into intuition it will teach you that there’s a oneness between everyone. We’re all brothers and sisters. It is not Us versus Them. Until we realize this we’ll never achieve peace. Love is the answer. It has to be experienced, not intellectualized. And once you get it you’ll see what needs to be done. We have to incorporate the sustainable energy of love into our lives to save the Earth and humankind. Judith Orloff, MD is apsychiatrist and energy expert. This article is adapted from her newest book, Positive Energy: Ten Extraordinary Prescriptions for Transforming Fatigue, Stress, and Fear into Vibrance, Strength, and Love (Three Rivers Press, 2005). She’s also written the bestsellers Guide to Intuitive Healing and Second Sight. Dr. Orloff is an assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at UCLA and an international workshop leader. For more information on Dr. Orloff’s books and workshop schedule visit www.drjudithorloff.com. View free video class on this topic on www.youtube.com/judithorloffmd
At the core of Judith Orloff’s Positive Energy Program are ten prescriptions designed to help the reader create his or her own unique path to wellness. This isnít a one-size-fits-all program. In the book, one chapter is devoted to each prescription, which focuses on a specific aspect of our lives.
1. Awaken Your Intuition and Rejuvenate Yourself: Getting in sync with your life, techniques to sense positive and negative energy, how to stay open and not absorb negativity, the art of pacing yourself, being in the Now, and how to combat technodespair.
2. Find a Nurturing Spiritual Path: Discovering your own sense of spirit, four steps to open up to your spirituality, nurture yourself with silence, open to the energy of prayer, trust the wisdom of flow.
3. Design an Energy-Aware Approach to Diet, Exercise, and Health: Why diets fail, how to eat with attunement, exercise and stress reduction, your energetic health: taking well-being to a new level.
4. Generate Positive Emotional Energy to Counter Negativity: Breaking the trance of fear, banishing self-loathing, anger, worry, and shame; releasing resentments and making amends.
5. Develop a Heart-Centered Sexuality: Igniting your own sexual energy, removing sexual blocks, reading sexual energy in others, igniting sexual energy with your partner, five techniques to enhance positive erotic energy, the power of love, past and present
6. Open to the Flow of Creativity and Inspiration: How to rev up your creativity, exploring your own artistic outlet, getting out of your own way
7. Celebrate the Sacredness of Laughter, Pampering, and the Replenishment of Retreat: Revel in laughter, play, and all-out silliness, making changes to nurture your inner child, making pampering part of your routine, retreats at home and away
8. Attract Positive People and Situations: Four laws of energetic attraction, seeing the beauty and goodness in people, soulful giving and receiving,
9. Protect Yourself From Energy Vampires: Strategies for Protection and Self-Care
10. Create Abundance: Shifting from your small self to your large self, finding a form of service that moves you.
SML: In the book you also talk about Technodespair, how technology such as computers and machines can drain our energy.
JO: Yes, machines give off subtle energy just like people do. Iíve written a section on technodespair that teaches how to deal with technology so that youíre not energetically drained by it.
SML: Yet weíre surrounded by technology everywhere and itís impossible to function in today’s world without it. What can we do?
JO: First, observe your intuitive reaction to machines to determine if you’re ìmachine sensitive. Around machines do you get tired, spaced out, irritable? If you are sensitive, reduce your exposure or take regular breaks. Also drink plenty of water to flush out the negative vibes. Get lots of fresh air, and do deep breathing to center yourself.
SML: Can our energy effect a machine?
JO: Definitely. Some of us get along with electronic devices better than others. I’m convinced that machines register our vibes just as we intuitively register theirs, and that we can break machines with our emotional energy. For instance when I get angry or upset everything around me seems to break: the fax, toilet, clocks, light bulbs. It’s infuriating! Negative emotions can jam machines. When we become more positive, things stop breaking. Also we must be careful not to catastrophize technology snafus. Getting hysterical only makes things worse.
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