Second Sight

Judith Orloff, M.D. teaches us that it is okay to trust our instincts and feelings instead of denying them. In a society that tries to force us to explain every occurrence and ignore those we can't explain, Dr. Orloff's book is refreshing, comforting and eye-opening. Using her own experiences feeling "different" and even guilty for her "Second Sight", Orloff helps us to understand that sometimes we do hold more of the answers than we realize. She teaches us to trust ourselves. She helps guide us towards our inner peace, our strength and our truth. Judith Orloff is a board certified psychiatrist and professor of psychiatry so she has a clear view of both the world of science and explanations, and the world of intuition and inner guidance. Dr. Orloff knows the importance of balance in our hearts and minds as well as in our lives. This is a journey she struggled with through life and found "the freedom to soar as high and as deep as (her) spirit will take (her), to forcefully and with pride speak (her) own truth." Second Sight by Judith Orloff, M.D. teaches the reader valuable lessons to live life. It's definitely a book everyone should read.

Dr. Orloff's book, Second Sight is not only a fascinating read about her life but it helped me realize that I am not alone, or weird or really all that different. I have often had "gut feelings" about people and situations but never fully understood or followed them. Now thanks to Second Sight I learned that it is Okay to trust my inner feelings. Dr. Orloff's book taught me that intuition is like any muscle in our bodies in order to fully develop it one has to exercise it on a regular basis and was thrilled with all the wonderful tips on how to accomplish this. I know that Second Sight will be a companion book that I will refer to often on my journey of self-growth not only to guide me along the path but to also give me the encouragement to keep going.

SECOND SIGHT: An Intuitive Psychiatrist Tells Her Extraordinary Story and Shows You How to Tap Your Own Inner Wisdom (Three Rivers Press, $15) is the perfect book to awaken your intuition and inspire you to act on it. We live in an over-intellectualized society where too many people are stuck in their heads. An Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at UCLA, Dr. Judith Orloff is a bridge between traditional medicine and the intuitive/spiritual realm. In Second Sight she helps us open to a part of us with a much wider vision than the linear mind: our inner voice. Second Sight reads like a thriller. It is a page-turner that's hard to put down. This pioneering book shares the struggles and well-won successes of a courageous physician who fights against a skeptical medical system to validate the power of intuition. This book will assure anyone who ever thought they were weird or crazy for having intuitive experiences that they are not. In Part One, "Initiations," Dr. Orloff describes being an intuitive child who had premonitions about deaths and illnesses that frightened her and her physician-parents--so much so they forbade her to discuss them at home. Judith grew up believing there was something wrong with her. This part of the book is extremely personal and frank. In riveting detail she describes how an ignored premonition of a patient's suicide attempt convinced her to get beyond her fears and integrate intuition into her medical practice. And the chapter "Female Lineage" also shares the "family secret" about intuition that her mother told her on her deathbed. You'll discover what that secret is when you read the book. In Part Two, "Teachings," Second Sight shows you effective ways to cultivate your natural intuitive abilities including how to recognize intuitive experiences in daily life such as déjà vus and synchronicities. There are particularly touching chapters on remembering dreams and embracing the spiritual path of the intuitive. She describes intuition as an outgrowth of spiritual evolution and an expansion of the heart--not just as information your pick up to win the lottery. Second Sight is the rare book that is both inspiring and controversial. You will find a new friend in Judith as her writing style is as intimate as if she was talking to you in her living room. In this revised edition with a new introduction by Judith, Second Sight will challenge to reexamine your assumptions about the parameters of the human mind--and your own wondrous potential. By Joan Borysenko, PhD a pioneer in Mind-Body Medicine, author of Minding the Body, Mending the Mind

I've been reading up on the subject of intuition, especially as it relates to healing. Someone recommended this book to me; although I'm usually put off by the term "psychic," I felt that Dr. Orloff's credentials were impressive enough to lend some credibility to what she had to say. The first half of the book is mostly biographical, but makes an important point: what she calls the psychic (I prefer "intuitive") kept resurfacing in her life no matter how much she resisted it, and when she finally learned to integrate it with her personal and professional life it enriched both. In the second half she writes more generally about the psychic and how it affects people's lives, and I was impressed with her levelheadedness and good sense: being psychic doesn't make a person "special," and like all gifts this ability can be used for good or misused for personal gain. Her warnings about bad psychics, and those who try to control their clients through fear, were well taken. Also, I feel that her criticism of traditional psychology is right on: psychic experience, and spirituality in general, have been viewed for too long as symptoms of mental illness rather than health. Her viewpoint is not so much "religious" as spiritual, and, although that may be too much for hard-core materialists, I think most readers can relate to it. I felt that the concluding chapters were rather long and repetitious, but otherwise I found the book readable and thought-provoking.

I am a professional in the computer business and also share the gift of the psychic and the high sensitivity that Judith describes in her book. I'm in the process of reading the book for a second time and must say that I feel as if we are brother and sister after reading this wonderful book.Her very direct writing style, and first person account with sometimes brutal honesty is refreshing and an act of candor and love not seen in many books on this subject. She has successfully placed the psychic gift in its true context, that of a God given gift to be cherished and used to better the lives of your fellow human and yourself. I can only hope that her book becomes required reading for all medical, spiritual, and even educational disciplines so that people who have the gift can be recognized early in life, and to receive the help and training they need to successfully use their gifts to hopefully help others on their paths.Judith - you are a sweetheart of a lady, and I'm sincerely hoping to see another book from you...