Second Sight: An Intuitive Psychiatrist Tells Her Extraordinary Story and Shows You How to Tap Your Own Inner Wisdom

If I could, I would purchase multiple copies of Second Sight and give them away when guided by my heart to do so. I will confess that I am not a very active reader, hardly ever read a book cover to cover and reading a book always seems to drag on for days. I can tell you that I read Second Sight cover to cover in two days! That is a personal triumph, but more, it is about how this book quenched some deep thirst within me. In some way, however small right now or however large and beyond my grasp that is to be realized later, I know this book is working quietly and peacefully to bring change to my inner and outer worlds. I trust what the author has shared and appreciate how well she entwines her personal story with the deeper aspects of the book. Actually it really is one in the same, meshing so well that the glimpses into her life kept me interested in the rest. How clever indeed and how humble and real she is as a human being. During my time with Second Sight, I didn't once feel I was being preached to or lectured to. Nor did I feel any need on the author's part to build fame or fortune from writing it. But more it felt good to be in the presence of this book, almost as though I was exploring life and living from a higher perspective, if you will. I find the author's ability to simplify a complex range of topics very heart warming, genuine and 'right on'. At times I felt akin to her, part of her earthly extended family, as though she had shared certain passages or chapters just for me or that she was seated next to me. I feel how much she genuinely cares about her fellow human beings. How much she really wishes to help us heal and be reunited with our 'gift' or gifts. A true healer has heart, serves without need for reward and shares because they follow a Divine inspiration or compulsion to do so. They cannot not do it IF they are truly connected. Personally I would not ever consider picking up, let alone trying to read and understand, a more technical book on the same subject. I would find them too left brained and boring for my comprehension level, too cold and impersonal to enthuse me. Let's just say the heart would be missing and I would miss that too much. There seemed to be a good flow to the information, a good rhythm, as though I were listening to my favorite relaxing CD. And thinking about my experiences with the book, I don't believe I had to go back and reread a single paragraph, which is common for me to do. It almost felt effortless to be reading the words, and not once did I look ahead to see how much was left, as though I wished it would end soon. I feel good. I feel that it was indeed a worthwhile investment of time and money and am considering buying another of Judith's books. But will give this one all the time it needs to permeate my every cell, which I know it will or already has. I look forward to the moments of self and life exploration beyond this moment. And am thankful to have found Judith Orloff and her 'gift', which she so kindly shares with the world. Also I find her website a vast wealth of opportunities to explore learning even more. This is my first review of any book. I hope this review might assist just one other person to buy the book. I have found my new teacher, and if I reflect on the last month or two, I believe I asked for a new teacher to come into my human moment. Tonight I will indeed have my dream journal, pencil and small flashlight by my bed! Thank you Judith for your continuing desire to assist others. You are doing an incredible job, though it probably doesn't feel like work to you does it?

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

Dr Orloff's candid and moving, sometimes amusing book gave me so much solace. Like many who struggle with their intuitive gifts, I found it challenging to walk comfortably in my psychic shoes. Dr Judith's life was like mine, I found relief and validation from knowing that these gifts are "real", that they serve a purpose for good and healing. "A real gift of the psychic is that it allows us to tune in to an authentic inner authority, offering us an alternative to acting out the endless negative scripts we write in our own heads." The self doubt and feeling of isolation were profoundly reduced after reading this book. Not only is the book informative and practical it is a treasure of gentle anecdotes and insight. I recommend this book to my clients as a "go to" initial resource when they question their intuition and gifts. Dr Judith is a science based psychiatrist sharing the magic of our inner wisdom. Her professional and warm approach is palpable in her writing. I have ALL of her books. All wonderful, all powerful in expanding self acceptance and practical knowledge. Thank you.

I so enjoyed this book. It is well written and I found the content not only mirroring various aspects of my own spiritual journey, but also professional challenges of incorporating intuitive gifts into a clinical practice. Overall the book confirmed and affirmed my own experiences of intuition, outside of the New Agey paradigm that I have often found off-putting. Judith Orloff’s story puts the challenges of bringing our gifts into balance with science and medicine very much into the foreground, and offers guidance for those practitioners to integrate their sensitivities with their chosen professional disciplines.

Very interesting! Some new information in how to listen to yourself....

Having read possibly hundreds of memoirs of psychics, mediums and healers, I could not recommend this book more highly. It belongs in the the top 5. Judith is highly intelligent, wise and a good writer. Her story is in no way formulaic. She offers what she knows in a non didactic, warm and stimulating way. None of the 'just do this and then all will be cured' discourse that marrs so many well meaning books in this genre. It should become a classic in psychic development literature. It is a humble, inspiring and spiritually expanding book, as well as an intimate personal story. Thankyou Judith.

It was as if this book was written with me in mind! Judith writes with such sincerity and certainty that it puts my own abilities in a whole new light. This book was what I expected and a whole lot more. She has achieved so much to become a psychiatrist and follow her dreams to build intuition into her practice. I shall most certainly be buying more of her books and I am sure they will be as beautifully worded and engaging as this one. It is a must read for anyone interested in intuition or spiritual matters. Brilliant!