I am seriously in love with this book! Emotional Freedom by Judith Orloff was the perfect book at the perfect time for me. A friend had recommended another book by the same author, which I immediately added to my reading list. But then I was at the airport and needed something to read, and this book was there, waiting for me.
Judith Orloff coined the term Energy Psychiatry to describe the kind of psychotherapy she does. She takes the best of several different worlds and brings them together. As she approaches what we often think of as negative emotions (fear, frustration and disappointment, loneliness, anxiety and worry, depression, jealousy and envy, and anger), rather than talking about getting rid of them or suppressing them, she teaches people to transform them. She gives information and solid advice about how emotions affect us physically and what we can do about it from a medical standpoint (drugs, etc.). But that isn't the end of it. She also talks about how to deal with these emotions using spiritual, energetic, and psychological tools.
I knew when I picked up the book that the real test of Orloff's approach would come in what she said in her chapter about depression. I'm pleased to say that she passed with flying colors. She acknowledges that feeling a little depressed and major depression are different things. I've had too many people tell me that I just needed to think more positively and it would go away. Even cognitive behavioral therapy can't fix everything on it's own. She gives real tools, using medicine, spirituality, energy, and psychology together to tackle the problem.
I'm excited to explore these chapters again in the chapter by chapter book group posts. I know that I've already forgotten much of what I found so enlightening in the first half of the book. I am looking forward to applying her ideas to help me feel more empathy and compassion for those around me (and act accordingly) without being overwhelmed by the suffering of the world.
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