ORLOFF, Judith 1951-

PERSONAL: Born June 25, 1951, in Philadelphia, PA; daughter of Theodore (a physician) and Maxine (a physician; maiden name, Ostrum) Orloff. Ethnicity: "Caucasian" Education: University of Southern California, M.D., 1979. Hobbies and other interests: Spirituality, nature, films.

ADDRESSES: Office—2080 Century Park E., Ste. 1811, Los Angeles, CA 90067. E-mail—drjorloff@aol.com.

CAREER: University of California, Los Angeles, resident in psychiatry at Neuropsychiatric Institute, 1979–83, currently assistant clinical professor; private practice of psychiatry, Los Angeles, 1983–. Member of psychiatry staff at Cedars Sinai Medical Center, Daniel Freeman Hospital, and St. John's Hospital. Participant in psychic research projects with Mobius Group and Institute of Noetic Sciences.

MEMBER: American Psychiatric Association, Southern California Psychiatric Society.

WRITINGS:

Second Sight: A Psychiatrist Clairvoyant Tells Her Extraordinary Story and Shows You How to Develop Your Psychic Gifts, Warner Books (New York, NY), 1996.

(With Rosalyn Bruyere, Barbara Brennan, and Michael Toms) Psychic and Intuitive Healing (audio tapes), Hay House, 1997.

Dr. Judith Orloff's Guide to Intuitive Healing: Five Steps to Physical, Emotional, and Sexual Wellness, Times Books (New York, NY), 2000.

(With Deepak Chopra) The Power of Intuition (sound recording), Hay House (Carlsbad, CA), 2001.

Positive Energy: Ten Extraordinary Prescriptions for Transforming Fatigue, Stress, and Fear into Vibrance, Strength, and Love, Harmony Books (New York, NY), 2004.

ADAPTATIONS: Second Sight has been optioned for a television series; some of Orloff's books have been recorded to audiocassette and audio CD.

SIDELIGHTS: Judith Orloff is a practicing psychiatrist and educator who also claims to be a clairvoyant. She has collaborated with law-enforcement officials in locating missing persons and identifying crime suspects, and she has declared that she has applied her extrasensory powers to facilitate patient security in her private practice. Orloff also contends that she has practiced healing by touch.

In her first book, Second Sight: A Psychiatrist Clairvoyant Tells Her Extraordinary Story and Shows You How to Develop Your Psychic Gifts, Orloff relates her own experiences as a clairvoyant psychiatrist, and she provides encouragement to readers eager to develop their own powers of perception. She also recommends that fellow psychiatrists explore the feasibility of more spiritual practices—from prayer and meditation to ritualized activities and dream study—in their professional practice. A Publishers Weekly reviewer affirmed that Second Sight "will appeal to open-minded readers."

Orloff followed Second Sight with Dr. Judith Orloff's Guide to Intuitive Healing: Five Steps to Physical, Emotional, and Sexual Wellness, in which she examines holistic healing and extols the virtues of intuition as a means of maintaining well being. A Publishers Weekly reviewer commented that holistic medicine has "rarely … been examined so thoughtfully and engagingly." The critic concluded that "Orloff will no doubt win over many new fans." Orloff is also a featured reader on Psychic and Intuitive Healing, a set of audio tapes presenting the works of individuals described in Booklist as "psychic professionals."

With Positive Energy: Ten Extraordinary Prescriptions for Transforming Fatigue, Stress, and Fear into Vibrance, Strength, and Love, Orloff explores ideas about how humans manage and mismanage the natural energy systems—including Chi and Chakra energy—of the body. If these energy systems are misused or mismanaged, both physical and mental illness can result, Orloff notes. Properly used, however, these energy systems can be the wellspring of vibrant physical health, clear thinking, and positive moods. Orloff provides a "passionate argument for engaged spiritual energy as the single most important factor in fostering personal transformation," commented reviewer Lisa Liquori in the Library Journal.

Orloff recommends a two-step approach in Positive Energy. First, a person should be aware of his or her beliefs about health, wellness, and related subjects, because beliefs fundamentally determine how mental and physical illnesses will manifest. Second, she suggests being fully in the body, engaging with all its pleasures and pains, and becoming deeply knowledgeable of the body's needs and reactions. She also offers suggestions for building one's energy, including such activities as relaxing, meditating, paying attention to one's self, and taking the time to care for physical and psychological needs. Furthermore, she explores concepts of developing and maintaining positive relationships with others based on the flow of energy between persons. She endorses development of an individual spiritual path, promotes healthy sexuality, recommends abundant humor and laughter, and encourages avoiding those persons whose negativity and sour attitudes serve to drain our own energy.

Orloff also encourages a realistic diet and exercise plan, suggesting that overeating stems from an unconscious feeding of negative energy within ourselves. Her techniques are intended to help those suffering from serious illness or chronic pain. A Publishers Weekly reviewer commented that "Orloff delivers her revivification techniques in thoughtful, accessible prose that some may find an energy builder in itself." Pat Johnston, writing in the Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients, commented that "Orloff provides specific, easy-to-follow exercises to help us access the intuition that some refer to as 'the wisdom of the body' to heal, to improve life, and to tap into more of the innate potential that we are equipped with at birth."

Orloff once told CA: "I see myself as a bridge between traditional medicine and the psychic world. I was told to write Second Sight in a dream. I am a psychiatrist and clairvoyant. I use my psychic abilities in my practice every day. This is the new wave of health care—to incorporate psychic abilities and spirituality."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, August, 1998, Nancy Spillman, review of Psychic and Intuitive Healing, p. 2029; March 1, 2000, review of Dr. Judith Orloff's Guide to Intuitive Healing: Five Steps to Physical, Emotional, and Sexual Wellness, p. 1183.

Library Journal, March 15, 2004, Lisa Liquori, review of Positive Energy: Ten Extraordinary Prescriptions for Transforming Fatigue, Stress, and Fear into Vibrance, Strength, and Love, p. 93; September 15, 2004, Kathleen A. Sullivan, review of Positive Energy (audiobook), p. 90.

Publishers Weekly, March 25, 1996, review of Second Sight: A Psychiatrist Clairvoyant Tells Her Extraordinary Story and Shows You How to Develop Your Psychic Gifts, p. 70; February 3, 1997, Paul Nathan, "More Home Fare," p. 25; January 24, 2000, review of Dr. Judith Orloff's Guide to Intuitive Healing, p. 299; January 19, 2004, review of Positive Energy, p. 60; April 11, 2005, John F. Baker, "A New Book by Judith Orloff (Positive Energy) Was Signed by Shaye Areheart for Her Harmony Imprint," review of Positive Energy, p. 16.

Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients, January, 2002, Pat Johnson, "Reclaiming Our Healing Power," review of Dr. Judith Orloff's Guide to Intuitive Healing, p. 127.

ONLINE

Judith Orloff Home Page, http://www.drjudithorloff.com (October 5, 2005).

Weil—Andrew Weil, M.D., http://www.drweil.com/ (October 5, 2005), "Expert Interview: Dr. Judith Orloff on Positive Energy."