Her nightgown drenched in sweat, nine year-old Judith Orloff awakens her parents to tell them her grandfather has died. He came to her in a dream to say goodbye and she knows he has died. Assured by her parents that she's simply had a nightmare, Judith returns to bed. A few hours later, an aunt calls to inform the family that the grandfather has died.
This was one of Judith's early indications that she was different. She has what some call second sight, precognition of future events. Judith Orloff, a talented intuitive, initially attempted to hide her clairvoyant talents, but later went on to become a certified psychiatrist using both medical training and psychic ability in her practice.
Who Is Dr. Judith Orloff?
USA Today calls Orloff a "serene maverick," further indicating that, "Dr. Orloff voices the message that intuition works as a potent therapeutic force that can help us lead smarter, saner lives." Orloff comes from a family of twenty-five traditional physicians, but she openly acknowledges using traditional medicine in combination with her abilities of intuition, energy, and spirituality in her practice. Orloff is outspoken and active on the lecture, radio, and TV circuits.
Second Sight is Dr. Judith Orloff's story of her awakening and acceptance of intuitive abilities. Initially released in 1997, Second Sight has been updated by Orloff and re-released by Three Rivers Press, New York, 2010.
Difficulties Dealing with Psychic Ability
Judith's parents — both physicians — initially ignore and deny her intuitive abilities. Later, as many of her intuitions are seen to be accurate, they implore her to keep her abilities secret to avoid ridicule and embarrassment. This creates a serious barrier between Judith and her parents as she strives to understand her role in life while struggling to keep her abilities secret.
Eventually she receives counseling from a therapist who accepts her talents and encourages her to accept them. She realizes that a part of the scientific community is openly investigating the phenomena of second sight when she comes under the wing of Dr. Thelma Moss of UCLA's Neuropsychiatric Institute (NSI). Though a high-school dropout, the teen-aged Orloff is given an internship at NSI, where she participates in research studies and is exposed to many other people with similar abilities.
When Orloff goes on to medical school and the grind of study and residency isolates her from her intuitive abilities, she becomes a psychiatrist with a flourishing conventional practice. Recognizing something is missing in her life she attends an intensive workshop which abruptly re-exposes her to her unusual abilities, and she realizes that she must openly appreciate and acknowledge her talents in order to be true to herself.
Much of Second Sight is an autobiography which includes many anecdotes of Orloff's personal experiences with her intuitive and precognitive abilities. As a practicing psychiatrist , Orloff moves from treating her patients primarily with medication as science dictates, to supplementing their treatment plans by integrating her intuitions about them. Second Sight is a novel addition to the many books on paranormal activity in that it includes the endorsement and active utilization experiences of a certified, practicing physician.
In the latter half of Second Sight, Orloff suggests that her talents are not exclusive to the few, but open to everyone and she offers suggestions for sharpening and utilizing these intuitive skills. Orloff suggests that everyone can utilize intuitive skills if they can temporarily suspend their disbeliefs. Mentioned among her tips and tools are meditation, altars, ritual, prayer, and dream interpretation.
Orloff's Dream Interpretation
Orloff devotes many pages to dreams and how to interpret a dream, indicating that "dreams fill in the gaps in your recollections of life." She describes two types of dreams: psychological and intuitive. Psychological dreams, she says, allow the dreamer to identify unclear emotions. These are characterized by strong emotional content. Often, the dreamer must fully understand the messages of psychological dreams before being able to receive intuitive dreams.
Intuitive dreams are characterized by being impersonal, but very clear and crisp messages offering guidance, precognition, or healing. Regarding the validity of dreams, Orloff is very clear in her belief that "what remains universally true is that the integrity of what dreams have to communicate is flawless: we can trust them."
Integrating Intuitive Healing and Medical Practice
Orloff laments the intolerance and misunderstanding of the medical community, citing the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) — the bible of the American Psychiatric Association — which equates clairvoyance with the mental illness of psychosis.
Orloff argues that humans have the innate abilities of intuition and precognition and it is only natural that these should be utilized by everyone to enhance their lives, including by scientists to supplement scientific facts and procedures. Dr. Orloff has also authored the best seller, Emotional Freedom.
Jerry Lopper - IPPA member, business and engineering degrees. Jerry's passion for personal development shows in 5 books, hundreds of articles & ...
Join the Conversation