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March/April 2005 Spirituality
Awaken Intuition and Rejuvenate Yourself

by Dr. Judith Orloff

Dr. Judith Orloff

Are you forever in a rush, staving off exhaustion? Are you desperately overcommitted, afraid to say "no"? Do you have fang marks from being bled dry by energy vampires? Does the onslaught of violence in the news leave you drained? 

A hidden energy crisis threatens our world. Our high tech, volatile society thrusts many of us into chronic physical, emotional, and spiritual depletion. With information overload, we sink into techno-despair, the burnout of being enslaved by beepers, email, faxes, and phones. Meanwhile, geopolitical realities grind us down. We’re confronted with hostile forces on a global scale. No surprise: our energy suffers. Most alarming, we come to tolerate tired, joyless states as normal. We must shift this socially condoned pattern of madness, no matter what external threats are looming. Using extraordinary solutions to liberate energy, I’ll show you how to alleviate tensions that can do us in and design a life that nurtures.

As a board certified psychiatrist and Assistant Clinical Professor at UCLA with twenty years in practice, I now believe that the most profound transformations can only take place on an energetic level. I’ve met a slew of people who’ve spent lots of time and money in intellectually-oriented therapies hoping that rational insights alone can bring the joy they seek. It’s true, the mind will set you on the path, and the depth of emotional healing can be phenomenal. However, as much as I encourage and work with both, my approach coordinates them with a conscious rebuilding of subtle energies--learning to wield the raw power of your life force itself.

Let me tell you a secret that will change your life. It’s about energy, creativity, the rhythms of existence--how the their compelling interconnection gives birth to an inner voice so sophisticated it’ll teach you to harness the positive and dispel negativity. Intuition brings magic to traditional wellness approaches, but also opens you to the intriguing realm of energy fields, vibes that radiate from people, places, plants, the night sky. Think of the contagious electric buzz of Tokyo or Rome, the mellow, cool groove of Coltrane’s sax, or the orgasmic surge of applause at Yankee Stadium when the home team wins. Each day you’ll encounter a wonderfully diverse but often unacknowledged range of energies. In this prescription you’ll see how intuition registers them. Such listening sharpens your sensitivity to your life force’s fire, showing ways to metabolize and protect it. This is the true secret of secrets. I won’t be satisfied with anything less, hope you won’t either.

Put Intuition Into Action In Your Relationships
Certain people give off positive energy, others negative. It’s the quality of someone’s being, a measure of the love with which they’ve led their lives. It also reflects inner work we’ve done, our efforts to heal anger, hatred, or self-loathing, which poison like toxic fumes. Energetically these linger, precluding joy from shining through. It’s important to grasp, however, that once you undertake the process of healing, it changes the quality of even the negativity that remains. Don’t be too hard on yourself--we’re all works in progress.

Signs of positive energy in people

• They exude an inviting sense of heart, compassion, and support.
• You intuitively feel safe, relaxed, wanting to get closer.
• Positive people are known for being warm, fuzzy, and emanating a peaceful glow.
• You feel better around them. Energy and optimism increase.

Signs of negative energy in people

• You experience a sense of being demeaned, constricted, or attacked.
• You intuitively feel unsafe, tense, or on guard.
• Negative people send out prickly, off-putting vibes. You can’t wait to get away from them.
• Your energy starts to fizzle. You may feel beleaguered or ill.

Beginning to differentiate these energies, I was able to name something I’d always intuited: why as a child, within seconds of meeting someone, I knew whether or not I liked them. This knowing wasn’t about looks or how nice a person seemed. Rather, I could sense invisible tendrils reaching out to me from a person that transmitted information about them. It’d happen before we exchanged a word. The confusing part for us is that people aren’t always as they appear. Sensing energy reveals a fuller picture. I don’t care how intelligent or attractive someone is on paper, if he zaps your energy he isn’t for you. True chemistry is more than intellectual compatibility. Beyond surfaces, you must be intuitively at ease.

I’m a big fan of being proactive in generating positive energy. The first prescription’s formula for success: Do whatever makes your inner light brighter. In other words, try to treat yourself and everyone else with love. It’s a constant process of tuning in: finding people who support your spirit, trusting your gut centered decisions to guide. Then you won’t end up in a relationship that looks right but feels wrong. Or miss the chance to meet a loving man or woman because he or she doesn’t fit some preconception. With trying people, aim for the high road; find common ground rather than inflame negativity. The care with which you approach life is intuitively evident in your energy field. We can feel each others love: that’s the great attraction. Spread openheartedness around. Stay true to intuition. Your positive energy will blossom.

Judith Orloff, M.D is a psychiatrist and energy expert, author of the new bestseller Positive Energy: Ten Extraordinary Prescriptions for Transforming Fatigue, Stress, and Fear Into Vibrance Strength and Love. Dr. Orloff is also author of the bestsellers Guide to Intuitive Healing and Second Sight. She is assistant clinical professor of Psychiatry at UCLA and an international workshop leader. For information about Positive Energy and Judith's workshops visit her website at www.drjudithorloff.com