Judith Orloff: Person of the Week

Judith Orloff, MD is a psychiatrist, an empath and a champion of highly sensitive people. She is known as the Godmother of the Empath Movement. Dr. Orloff is a New York Times bestselling author, whose books include The Empath’s Survival Guide, The Genius of Empathy, and her children’s book, The Highly Sensitive Rabbit. Dr.

Orloff’s integrates conventional medical wisdom with intuition, energy medicine and spirituality. She also specializes in treating highly sensitive people in her private practice.

www.drjudithorloff.com

Q. What do you love most about yourself?

A. Good heart, creative, true friend, sober.

Q. Who are your heroes in real life?

A. The Dalai Lama. Mahatma Gandhi.

Q. What is your favorite city?

A. LA!

Q. What are some of the most memorable songs in your life?

A. Simon and Garfunkel, “Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme.”

Q. Who is your favorite film director?

A. Wim Wenders.

Q. What sound or sounds do you most remember from your childhood?

A. Ancient sound of the surf breaking on the shore.

Q. What books are you reading now?

A. Terry Tempest Williams.

Q. What book(s) have you read more than once?

A. The Little Prince.

Q. Who is your favorite celebrity in recovery?

A. Anthony H.

Q. What’s your concept of a Higher Power?

A. The power of my heart as it connects with heaven.

Q. Which part of your treatment and recovery do you feel was the most interesting or unexpected?

A. When I was 16, my parents were trying to help and took me to Synanon recovery to be part of their games — a more intense version of EST, where they put you down until you break and get sober. I stuck it out and didn’t fall for their methods so they sent me home. Scary and interesting.

Q. What do you love most about living sober?

A. Clarity and ability to LOVE.

Q. What major event or realization shaped who you are?

A. When I first opened my psychiatric practice, I had a premonition that a patient of mine will try to commit suicide. Because there was no evidence for this, I didn’t raise the issue with her. Then she took an overdose of the pills I was prescribing for her and ended up in a coma in an ICU. She survived fortunately. But from that point on, as I wrote about in my first book Second Sight, I had to respect my intuition otherwise I was jeopardizing the well-being of my patients.

Q. Describe how you came to your “rock bottom” point.

A. Self-medicated feelings of depression and anxiety and I just got sick of it. I met with my Eskimo, another psychiatrist Garret O. who took me to meetings and supported me. He was irreverent, literate, and was one of my teachers at UCLA during my psychiatric residency. Bless you, Garret.

Q. Which living person do you most admire?

A. My Daoist meditation teacher.

Q. Who made you feel seen growing up?

A. People who supported my empathy and sensitivity growing up rather than calling me “too sensitive.”

Q. If you could give advice to your younger self what would it be?

A. Trust your intuition in all matters of life. You are a wonderful strong person who can thrive in the world without substances.

Q. Who has been the biggest influence throughout your life?

A. My Daoist meditation teacher, who I have been studying with for 30 years.

Q. If you had an extra million dollars, which charity would you donate it to?

A. Some save the Earth charity to support the health of the natural world.

Q. What is your biggest pet peeve?

A. That leaders in our world would try to solve the world’s problems without combining the head and the heart. You can’t make really good decisions unless the heart is there.

Q. How do you measure success?

A. How heartfelt someone is, sober, emotionally and physically. People who are of service to help the Earth stay healthy and happy.

Q. If you ever retire, would you prefer to live by the ocean, lake, river, mountaintop, desert, or penthouse?

A. I’ve always lived by Mother Ocean. I hope to always live near her.

Q. If you are in recovery, what was your drug(s) of choice and when is your sobriety date?

A. Alcohol.

Q. Is there anything special in your sobriety toolkit that helps keep you sober?

A. My Monday night Writers meeting, and all AA meetings, really. Fellowship too.

Q. Are you binge watching any TV series?

A. Outlander (just ended after 12 seasons); Yellowstone; The Black List.

Q. What is something you are currently curious about?

A. The nature of the universe and extraterrestrial life.

Q. If you could wake up tomorrow having gained any one quality or ability, what would it be?

A. Relief from fear of loss.

Q. Which words or phrases do you most overuse?

A. “Amazing.”

Q. What would constitute a “perfect” day for you?

A. Drinking a fresh cup of coffee and eating a healthy breakfast, a day full of writing my new book, working out, then meditating at night.

Q. What is the greatest risk you’ve ever taken?

A. Being in love fully.

Q. What is your biggest regret?

A. That I went to the WHO concert in the 1960s in at Hollywood Palladium and lost some of my high-frequency hearing. Hearing is precious.

Q. Where do you go when you’re seeking solitude?

A. I have a sacred space where I meditate. It has flowers, a bowl of fruit, and some ritual tools. Every night before bed, I meditate for as long as my body/spirit wants to.

Q. What do you consider your greatest achievement?

A. Helping patients as a psychiatrist and an empath and writing The Empath’s Survival Guide.

Q. What do you value most in a friendship?

A. Creativity, reliable, able to love and have fun.

Q. What is your most treasured possession?

A. My Quan Yin pendant, which I wear all the time She is the goddess of compassion.

Q. What is the best piece of advice you’ve given someone else?

A. Trust your intuition.

Q. What is the best and or worse piece of advice someone has given you?

A. Don’t trust your intuition.

Q. What are five things you always carry with you (not including cell phone, keys, wallet, or lipstick)?

A. The third step prayer.

Q. What is your favorite cuisine?

A. Vegan.

Q. What is the best concert/performance/play you’ve ever attended?

A. Leonard Cohen, Hollywood Bowl.

Q. How important are your pets to you?

A. I adore animals, but I don’t have one now.

Q. What is your greatest extravagance?

A. Some gorgeous Air B and Bs that are too expensive, but not to be missed in terms of beauty.

Q. Where are you from and where do you reside now?

A. Born in Philadelphia, PA. Live in Venice Beach, CA now.

Q. Do you think addiction is an illness, disease, a choice, or a wicked twist of fate?

A. Disease.

Q. What is your Astrological sign?

A. Cancer.

Q. What is one word you would use to describe yourself?

A. Creative.