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Following in the tradition of her other bestsellers, including her classics, "Emotional Freedom and Positive Energy," Dr. Orloff's new book explores themes that echo our times.

Book Review: ‘The Ecstasy of Surrender’ by Judith Orloff, M.D.

It’s always an event when bestselling author and psychiatrist Judith Orloff comes out with a new book. An assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at UCLA, Dr. Orloff sees the world in her own unique way, applying principles of neuroscience, energy medicine, psychiatry, and the art of intuition to help us understand and solve problems we face in our everyday lives: problems with money, success, sex, relationships, career, aging, and health, to name a few.

Following in the tradition of her other bestsellers, including her classics, Emotional Freedom and Positive Energy, Dr. Orloff’s new book explores themes that echo our times. In The Ecstasy of Surrender: 12 Ways Letting Go Can Empower Your Life (Harmony Books, April 2014), she puts her finger on the number-one behavior that leads to ever-increasing levels of stress in our lives. That’s the behavior characterized by pushing through, forcing things, and trying to make things happen.

Dr. Judith Orloff's New Book
Dr. Judith Orloff’s New Book

We live fast-paced, stressful, rushed lives, and many of us believe the way to manage everything we need to do is to maintain control. Unfortunately, she says our belief that we can control the outcome of everything in life is actually making us more stressed out, exhausted, and unhealthy. What’s worse is that we’re missing out on joy, spontaneity, and unexpected gifts that come from doing the opposite: letting go, or surrendering.

We normally associate the concept of surrender with giving up. But Dr. Orloff says surrender is actually about slowing down, listening to one’s intuition, and being open to surprises. Surrender is about allowing oneself to “be in the flow” of life.

Lest this sounds abstract and intangible, rest assured that Dr. Orloff once again delivers plenty of practical solutions. This book is filled with quizzes, exercises, tips, strategies, and tools to help us identify areas of our life where we’re pushing too hard–and where letting go would yield surprising benefits. She shows us simple but effective ways to modify our outlook and behaviors so we can readily experience the benefits of surrender.

The obvious area most people can relate to is sex. The ultimate state of sexual satisfaction only happens when we trust, let go, stop thinking so hard, and surrender to our bodies. But surrender also applies to other arenas, and Dr. Orloff’s book explores 12 of these. They range from financial behavior and communication styles to love partnerships and how we relate to death.

The Ecstasy of Surrender is well-written, easy to read, and filled with Dr. Orloff’s own personal stories, as well as anecdotes from her private practice as a psychiatrist and intuitive healer. This highly practical book will be invaluable for anyone who works too hard, lacks balance, feels unhealthy, is stressed out, has dissatisfying relationships, or just wants to get more joy, pleasure, and spark out of life.

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About Patricia Gale

Patricia Gale has written and ghostwritten hundreds of blogs and articles that have appeared on sites such as Psychology Today, Forbes, and Huffington Post, and in countless national newspapers and magazines. Her "beat" is health, business, career, self-help, parenting, and relationships.

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