Less a psychiatry book and more a reminder of how to reconnect with yourself and the world around you at a sacred level. I got halfway through and ordered a hard copy for myself and one for my bed friend. Loved it.

I appreciate NetGalley and the publisher for access to a digital ARC. My honest review is my own opinion.

This book challenges the limitations of conventional psychiatry by advocating for a holistic approach to mental well-being. Combining diverse healing modalities like spirituality, astrology, and nutrition, the author empowers individuals to explore the "power of the sacred" and reclaim their personal agency in their healing journey. While addressing potentially controversial topics like pharmaceutical weaning and complex chronic conditions, the book offers a thought-provoking perspective for those seeking a more comprehensive understanding of mental health.

Sacred Psychiatry, by Judy Suzanne Reis Tsafrir, offers a unique perspective on the mental health field as a whole. It weaves together spirituality with mental and emotional wellness to preserve the whole being. It reminds me of a lesson I learned from my own sisters, in that witchcraft is counseling, just with extra steps. The book offers guidelines on how to reconfigure your life into a way that aligns with your higher purpose. It may be uncomfortable at times, but it's worth the effort nontheless.

The book has a large focus on Judeo-Christian esotericism while appropriating ndigenous practices. There is also a spotlight on Carl Jung who while aided in the advancement of psychotherapy was highly problematic. If you can stomach cultural appropriation and white feminism / 1st wave feminism, its for you.

This book was such a breath of fresh air in the world where psychiatry is what it unfortunately is – not tailored to an individual, filled with one-size-fits-all pharmaceuticals. Each person is so much more than just a diagnosis that can be stuffed with a name-brand pill, and this book is all about that. While I’m sure the book will be labeled by many as too non-conventional (of course, because it goes against the current of a-pill-solves-it-all), I’d like to remind that the author is also a psychiatrist with formal education in classic psychiatry.