Geared towards people who want to be enlightened (or simply live a better life) yet feel they can’t do so because of the past and/or current state of the spiritual world, Enlightened as Hell: How to Be Spiritual and Not Be a D**k is the third book by clinical psychologist Dr. Tony Ortega.

Dr. Ortega brings three decades of experience as an actual mental health professional and consumer of an array of spiritual studies, as well as his sassy humour, to distil mental health and spiritual philosophies down to a street level. This is a book for millennials as much as it is for people 40+. Most likely to appeal more to women than men due to the nature of self-help readerships, Dr. Ortega is also a champion of LGBTQIA+ rights, so this is an inclusive, accessible book for anyone open to learning more about spirituality and potential answers to the question, “Is this it?”

“In Enlightened As Hell you get ALL the building blocks to lead an enlightened life without spending any more money!”

Dr. Tony Ortega’s passion for helping others began at a very early age. He always knew that no matter what he did, he wanted to be of service to others. Once he knew that such a profession existed, he had a goal for his life path.
In August 1992, Dr. Ortega began his first job as a mental health professional in a residential women’s drug and alcohol rehabilitation centre. Since then, he has worked for inpatient, outpatient, residential, managed care, and private practices, which included working with patients with substance abuse issues, mood disorders, severe and persistent mental illnesses, traumas, and LGBTQI+ issues. He currently serves the LGBTQI+ community from his private practice in Brooklyn, New York, combining cognitive behavioural techniques with active coaching and metaphysical principles in his work with clients.
Dr. Ortega’s basic premise with clients is that his patients are not sick, nor do they need “fixing.” He also doesn’t work with diagnoses, per se. His job is to help people remove the obstacles preventing them from accessing their power, which is their inherent birth right. Processing of past issues is certainly part of the work, but not the only part. Knowing the “why” behind issues, while valuable, isn’t enough to create change. He focuses on the “why” AND the “what now” (i.e., choices we can make for ourselves today). The only thing we ever have 100% control over are the choices we make.
The foundation of Dr. Ortega’s work is: Rewrite your story, find your voice, and live authentically.
He is the author of #IsHeHereYet: Being the Person You Want to Be With - an extremely raw (and funny) look at the perceived epidemic of being single in our quest for love.
His second book, #AreYouHereYet: How to STFU and Show Up For Yourself (Free Association Books) is a call for readers to wake up and stop being so addicted to the current personal development trends.
He is also the creator of the Be The One Movement: Inspiring People to Show Up, Take Charge, Live Free, and Be the One (www.betheonelife.com). Most recently, Dr. Ortega achieved his lifelong dream of creating his own comic book series, The Accords (www.theaccordscomicbook.com). The Accords features a team of seven heroes who are in and allies of the LGBTQI+ population, making it a truly inclusive comic book. It is based in modern-day America and incorporates spiritual themes into the super-heroics.