Lissa Rankin - Sacred Medicine: A Doctors Quest to Unravel the Mysteries of Healing

Praise for Sacred Medicine

Sacred Medicine is a must-read for anyone who respects the importance of conventional medicine and also wants to dive in to the transformative possibilities of emotional and spiritual healing. Dr. Rankins healthy dose of skepticism and careful eye for safety make her the perfect guide to introduce the reader to a wide array of healing theories and practices.

Kelly A. Turner, PhD

New York Times bestselling author of Radical Hope and Radical Remission

Sacred Medicine delivers on the promise of its title, and more. As a wellness advocate who believes that there is no separation between healing and justice, I was delighted to read every one of Lissa Rankins words. She has managed to honor both the sacred and the science while illuminating the truth that the two are inextricably linked. Themes of curiosity, compassion, and justice artfully weave throughout the pages in a way that compels the reader to see community as a foundational element of healing. I am so grateful for this expansive, intentional, and incredibly well-researched and well-experienced text on medicine. Brava!

Rebekah Borucki

mother, author, publisher, advocate

Sacred Medicine takes you on an exciting tour of nontraditional approaches to healing through the eyes of a traditionally trained physician who also carries the heart of a spiritually evolved guide. Ancient and modern healing practices are submitted to the rigors of rational, scientific thought and tapped for their inherent utility and sacred wisdom. Ultimately, you will be the beneficiary of this unique exploration as you navigate your own way through your cultures confusion about healing and spiritual development.

Donna Eden and David Feinstein, PhD

coauthors of Energy Medicine

This is the wisest, most thorough analysis of the mysteries of healing to appear in years. As a physician/healer, Lissa Rankin approaches this subject with scientific thoroughness, but also with the respect and tenderness it requires. This book will be enormously valuable for anyone in the helping professions and for anyone who needs healingand who doesnt?

Larry Dossey, MD

author of One Mind

This is the book weve all been waiting forthe one that helps us harness the power to heal ourselves while also acknowledging a sacred truth: we often need each other too. Take this book and hold it close to your heart, for there is no better guide than Lissa Rankin for the journey. Through this book, she helps us surrender to the mystery of healing while also supporting us fully in finding the medicine we each deserve.

Amy B. Scher

bestselling author of This Is How I Save My Life

As an integrative medicine physician who constantly navigates this confusing world of science (which I love with my whole heart, but it is limited in its scope) and the vital but murky waters of spirit, faith, energy, qi, prana, and a host of healing modalities, I deeply respect the journey that this book took Lissa Rankin on personally and professionally. And to navigate these waters within a societal structure that is inherently sexist, racist, professional-ist (not a word, but should be), and infinitely inequitable is a monumental challenge. Dr. Rankin is an admirable warrior in this realm, calling out the shadow and trauma in ourselves and in the fallible humans who can sometimes also be talented and effective healers. In Sacred Medicine, she puts the tools of transformation into our hands and gently leads us to the experiences that can unlock healing.

Rachel Carlton Abrams, MD, MHS, ABOIM

Once in a rare while, one happens upon a writer who is capable of linking worlds and healing the soul. Dr. Rankin is, on one hand, a highly trained physician devoted to evidence and all that the unblinking rational mind can tell us. And on the other hand, she is an explorer who walks into the deeper, less-mapped mysteries of healing where only the prostrate soul can pass. She examines, she pokes, she asks for evidence, she asks what works, she questions herself, and she slowly moves us ahead. Its about the physical, yes, but also about healing the deeper developmental and acute traumas. Its about the science, yes, but also about opening ones heart and knowing how to protect that which is most beautiful and essential. Its about healing the individual, yes, but also about healing the communities and culture. Read this book with attention to the particularities of your own spectacular, wild, and utterly unique life. This is a deeper medicine.

Jeffrey D. Rediger, MD, MDiv

author of Cured

My father was a physician/researcher who wouldnt have believed much of what is contained in this book. Yet he taught me to follow the data, even if it takes you far outside your paradigm. Lissa Rankin is uniquely positioned to lead us on a journey far outside the paradigm of conventional medicine. She is a well-trained physician who appreciates Western medicine and became intrigued by stories of other kinds of healing. She keeps her skeptical part close by as she opens her mind enough to explore the territory of miracle cures and alternative treatments. As she engagingly describes this journey, interspersed with vulnerable self-disclosure and amazing stories, I found myself opening to possibilities I had dismissed. Im so grateful for the in-person and academic research she includes, as well as for her beginners mind approach. You will be fascinated by her journey and grateful to her for bringing you along. This book is a big step forward in bridging the gap between traditional and alternative healing!

Richard Schwartz, PhD

developer of the Internal Family Systems model of psychotherapy and author of No Bad Parts

Dr. Lissa Rankin takes the reader by the hand on a multidimensional quest for healing and personal transformation through stories, ponderings, and wisdom gleaned from her own lifes journey. A bold and stimulating book.

Beverly Rubik, PhD

Sacred Medicine is a gift for our times. Through the wit, wisdom, and candor we have come to know and love from Dr. Lissa Rankin, we discover and uncover the mysteries of healing across the globepicking up priceless gems from visits to sacred sites, energy healers, dancers, shamans, and trauma therapists along the way. Throughout the adventure, Lissa provides practical steps that allow us to take in the joy of healing with Spirit while practicing wise, trauma-informed discernment. If youre looking to open your heart, soul, and mind to the powerful adventure of healing and personal growth, please take Sacred Medicine as a trusted guide along with you in your journey.

Shamini Jain, PhD

founder and CEO of the Consciousness and Healing Initiative and author of Healing Ourselves

Modern medicine can be highly effective in treating some illnesses, but it cant cure everything. If you or someone you love has a medical issue where doctors shrug and give up, Sacred Medicine is the book for you. Dr. Lissa Rankin writes in an engaging, encouraging, and empathic manner, and her survey of whole health approaches to healing is accurate, timely, and authoritative. Bravo!

Dean Radin, PhD

chief scientist at the Institute of Noetic Sciences and author of Real Magic

I strongly recommend Sacred Medicine. There is so much wisdom and information in this book for healing professionals of all kinds, as well as for those struggling with health problems. Dr. Rankin integrates a strong Western scientific basis with an openness to methods of healing that are non-Western and nontraditional. She addresses the paradoxes of healing, writing with nuance about the intersection of science with spirituality, medicine, energy healing, cutting-edge trauma treatments, and making informed medical decisions that are grounded in research and critical thinking and while in touch with emotional, somatic, and intuitive intelligence. This book is an important addition to the broad field of healing.