By Anna Yusim, MD

Grand Central Publishing

Anna Yusim causes doctor envy. This board-certified psychiatrist attended Stanford and Yale, studied the Kabbalah and Buddhism, and trained under South American shamans and Indian gurus. She’s in private practice in New York City and if you wrestle with common challenges like depression, anxiety, and fear, she makes you wish you were her patient. Dr. Yusim seamlessly blends the best of Western science with wide-ranging spiritual practices. (Of course they can coexist, despite some people’s beliefs to the contrary.)

In Fulfilled, she writes that in our complex experience, “what I studied in medical school only scratches the surface about the nature of life, the world, and human consciousness.” To reconcile this, she uses diverse sources—including classical psychiatry concepts from Carl Jung; particle physics; loving-kindness meditations; and snippets from popular books, like The Secret. Throughout, she provides sources for contemplation and questions for reflection. Since she has treated thousands of patients, Yusim also provides many case studies, which provide fascinating glimpses into how real people came to deal with their own issues with Yusim, via therapy.

My favorite part of the book is on synchronicity—meaningful occurrences that “can reveal a deep and underlying order in the universe.” There is an exercise on harnessing the power of prayer and surrender that very much spoke to me. But that’s the beauty of this book: There’s something in here for everyone, for whatever stage may be unfolding in your life. There is a lot in here: death, telepathy, improving relationships, addiction. Yet Dr. Yusim’s willingness to transcend the bound-aries of any belief system or field of study feels like a significant contribution.