Judy Tsafrir, M.D. Boston Area Holistic Psychiatrist

Judy Tsafrir, M.D. Boston Area Holistic Psychiatrist Subscribe to my Holistic Health blog: https://www.judytsafrirmd.com/blog/

I am a Harvard affiliated, board certified, conventionally trained adult and child psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, and a Certified GAPS Practitioner located in Newton, Massachusetts. I have a deep curiosity about development and healing, and have an open mind about trying diverse approaches to help my patients. I am familiar and skilled in working within a traditional medical/psychiatric model, but am now much more drawn to nutritional approaches to healing, as well as more unconventional energetic/holistic/ spiritual approaches. I love my work, which I see as helping my patients become most fully themselves, enjoying optimum health and vitality, and creating and living a life they love.

11/08/2025

3I/ATLAS: When the cosmos sends us a message about unprecedented times

Something strange is moving through our solar system right now - an interstellar visitor behaving unlike anything astronomers have ever seen. They call it 3I/ATLAS, the third confirmed interstellar object ever detected.

It’s not bound to our sun but comes from deep space, behaving in ways we’ve never observed:
Became active far from the sun
Releasing dust in strange directions, even toward the sun
Unusual composition - rich in carbon dioxide compared to water
Light signature unlike any ever observed
Defies classification
In ancient times, comets were feared as omens of misfortune. I don’t see it that way, but I do notice the synchronicity: in these extraordinary times, something from beyond our solar system makes its presence known, reminding us this is not business as usual. We are not in Kansas anymore.

Astrologically, this feels very Uranian - non-conforming, outside the box. Right now, Pluto in Aquarius forms a rare trine with Uranus in Gemini - a frequency of radical systemic change and ideas branching infinitely, connections multiplying in unexpected directions.

This trine awakens us to unprecedented technologies, new ways of connecting, and transformation of the collective mind and nervous system itself. Perhaps 3I/ATLAS is a messenger from the stars, reflecting back that we too are stepping into a time unlike anything before.

How are these unprecedented energies showing up in your life? What signs of radical transformation are you noticing?

Ready to navigate these cosmic shifts? Grab your copy of Sacred Psychiatry (link in bio) 📚

11/07/2025

Life happening FOR you vs. TO you: A $300 lesson from the universe

Have you heard the spiritual teaching that life is happening for you rather than to you? Michael Beckwith describes four levels of consciousness: victim, achievement/manifestation, acceptance, and the highest level - experiencing life as happening for you.

That can be challenging when faced with adversity. The other morning, after a beautiful walk around my beloved Chestnut Hill Reservoir, I discovered my car had been towed. I hadn’t noticed the street cleaning sign. Two hours later, after Lyft rides, towing fees, and a ticket, I was out more than $300.

It was hard to see how that experience was happening FOR me. My strategy was to turn to a Buddhist teaching about the second arrow: The first arrow was losing the time and money. The second arrow would have been letting it ruin my day. That part was optional.

So instead, I chose to shake my head at the universe’s sense of humor and let it go.

This practice - avoiding the second arrow - is a crucial life skill. It’s one way to turn lemons into lemonade. And now I get to share this story and hope it helps someone else navigate their own challenging moments.

Sometimes the gift hidden inside life’s challenges is simply the reminder that we have a choice in how we respond.

How does this story strike you? How do you practice finding the gift hidden inside life’s challenges?

Ready to explore more tools for resilient living? Grab your copy of Sacred Psychiatry (link in bio)

11/05/2025

How to prepare for the transformative tsunami of 2026

Can you feel the voltage in the air? It’s likely that 2026 is going to be different than anything we’ve ever known. We are heading into wild and transformative times.

As 2025 draws to a close, let us consciously prepare for the two most significant transits of 2026:

Saturn-Neptune conjunction at 0° Aries (February 20th) - The archetype that invites us to dream a new world into being, or witness the dissolution of the old like a sandcastle washed away by the tide

Uranus-Pluto trine between Gemini and Aquarius - Exact three times (July 2026, November 2026, July 2027), heralding innovation, awakening, and radical reconfiguration of society, technology, and consciousness itself

These celestial alignments mark a turning of the ages, signaling that by the end of 2026, the world as we have known it may be profoundly transformed.

To meet this tsunami of change with grace, we must fortify our spiritual, emotional, and physical resilience.

How to prepare:

Begin and end each day tuning into your ancestors and spirit guides
Listen deeply and cultivate gratitude
Make art and serve others skillfully
Holistically care for your body as a sacred antenna of divine intelligence
Build genuine community
Cultivate your spiritual development

This is not about fear - it’s about wisdom, discernment, and courage. The courage to change what we can, accept what we cannot, and the wisdom to know the difference.

How are you preparing for the intensity ahead? Share below - I’d love to hear from you.

Ready to navigate these cosmic shifts? Grab your copy of Sacred Psychiatry (link in bio) 📚

11/05/2025

Today I was shocked to learn that Spotify and other streaming platforms have been running recruitment ads for ICE (US Immigration and Customs Enforcement) - the agency responsible for enforcing immigration law within the United States.

There’s something profoundly troubling about this pairing: music serves as a bridge for human connection, while these ads promote division and control.

This situation raises important questions about the vibrations we’re unconsciously absorbing. When we listen to music, we’re literally allowing sound waves to enter our bodies and influence our emotional state. What impact does it have when these healing spaces become contaminated with messaging rooted in fear and oppression?

Awareness is the first act of sovereignty. We can choose what we tune into, what messages and energies we allow to enter our systems.

I’ve decided to cancel my beloved Spotify subscription, trusting that collective action and conscious consumer choices can send a clear signal that integrity matters. Disney quickly reinstated Jimmy Kimmel when huge numbers of subscribers canceled to protest the violation of free speech his removal represented - they responded to financial pressure.

Every dollar we spend is a vote for the kind of world we want to create.

This moment invites reflection: What frequencies are we unconsciously consuming? How can we be more intentional about the energetic environments we inhabit?

How does all of this land with you? I’d love to hear your perspective below.

11/04/2025

🌕 Ta**us Full Moon (November 5th): Come back to your senses when the world feels overwhelming

Are you feeling overwhelmed by the world? The Ta**us Full Moon offers an antidote: come back to your senses.

On November 5th, we’ll experience the brightest full moon of 2025 in Ta**us - the sign of the Earth herself, the beauty of nature, and the wisdom of the body. Ta**us is associated with safety and security, and the moon is said to be exalted in Ta**us, meaning she feels at home, strong, and radiant there.

This Ta**us Full Moon is also at perigee - her closest point to Earth - so her gravitational pull on the tides and on us is especially powerful. Since our bodies are more than 70% water, we too feel her magnetism. Emotions may swell beneath the light of this luminous and potent moon.

She invites us to ground into our bodies, honor our animal nature, and find refuge from the overwhelm of modern life. Too much time in our heads, too much information, too much digital noise - all of it disconnects us from ourselves.

Let go of analysis. Let this moon call you home to instinct, breath, and sensation.

Our bodies are antennas for divine intelligence. When we attune to how we feel, intuition naturally amplifies. As the energies of 2026 promise even greater change, caring for the body becomes a sacred form of refuge and protection.

Ways to honor this Ta**us Full Moon:
Nourish yourself with fresh, whole foods
Move in ways that bring you joy
Soak in sunlight and breathe fresh air
Rest deeply

Ta**us also rules the voice - do you like to sing? Singing uplifts the spirit, activates the vagus nerve, calms the nervous system, and opens the heart.

Create a ritual to release whatever stands in the way of fully inhabiting, loving, and taking pleasure in your body. I’ll be singing while cooking delicious soup to share with friends.

What ritual will you create beneath the brilliant light of this gorgeous moon? Share below!

Ready to explore more body wisdom? Grab your copy of Sacred Psychiatry (link in bio) 📚

10/31/2025

When life speaks to you in symbols: What’s breaking down to make space for what’s emerging?

What if your everyday waking life is speaking to you in rich, meaningful symbols just like a dream? Recently, within just four days, my car needed a $2,000 repair, my Oura ring stopped holding a charge, the blender carafe cracked and leaked, and the toaster oven cord overheated to the point of being a fire hazard.

At first glance, you might call it bad luck or coincidence. But looked at symbolically, it felt like a mirror showing me what in my own life is old, worn out, and ready for renewal - and echoing the larger collective breakdown we’re all witnessing.

Of course, birthing the new isn’t as simple as clicking “replace” on an online order. The deeper message I received was a reminder of what truly matters: not material things, but health, relationships, community, compassion, and justice.

These synchronicities can serve as guidance when we’re willing to look beyond surface appearances. Sometimes what feels like inconvenience is actually invitation - life asking us to examine what we’re holding onto that’s no longer serving us.

The breakdown of external things can mirror internal shifts we need to make but haven’t yet recognized.

What symbolic messages has the universe been offering to you lately? What’s been breaking down in your life that might actually be making space for something new to emerge?

Ready to explore the deeper meanings in life’s patterns? Grab your copy of Sacred Psychiatry (link in bio) 📚

10/30/2025

The medicine we need right now might be this forgotten film...

I’ve been thinking a lot about what nourishes our spirits in these divided times, and I keep coming back to a beautiful film from 1999: “The Straight Story,” directed by David Lynch.

Based on a true story, it follows elderly Alvin Straight who, unable to drive and with failing eyesight, embarks on an extraordinary journey - riding his lawnmower from Iowa to Wisconsin to reconcile with his estranged brother after a decade of silence.

What makes this film so healing to watch now? It depicts a world where neighbors help strangers without asking their politics. Where the pace is unhurried. Where the camera lingers lovingly on cornfields and starlit skies, reminding us how our human stories are woven into the fabric of nature and cosmos.

✨ What films have you found healing during challenging times?

Ready to discover more paths to healing and resilience? Grab your copy of Sacred Psychiatry (link in bio) 📚

10/29/2025

What if the future you dream of needs your imagination to exist?

As we prepare for the profound rebirth symbolized by the Saturn-Neptune conjunction at 0° Aries on February 20th, 2026, it becomes more vital than ever to remember Dr. Tal Becker’s powerful words: “Never doubt the permanent possibility of the presently unimaginable.”

And to recognize that joy itself is a special form of wisdom.

It’s natural to feel cynical or despairing as we witness harm and threats to what we love. But this is exactly when it matters most to remain open to beauty, truth, goodness, and joy - because we truly do not know what is going to happen.

Magic and miracles are 100% possible, but only when we remain open to their possibility.

We can call upon Neptune’s archetypal energy to envision what our souls long for, and Saturn’s grounded power to bring that vision into form.

One practice that supports this consciousness: massage the acupuncture point Yin Tang (the Hall of Spirit) located between your eyebrows at the third eye. Use sacred frankincense oil daily to awaken:

Intuition and subtle perception

The capacity to see beyond madness and brutalities that breed hopelessness

Connection to wonder and possibility

This inner work - this commitment to wonder - is how we dream the world into being. When we hold space for the unimaginable, we become co-creators of miraculous transformation.

What practices help you stay open to magic and miracles? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below.

10/28/2025

A profound cosmic confrontation is unfolding, and we’re all feeling it. On October 29th, 3I/ATLAS - the mysterious interstellar object that entered our solar system only this July - will reach perihelion at 22° Libra, standing in direct opposition to Chiron at 24° Aries and Eris at 25° Aries.

All three of these celestial bodies carry the archetype of the outsider:

3I/ATLAS: Unlike anything we’ve ever seen - a visitor with no known origin story

Chiron: The centaur, both horse and human, rejected at birth yet becoming the great healer who bridges personal and transpersonal worlds

Eris: The dwarf planet goddess of discord and righteous disruption who refuses to be ignored when injustice prevails

With Chiron in Cancer forming a square to this alignment, the message becomes even more amplified.

We’re living through unprecedented times where the wellbeing of the many - and of Earth herself - is too often sacrificed for the power of the few. This sky story calls us toward profound healing, courageous justice, and a quantum mindset that recognizes our inseparable connection to each other and this living planet.

These cosmic moments mirror our collective healing journey. When we harm one, we harm all.

As this interstellar messenger moves through our skies, what is awakening in you? How are you choosing to stand for healing and connection at this pivotal moment?

Ready to explore more cosmic wisdom for transformation? Grab your copy of Sacred Psychiatry (link in bio) 📚

10/27/2025

How 3I/ATLAS and cosmic frequencies are shifting everything (October 29th)

Are you feeling the frequency shift in the cosmos right now? On October 29th, 3I/ATLAS - the mysterious interstellar object that defies classification - will reach perihelion, its closest approach to the sun.

When a body like this encounters solar energy, it can stimulate powerful solar activity. We're already in a solar maximum phase with heightened sunspots and coronal mass ejections influencing Earth's electromagnetic field.

Recently, four enormous solar mass ejections erupted from the far side of the sun - an extremely unusual sequence that some heliophysicists believe could be precursors to even larger events, like cosmic foreshocks.

When solar radiation accelerates toward Earth, it affects more than our power grids and telecommunications. For highly sensitive individuals, you may feel it through:
Heightened anxiety
Headaches
Sleep disruption
Increased feelings of activation
These are profoundly Uranian times. Uranus (planet of shocks, electricity, and awakening) is currently at 0° Gemini, soon to retrograde back into Ta**us on November 8th, activating themes of earth, body, and the natural world.

We're living through a threshold moment - endings and beginnings, rapid transformation intertwined. During times like these, grounding and regular spiritual practice become essential: attending to your breath, spending time in nature, practicing ritual, engaging in connection, and paying attention to your body.

How is this cosmic energy moving through you? How are you caring for yourself as we navigate this solar storm together?

Ready to learn more tools for cosmic resilience? Grab your copy of Sacred Psychiatry (link in bio) 📚

10/22/2025

Understanding unconscious guilt and the healing power of pine 🌲

Have you ever noticed how some people just can’t seem to let themselves be happy? They finally get what they want, and then something in them sabotages it. It’s as if they can’t tolerate success or joy and always need to spoil it somehow.

Self-sabotage is a symptom - much like fever - and it can have many causes. Today I want to focus on one that’s quite common: unconscious guilt.

Some people who carry unconscious guilt feel deep down they don’t deserve happiness, goodness, or pleasure. These beliefs often take root in childhood, especially in families marked by loss, neglect, abuse, illness, or unhappiness. Children usually imagine whatever is wrong must be their fault.

They grow up feeling responsible for everyone’s pain, believing their best is never good enough. As adults, they may even feel guilty for surviving or thriving when siblings have struggled.

Conventional psychotherapy can help, but another lesser-known modality that can be profoundly healing is flower essences. These subtle infusions of blossoms in water (and a little brandy) were created by Dr. Edward Bach in the 1930s. They carry the flower’s vibrational imprint and can restore emotional and spiritual balance.

My favorite essence for unconscious guilt is Pine. Pine helps those who irrationally blame themselves, apologize constantly, and feel unworthy of love - living with chronic remorse. This state often stems from early conditioning, feeling responsible for others’ distress or believing one’s best is never enough.

Unlike pharmaceuticals that broadly treat depression or anxiety, flower essences address very specific emotional and spiritual states. Up to seven remedies can be combined in one bottle. Usual dosage: two drops on the tongue or in water, four times daily.

Have you used flower essences? What’s been your experience?

Ready to explore more healing modalities? Grab your copy of Sacred Psychiatry (link in bio) 📚

10/22/2025

The “wince” - that sharp inward flinch that reveals your psychological goldmine

Have you ever remembered something you did long ago that makes you wince? That sharp inward flinch of shame or embarrassment that floods your body in an instant? Maybe it was an insensitive remark, an inappropriate joke, or a thoughtless action that hurt someone or revealed something about yourself you still find hard to face.

It’s natural to want to push these memories away - they’re uncomfortable. Yet they tend to circle back, as though they have unfinished business with us.

Psychoanalytically, the wince is a portal - a rich goldmine of psychological truth, a treasure trove of clues about the early conditioning of our family and culture, and the invisible rules about what was acceptable, lovable, or worthy of belonging.

When we revisit these memories with curiosity instead of judgment, guilt, or shame, they have tremendous teachings to offer. Rather than being haunted by past mistakes, we can harvest their meaning.

The work is to stay with the discomfort and ask:

What is this moment trying to show me about how I developed into who I am today?
What makes it so hard to let go?

Every time you turn a compassionate gaze toward a wince and seek to understand it rather than reject yourself, you reclaim a lost aspect of your wholeness and open the way to greater vitality and authenticity.

Do you resonate with the concept of the wince? What does this bring to mind for you?

Ready to explore more about healing shame? Grab your copy of Sacred Psychiatry (link in bio) 📚

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