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.

12/16/2025

On December 19th at 8:43 PM we welcome a magical and mystical New Moon in the late degrees of Sagittarius, conjunct the Galactic Center and square Neptune in Pisces.

Astronomically, the Galactic Center is the rotational core of the Milky Way Galaxy, located at 27° Sagittarius. If the sun is the heart of our solar system, then the Galactic Center is the heart of our galaxy itself.

Astrologically and mystically, the Galactic Center has long been associated with transmissions of higher knowledge, non-ordinary states of consciousness, and revelations that reorganize meaning rather than simply add information.

The unusual nature of this New Moon is amplified by reports that on the same date, the mysterious interstellar object 3I/ATLAS will make its closest passage to Earth before continuing its journey back into deep space.

First noticed earlier this year, this visitor has defied easy classification with anomalous behavior, unusual physical and chemical signatures, and an orbit that doesn’t conform to expectations within our solar system. Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb has noted that the number of anomalies and apparent coincidences surrounding this object are statistically extraordinary.

What strikes me most: the synchronicity. Just as this interstellar visitor challenges our existing categories, we’re entering an unprecedented moment in human history marked by new technologies, new forms of connection, and rapid transformation of the collective mind and nervous system itself.

In this sense, 3I/ATLAS feels like a mirror or messenger from the stars, reflecting back that we too are crossing a threshold into territory unlike anything that has come before.

The square to Neptune (planet of dreams, visions, and spiritual permeability) only deepens the mystical and imaginal qualities of this New Moon. Then just two days later on December 21st, we arrive at the winter solstice - the shortest day and longest night.

This convergence marks a potent threshold, a liminal passage between worlds. May we meet the unknown with curiosity rather than fear.

What does this moment awaken in you? Share what’s stirring for you below!

12/12/2025

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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12/11/2025

When the world feels heavy, touch the center of your inner storehouse of light

Are you feeling weighed down by the heaviness in the world right now? I see it in my friends, family, and patients - growing fear and helplessness in the face of brutality towards immigrants, political violence, and erosion of rights many once took for granted, like freedom of speech.

In moments like these, it’s vital not to collapse into despair, but instead to cultivate an elevated vibration. One beautiful and effective way is through acupuncture point Conception Vessel 17, located in the center of the breastbone. Its poetic Chinese name: “The Center of the Inner Storehouse of Light.”

East Asian scholar Lonny Jarrett describes that stimulating this point “touches the uncynical heart of the child.” You can activate it by massaging with floral essential oil like rose or geranium.

This simple practice helps:
Strengthen self-love
Expand capacity to give and receive love
Reconnect with innocence as antidote to cynicism
These qualities are medicine for our time, helping us stay steady in love and light no matter what unfolds around us.

When we touch this point, we remember that beneath all the chaos and fear, there remains an untouchable core of light within us - and that this light is what the world needs most from us now.

What are you feeling, and what strategies are you using to keep your spirits uplifted? Share below.

Ready to discover more tools for staying centered in challenging times? Grab your copy of Sacred Psychiatry (link in bio) 📚

12/11/2025

The greatest expression of love: When the universe speaks twice about attention

The universe wants me to talk with you about the relationship between attention and love. In the past 48 hours, in two entirely unrelated settings - my yoga class the day before yesterday and a talk on the psychology of happiness yesterday - the same teaching appeared twice.

Two Zen teachers, Thich Nhat Hanh and John Tarrant, were quoted about the link between attention and love. When the same message arrives twice from different directions, I take it as the universe saying: “Please pay attention to attention.”

We are terribly distracted these days. Our devices pull at us constantly. We multitask, we listen with half an ear. We give only fractions of our presence to one another and to ourselves.

My yoga teacher quoted Thich Nhat Hanh, who said that the greatest expression of love is the quality of our presence - the feeling of truly offering someone our full attention and communicating, “I’m here for you, darling.”

She pointed out that we can also say this to ourselves - offer your presence inwardly.

This reminded me of advice from a favorite astrology mentor, Emily Trinkaus, who once said: when you’re having a hard time, gently caress your own cheek the way you would soothe a distressed child, and say with tenderness, “Oh, Judy.”

As we move into the next season of our lives, one of my intentions is to be more mindful of how I divide my attention - especially between my phone and the living, breathing human beings beside me, including the one within me.

True presence is becoming a radical act of love in a world designed to fragment our attention. When we offer our undivided awareness, we’re saying to another person - and to ourselves - “You matter. This moment matters. You are worthy of my full presence.”

Do you resonate with this? What does it bring to mind for you? Share your reflections below!

Ready to deepen your practice of presence? Grab your copy of Sacred Psychiatry (link in bio) 📚

12/10/2025

The missing archetype: Why we need the Sovereign Woman

The conventional framing of a woman’s lifecycle - the triad of maiden, mother, crone - is in desperate need of an update. It no longer reflects the lived experience of contemporary women. We live much longer now, and we do not leap from motherhood straight into elderhood.

There’s an entire expanse of feminine identity that is not about birthing or caregiving at all.

I was recently introduced to a term that beautifully fills this gap: the Sovereign Woman, the Queen. Unlike the mother, she is no longer defined by responsibility to others. Unlike the crone, she’s not withdrawing from worldly roles but stepping into them with increased clarity and authority.

The Queen is not young, but she is not elderly. She is defined by self-governance, discernment, mastery, and mature spiritual autonomy.

In the tarot, the card that captures her essence most clearly is the Nine of Pentacles. The woman in the Nine of Pentacles is self-sustaining and self-authoring. She stands in a life built from her own choices, surrounded by the fruits of her labor - grounded, internally secure, and in command of her environment.

She is not waiting for permission or validation. She stands alone - not lonely, but complete. The falcon on her arm represents her disciplined mind and spiritual authority, and her lush garden symbolizes a world cultivated with intention and sovereignty.

Perhaps it’s time to revise the classic archetypal arc of the feminine to honor this powerful life stage that so many women inhabit - the space between nurturing others and preparing for the great transition, where we finally nurture ourselves and our own authentic expression.

✨ What do you think? Does the Sovereign Woman archetype resonate with your experience? Share your reflections below!

12/09/2025

From endings to beginnings: The numerology of 2025-2026 reveals everything

In numerology, every calendar year carries an energetic number from one through nine by adding up the digits and reducing them to a single digit. When we do this for 2025 (2+0+2+5), we arrive at 9, making 2025 a global nine year. For 2026 (2+0+2+6), we reach 10, which reduces to 1, making it a global one year.

Each number carries a distinct vibrational quality:

Global Nine Year (2025) is associated with endings. It carries the archetypal signature of Pisces and Neptune - dissolving, releasing, letting go. A nine year asks us to identify what cannot be brought forward into the next cycle. What is too old, too tight, worn out, or no longer aligned? What is ready to be surrendered?

Global One Year (2026) is a year of emergence - the spark, the ignition point. It corresponds with Aries and Mars: new cycles, new identities, and the beginning of a fresh evolutionary arc.

What’s astonishing is how precisely this numerological shift mirrors the astrology. In February, Neptune and Saturn will meet at 0° Aries - the very first degree of the zodiacal wheel. This conjunction happens every 36 years, but not at the zero point of Aries. This has not occurred for thousands and thousands of years.

The symbolism is breathtaking: Saturn (planet of form and structure) merging with Neptune (planet of surrender and imagination) at the exact point where creation begins.

This is a collective spiritual initiation, a threshold crossing. It marks the moment when identities and narratives that once defined us no longer fit, and a new level of consciousness is being born.

Initiation strips away illusion, coping strategies, and false identities built on fear. The movement from a global nine year to a global one year describes this transition perfectly - the end of the old era and the ignition of a new one.

What do these reflections stir inside of you? How are you experiencing this threshold moment? Share below!

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

12/05/2025

Do you feel like there’s something you’re meant to do but can’t quite name it?

The ancient Greeks had a word for this vital force that guides us toward our true nature: Entelechy - the inner drive to become who we’re meant to be. It is related to another ancient Greek word, teleology, that means design in nature.

It is the same force that guides an acorn to become an oak tree or a tadpole to transform into a frog or you into who you were truly meant to be. The ancient Chinese believed each person receives a “heavenly mandate” at conception - that a drop of starlight falls from heaven into the newly formed zygote, gifting us with our life’s purpose.

Modern science has revealed something astonishing that seems to validate this ancient wisdom: at the moment of fertilization, there’s literally a flash of light visible due to calcium and zinc surging through the cell, creating what scientists call “zinc sparks.”

This is why I’m so passionate about astrology - your birth chart is a sacred blueprint that can help unlock our divine potential. It’s a map for remembering who you are, why you’re here, and how to embody your authentic purpose.

What stirring do you feel in your soul that might be your telos calling?

12/05/2025

The Return of Medusa: When Uranus meets Algol (Dec 2025 - Mar 2026)

The fixed star Algol, located at approximately 26° Ta**us, was prominently activated during the assassination attempt on Donald Trump in mid-July 2024 when a bullet grazed his ear. Algol is associated with the severed head of Medusa and has historically been linked with decapitation - understood today as a metaphor for dramatic reversals of power and “heads rolling.”

In myth, Medusa represents the demonized feminine - exiled, feared, and misunderstood. Algol’s activation often corresponds with the return, restoration, and reclamation of that fierce feminine power.

Between late December 2025 and early March 2026, Uranus will come within one degree of Algol, forming an exact conjunction in February. Uranus electrifies whatever it touches - its alignment with Algol may correspond with:

Sudden collapse of entrenched power structures
Downfall of leaders who once seemed untouchable
Collective eruptions revealing long-suppressed truths

In esoteric astrology, Algol symbolizes raw and unmediated life force - the kind of primordial power that overwhelms the ego and catalyzes transformation. This conjunction amplifies states of consciousness where instinct, emotion, and life force surge beyond containment, often erupting through mass events or cultural tipping points.

This activation also occurs on the threshold of the Saturn-Neptune conjunction at 0° Aries in February 2026 - a rare reset of reality and imagination, form and formlessness, marking the beginning of a new 36-year spiritual cycle.

Together these alignments describe an initiatory passage: the end of old narratives, the shattering of illusions, and the emergence of a more honest, embodied, awake world.

May we all meet these times with clarity and courage.

I’m very curious to witness what this conjunction will bring. What do you hope for or imagine? Share below!

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

12/03/2025

We all know what paranoia is, but have you considered its opposite? It’s called pronoia. While paranoia imagines the world is secretly conspiring against us, pronoia imagines the universe is actually working on our behalf - that life is rigged in our favor, that blessings are unfolding even when we don’t expect them.

Today, on my birthday, I received a perfect example. My father had a large modern wall clock with weights that he treasured. By now it’s old and temperamental - sometimes keeping time, sometimes not. Sometimes the chimes ring on schedule, other times they fall silent. For quite a while, it had stopped chiming altogether.

This morning, to my amazement, the chimes rang out again - clear, resonant, perfectly on time. I chose to see this not as coincidence, but as a birthday gift from my father who transitioned 20 years ago. A communication from beyond, reminding me of love’s enduring power and that unseen forces are always at play.

This is the essence of pronoia. We can always choose how to construct our narratives. Do we explain events as random, threatening, or meaningless? Or do we open to the possibility that we’re supported, loved, and guided in mysterious ways?

Cultivating a pronoia perspective is perfect medicine for uncertain times. It shifts the lens from fear to trust, from suspicion to gratitude. When we live with that orientation, life begins to feel more magical, connected, filled with grace.

Of course, pronoia isn’t the same as denying reality, which can prevent adaptive action. But when we choose to orient our stories toward wonder, meaning, and support, it nurtures resilience and wellbeing.

Do you resonate with pronoia? I’d love to hear your experience!

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

12/02/2025

Do you trust your intuition, or immediately doubt what you receive?

This is such a universal human experience. A friend recently consulted her pendulum about whether to take a long trip to see a healer for an intractable medical issue. The pendulum gave her a clear “yes” - but instead of trusting that answer, she felt unsure about accepting it.

Given our cultural conditioning, it’s understandable that trusting guidance from ancestors, spirit guides, pendulums, Akashic records, I Ching, tarot, or any divinatory system can feel difficult. Our small 3D egoic self is genuinely trying to protect us from harm, foolishness, or gullibility.

But when you really think about it - why ask for guidance if you’re only going to throw shade on the response?

Approaching divination as a sacred practice: set space, maybe light a candle, smudge, drum, or rattle. Then ask your question with sincerity and honor the answer that comes.

A mantra I learned from my friend Carolyn Romano that I often use: “I am willing. Help me trust. Please show me the way.”

During my morning prayers, I also ask three questions I learned from Marianne Williamson:

Where would you have me go?
What would you have me do?
What would you have me say, and to whom?

Then I add: “Please guide me. Please support me. Please show me the way.”

I only recently added “please support me” when someone reminded me how essential it is to ask for support so we don’t carry everything alone.

Make it your spiritual practice to allow the guidance you receive to stand without second-guessing yourself. Trusting intuition is an inside job.

What strategies help you trust your inner knowing? Share below - I’d love to hear from you.

Ready to deepen your intuitive practice? Grab your copy of Sacred Psychiatry (link in bio) 📚

12/02/2025

Gemini Super Full Moon (Dec 4, 6:14 PM): What story are you ready to rewrite?

Welcome to the last full moon of the year - a super full moon in Gemini and the final in our trilogy of super moons. Gemini is associated with the thinking mind and the repetitive stories we tell ourselves. Under this especially bright lunation, we’re offered cosmic support to see our narratives with striking clarity - the stories we hold about ourselves, about others, and about the world.

Full moons always activate the opposite sign - in this case, Sagittarius, the archetype of truth, wisdom, and faith. This Gemini-Sagittarius polarity invites us to ask: Is the story I keep telling myself true? And even if it contains some truth, is it helpful or does it perpetuate suffering?

Full moons offer a moment for release. Can you name a story you repeatedly feed that harms you or someone else?

For me, I plan to use this Gemini Full Moon to surrender narratives about my young adult children that are rooted in fear rather than trust. I intend to release worried thoughts and judgments about their habits and choices, and my guilt around ways I imagine I fell short.

Sagittarius invites us to inquire: Is this story even true? Does reinforcing it help anyone? The Sagittarius polarity offers the antidote - leaning into faith. Faith in them as thoughtful young people with strong values navigating profoundly intense times. Faith in my deep love for them and in my good-enough mothering.

This Full Moon reminds us that our words are our wands, and the stories we repeat are spells we cast upon ourselves and those we love.

As we approach the rebirth portal symbolized by the Saturn-Neptune conjunction at 0° Aries on February 20th, 2026, releasing outdated, limiting narratives is essential preparatory work.

What story is asking to be rewritten? How do you plan to honor this Gemini Full Moon? Share below!

Ready to rewrite your story? Grab your copy of Sacred Psychiatry (link in bio) 📚

11/26/2025

This Thanksgiving feels different....

Have you noticed how this year's Thanksgiving feels more emotionally charged? With a powerful Grand Trine in the water element - Jupiter in Cancer, Venus in Scorpio, and Saturn conjunct Neptune in Pisces - we can expect heightened emotional sensitivity and vulnerability.

Water amplifies feelings, intuition, and the experience of being permeable to our environment. It's as if the volume dial on our emotional experience is being turned way up.

Venus (planet of relationships) is also opposed by Uranus in Ta**us, signaling potential for interpersonal surprises or emotional curveballs. Because Venus in Ta**us also rules finances and resources, we may hear unexpected news about money or expenses.

With so much water energy, the medicine lies in flow. This Thanksgiving, rather than resisting or fighting what arises, consider adopting an attitude of surrender.

If travel delays, unanticipated expenses, or challenging family dynamics surface:

Pause
Breathe deeply
Feel your feet on the ground
Say to yourself kindly: "This is what is right now"

This simple phrase acknowledges reality without adding resistance to your suffering. The words "right now" also remind us that what feels difficult is temporary. This too shall pass.

Saturn conjunct Neptune in Pisces invites us to spiritual maturity - to build inner structure around faith, compassion, and acceptance, especially in moments of discomfort.

Remember that the willingness to flow and accept is a spiritual practice. When we stop fighting the river, we can navigate it with grace.

How do you plan to navigate the inevitable stresses of this holiday season? Share below - your wisdom may be exactly what someone else needs to hear.

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