Sacred Medicine

A Doctor's Quest to Unravel the Mysteries of Healing

By: Lissa Rankin MD, Dr. Gabor Maté - foreword

Narrated by: Subhadra Newton

“Sacred Medicine is a book of inclusion. It does not prescribe nor preach nor proselytize: it illustrates, informs, and illuminates.” —From the foreword by Dr. Gabor Maté, author of When the Body Says No and In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts

In 2007, Lissa Rankin left a promising career in medicine to tend to her own health and well-being. Her search to discover why people really get sick and what truly optimizes health outcomes launched a bestselling book, two television specials, and a revolution in the way we look at mind-body medicine. But so many questions remained for this doctor and skeptic. How is it that some people do everything right and stay sick, while others seem to do nothing extraordinary yet fully recover? How does faith healing work—or does it? What’s behind the phenomenon of spontaneous remission—and is this something we can influence? Can we make ourselves miracle-prone?

Certain that, if she looked hard enough, she would find the answers, Dr. Rankin embarked on a decade-long journey to explore these questions and more. The result is Sacred Medicine, both a seeker’s travelogue and a discerning guide to the sometimes-perilous paths available to patients when wellness fads, lifestyle changes, and doctors have failed them.

In Sacred Medicine, you’ll follow Dr. Rankin around the world to meet healers gifted and flawed, go on pilgrimage to sacred sites, investigate the science of healing, and learn how to stay safe when seeking a healer. You’ll receive the wisdom offered by Indigenous cultures for whom healing begins with our sacred connection to Mother Earth, and dive deep into the cutting-edge trauma research that is igniting a medical revolution. Rich with practices and protocols that Dr. Rankin has found particularly effective, Sacred Medicine delivers a thoughtful, grounded exploration of questions around how we heal—and a path of hope for those in need.

©2022 Lissa Rankin (P)2022 Sounds True

Critic reviews

“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. Rankin’s 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 Rankin’s 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 culture’s confusion about healing and spiritual development.” —Donna Eden and David Feinstein, PhD, coauthors of Energy Medicine

Excellent book with a Doctors approach to non traditional healing methods

I appreciate Dr.Rankin’s personal style and storytelling brilliance. She is a really great writer. There is a lot of balanced wisdom in the presentation of the world we presently live in and the value to going deeper into Indigenous healing methods as well as good advice on how to avoid being taken in by charlatans and imbalanced people. There is little doubt the current healthcare system is broken and we all need to take responsibility for our healing of life’s traumas.

Healing

This is a great book - very comprehensive. Learned a lot. Helpful whether you’re battling Illness or not.

Narrator only one star

This book covers an enormous amount of territory. I would encourage the listener to be patient and willing to keep listening through the entire book. There are profound insights peppered throughout.

The narrator made my listen challenging. Her breathy overly affected and dramatic whisper through the beginning and intermittently through the rest of the book was at best annoying and at worst required me to stop and talk myself into continuing. As I suggested above, I’m glad I did.

Finally a book that talks about all sides of healing

Although a bit of a slow and sometimes heady read, I appreciate that Lisa looks into ALL aspects of healing, spiritual bypassing and the fact that we NEED to include trauma informed practitioners in our journey.
She says it like it is and also acknowledges that not everyone has access to this level of healing even when it is our birthright.

Balanced and Discerning

Loved listening to this book on Audible. Serendipity that I pressed play just after a breast cancer diagnosis as I had no idea it was going to be so focused on cancer. I think my breast cancer has more clearly spelling out the repressed anger of working on climate change, environmental and social justice issues within Aotearoa’s colonialism and patriarchy for so many decades. And my need to conform scientifically and medically and to be a perfectionist to prove my worth (including a PhD from Cambridge and half a medical degree) when holistic medicine has always been my calling. Increasingly, I feel like I’ve been duped by the feminist movement of the 80s and sold a lie of how to make it in a white mans world or die trying. Which I nearly have in so many ways! Thank goodness for the competency and understanding of our local breast cancer surgeon and the accessibility of public health care in New Zealand. I have been lucky. Breast cancer has been abit like removing a bullet to my chest and cw my other complex wounds I am healing well and thus are able to rest and rediscover my inner pilot light.

Powerful perspective on healing

I am a huge fan of Dr Rankin’s books and have read “Mind Over Medicine” and “The Fear Cure”, all of which I highly recommend. Lissa is such a thorough researcher and puts her heart & soul into all of her healing offerings to the public. This book is no exception & takes us readers/listeners to important new places on the sacred journey to healing. Please listen!!

My only feedback is that the woman who recorded the audiobook (who is not Dr. Rankin) mispronounces the medical terminology, which hurts my ears as a medical professional and became distracting as a listener.

Other than that, I’m a huge fan!

Loved most of it.

Loved most, dismiss some, will investigate other ideas further. The reading was well done.

Great book for medicine, energy and natural doctors alike!

As a Doctor of Holistic Health I teach people ways to naturally live and help their body heal. It is sad when my clients medical doctors do not understand how we are meant to work together to help people get better and live a happier healthier life. At the same time it is hard hearing about clients past experiences with natural healers who took advantage of them just like their medical doctors. I love this book because it brings these things to life as well as the positives in all practices and how working together will help the human race. Thank you Dr. Rankin for creating this book and dedicating so many years of your life to uncover these things and provide them to all. Blessings to you and all who come along your path and works you have done.

Disappointed there’s no story

I thought this was a book about a woman who traveled around the world to learn about sacred healing and traditional medicine. Instead this book tells stories about researchers who she has nothing to do with who have their own book (that I’ve already read) and gives lots of advice for sacred rituals you could invent for yourself. That and all the talk about how Western medicine is really great is so banal, adolescent, and well, disappointing.

Promising but ultimately poorly executed

I loved the approach of a critical scientific eye but an open minded spirit investigating the mysterious healing powers in the world.

I was disappointed by the highly polarizing political opinions that frequently colored what otherwise seemed to be an honest exploration of the topic. The book, especially the ending bit, was difficult to listen to without thinking I was hearing a political ad on the radio.

I also liked the frequent nods to humility, but again, with all the heavy, and at times judgemental, political opinions, they ended up feeling disingenuous. For a book that frequently waxed on about loving acceptance, these occasionally harsh judgements were jarring. I could even accept them if they were only aimed at ideas or culture itself, but certain people were discussed as if they were the devil incarnate.

The language of the book felt coded to a certain political orientation, and exclusionary toward other political beliefs. This despite the author's frequent reminders that it was supposed to be inclusive, even to people of different political ideologies.

The performance definitely left something to be desired, and other comments have covered all the critiques I would voice. I think it was tolerable however.

There were definitely some good parts but I cannot, in good faith, recommend this audiobook book.