Psyche & Spirit is a work of non-fiction in the inspirational writing, memoir, and holistic healing genres. The work is best suited to the general adult reading audience. Penned by author Melinda Edwards, MD., this fascinating book chronicles the author’s journey from a child of medical missionaries in a Mayan village, through personal trauma and an eating disorder, to becoming a psychiatrist. The memoir explores her quest for truth and meaning, culminating in profound insights gained from her autistic daughter. Through psychotherapy, meditation, spiritual teachers, and transformative travels, Dr. Edwards finds that all life experiences lead back to love and divinity. The book offers inspiration for those on psychological and spiritual journeys, dealing with religious trauma, eating disorders, and autism.

Author Melinda Edwards has crafted an enlightening and transformative memoir with a deeply personal narrative of overcoming trauma and seeking truth that is sure to connect with readers on many different levels. Edwards’s early life in a Mayan village and subsequent challenges, including an eating disorder and the rigorous demands of medical training, painted a vivid picture of resilience and determination, shaping attitudes that the author carries into her confident, focused writing style. The turning point in her journey, brought about by her autistic daughter, added an unexpected and profound dimension to her quest for understanding and divinity, and this forms the emotional core driving the memoir into our hearts and minds as readers. Her explorations into psychotherapy, meditation, and spiritual communities were both insightful and relatable, offering a roadmap for anyone seeking deeper meaning and purpose, with some great organization to be able to refer back to key topics at any time. Overall, Psyche & Spirit is a powerful and recommended memoir that will certainly inspire readers to view their own experiences as pathways to their true selves.

In her memoir Psyche & Spirit, Dr. Melinda Edwards recounts her decade-long experience in Nahualá, Guatemala, where her family’s involvement in a local medical clinic and church intersected with traditional Mayan practices. After enduring personal and environmental challenges, including an earthquake and political instability, Edwards and her family returned to the U.S., where she faced cultural shock and struggled to adapt. Deferring medical school, Edwards immersed herself in spiritual teachings worldwide, including visits to Findhorn and India. Back in the U.S., she completed medical school and integrated these insights into her career. She established a private practice and was both married and divorced. As a single mother, Edwards worked through her daughter Saachi’s developmental delays and autism using various therapies and educational settings, ultimately finding supportive environments. During the pandemic, Edwards began writing this book to share her experiences and insights.

Psyche & Spirit: How a Psychiatrist Found Divinity Through Her Lifelong Quest for Truth and Her Daughter's Autism offers an insightful and deeply personal narrative of Dr. Melinda Edward's life from her formative years through her recent experiences. Structured into distinct sections, Edwards puts substantial focus on her childhood, medical school, travels, and residency. The extensive background details provide valuable context. The writing is engaging and thoughtfully crafted, with language that is both accessible and informative. The work truly shines when it transitions to her experiences as a single mother and her relationship with her daughter, Saachi. Here, the narrative gains momentum in its emotional depth and resonance, connecting the reader empathetically. Overall, this memoir succeeds in the story it sets out to share through a candid portrayal of growth, spirituality, and love.

Psyche & Spirit by Melinda Edwards, MD, is a dazzling account of her spiritual search and her touching experience of raising an autistic daughter. She delves into her world as a girl in a religious home and receiving frightening religious teachings. Melinda, who grew up with Christian parents, was introduced to the concept of hell and the need to be saved as a child. However, she found herself deviating from these teachings later in life and embracing Eastern philosophies. She relates the good and bad encounters in India, revealing her challenges with those who claimed to be spiritual teachers. The story includes tales about her experience of medical school, practicing psychiatry, falling in and out of love, and finding support for her autistic child. It serves as a reminder of the importance of human connections and living a life of purpose.

The reader is skillfully carried along in Melinda Edwards's evocative anecdotes. I was reminded about my struggle with Christianity as a child by her experience of feeling despair in realizing that "all values weren't necessarily shared, much less absolute." The neatly intertwined themes include depression, therapy, addiction, motherhood, autism, self-awareness, religion, psychology, divorce, and more. Melinda's determination to care for her daughter and get her into the right school is a fine example of the kind of sacrifice and loving acts that impact the world positively. Overall, Psyche & Spirit is a memorable and mentally stimulating book for readers who enjoy captivating topics. It involves stories about her experiences in different countries and various stages in her life. This is a magical, enlightening read that allows us to connect to a writer who has lived a life of seeking answers to some of life's most mysterious questions.

Melinda Edwards, MD, hopes to help others with her book, Psyche & Spirit, even if their experiences are unlike her own, by using her gifts to tell her story. The author grew up in a Mayan Indian village in Guatemala, where she did not have the luxuries of her home country, America, but made wonderful connections in the supportive community. A comment from her brother caused her to evaluate her view of her body, and, as a result, she battled with anorexia and bulimia. Dr. Edwards details her first semester in medical school, her trip to India, and the hardship she faced to find spiritual grounding before she returned to medical school. She includes details about handling difficult patients, her fear of abandonment, and her spiritual opening. The author's daughter, Saachi, is on the autism spectrum, and she created the nonprofit group Living Dashan to spread a deeper awareness of autism.

Melinda Edwards, MD, found support from genuine people on her journey. She was open to change, vulnerable with her story, and communicated a deep sense of compassion. The love I felt as I read Psyche & Spirit gave me peace and helped me realize I could take the time to become more grounded. Reading and understanding Dr. Edwards's challenges may help others develop more empathy and cause them to extend kindness to others. Her spiritual journey and search for truth made me realize we should never close our minds. I was especially interested in her opinion about treating ADHD with medication, as I have a child with ADHD who is currently unmedicated. The author has inspired me to research the possibility further. Dr. Edwards expertly navigated Saachi's therapies while nurturing her spirit and advocated for the best treatments for her daughter. We could learn more from Saachi's beautiful and engaging spirit than from reading a hundred books.