The Missing Tool to Finally Heal Your Gut, Hormones, and Anxiety

October 28, 2026

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5 min read

The Missing Tool to Finally Heal Your Gut, Hormones, and Anxiety

Dr. Ellen Vora, a Yale- and Columbia-trained psychiatrist who has moved from conventional medicine through functional medicine into what she now calls "bushwhacking psychiatry," argues that we have been missing an entire category of tools for healing. The core insight: many of our physical symptoms—autoimmune conditions, hormonal imbalances, gut issues, anxiety—are not just biological malfunctions to be corrected, but also expressions of suppressed truth, untold stories, and unexpressed parts of ourselves. The missing tool is reconnecting with intuition, magic, and the body's own knowing, which our culture has systematically trained us to dismiss.

The Body as Storyteller

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What you'll learn

1 (00:13) **The Missing Tool: Reopening the Case for Magic** - Dr. Ellen Vora introduces her core idea: beyond conventional and functional medicine lies a set of psycho-spiritual tools that are often dismissed but can be transformative for conditions like autoimmunity, anxiety, and burnout.
2 (01:03) **Rethinking Autoimmunity: From Immune Suppression to Storytelling** - Vora contrasts the conventional approach (suppressing the immune system) with functional medicine (finding root causes like diet or toxins) and adds a third layer: the body as a storyteller.
3 (09:28) **Perimenopause as Liberation, Not Decline** - Vora reframes the hormonal shifts of perimenopause, arguing it is not a time of loss but a liberation from a biological drive to be likable and pleasing.
4 (15:33) **The Luteal Phase: Your Monthly Truth Serum** - Vora explains that the "irritability" of PMS is often a decreased tolerance for BS, not a distorted view of reality, and that the luteal phase offers valuable intuitive downloads.
5 (20:26) **Actionable Steps for Hormonal Balance** - Vora provides specific, practical first steps for someone experiencing hormonal struggles like PMS or PMDD.
6 (21:53) **The Truth About Strength Training for Women Over 40** - Vora challenges the internet hype that workouts must change drastically in perimenopause, stating the principles of building muscle remain the same at any age.
7 (28:48) **Choosing Your Hard: Reclaiming Agency in a Broken System** - Vora addresses the feeling of powerlessness in the face of large-scale problems like car culture and climate change.

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Show Notes

We have more health information than ever. So many of us are doing everything we’re supposed to do, and yet we still don’t feel good. I keep coming back to the question of what’s missing, and Ellen has an answer that’s stuck with me ever since. Dr. Ellen Vora is a Yale and Columbia-trained psychiatrist and best-selling author. In her new book, Season of the Witch: A Psychiatrist’s Case for Magic, she makes the case for a whole category of healing tools most of us were taught to dismiss.

🎧 What you’ll learn:

How swallowing your words can show up in your body
Dr. Vora’s go-to habits for better digestion (and why they matter for your hormones)
The simplest way to tell intuition from anxiety
Why more health data isn’t always better
The kind of experience Dr. Vora says we’re too quick to dismiss
The two-question exercise for anyone who calls themselves a skeptic

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