In 2008, disillusioned by the medical system, Dr. Lakshmin left her residency to join an extreme wellness commune that turned out to be a cult. She was seeking something outside of mainstream medicine that could help with the anguish she was feeling. She yearned for community, and for something outside of the hierarchical structure of medicine. But what she found was that the industrial wellness complex is just as flawed.

Dr. Pooja Lakshmin is a board certified psychiatrist focusing on women’s mental health, a New York Times contributor, the founder of Gemma, and the author of the new book Real Self-Care: A Transformative Program for Redefining Wellness.

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