Elana’s Blog
Why do I write?
Tryin’ to find Wise rhymes that share truth and light.
My thoughts, ideas, and expressions on the topics I’m most passionate about.
Latest Post
How to Transition From Insurance to a Cash-Pay Psychiatry Private Practice: A 6-Step Process
Making the leap into private practice can be daunting, especially if you’re accustomed to the stability of an insurance or agency job. If you are dreaming about transitioning to a cash-pay psychiatry private practice but aren’t sure where to start, this blog is for you. If you are… Working at a part-time job while building…
New here? Read these articles first:
Featured Article
Love Is… (Holy Shit, I Have Cancer)
When I wrote Love Is... back in 2013, I never thought it would go viral, attract millions of readers, be translated into five languages, and become the start of my cancer survivorship journey.
This essay is the story of how love kept me going through every step of my stage IV cancer diagnosis.
“Love is when I know this cancer will hurt, and will make me sick, but it will not kill me. Love is too strong not to live for. And I was put here for love.”
Featured Article
Love Is… (A Reprise)
After I finished my intensive treatment, I struggled to put the pieces of my life back together. My last relationship had ended only a few month after I was diagnosed, and I desperately wanted to find love again. I feared, though, that no one would ever want to date me after all I had been through.
This is the story of how I met my now husband, who loves me not in spite of what I’ve gone through, but because of it.
“In the middle of the nightmare I clutched desperately onto one hope; the hope that at the end there would be some goodness that made the whole mess worthwhile—a light only this path could have carried me to.”
Featured Article
A New Beginning
I had beaten cancer and met my soulmate, but was a long way away from getting back the life I had before. This is the story of how I rebuilt from scratch—and most importantly—found a way to open myself to the possibilities of life again in spite of my fear.
“I struggled so much against this horrible thing that happened to me, trying to fight what simply had to be endured. In the end I did not need to do anything special to find my way home, because home is more than a place, it is a desire.”
Featured Article
What Would You Do if You Had 10 Years Left?
I was full steam ahead on my post-cancer 10 year plan. I got married, ranked top tenth percentile on my psychiatry boards, and started a successful private practice. Check, check, and check. It was all falling into place just as I had written it out in my moleskin notebook.
But after 5 years in my remission, my cancer relapsed. This is the real, raw, and heartfelt story of how it happened a second time.
“I cried because I realized that I really, truly, do not want to die.“
Featured Article
God’s Promise
The universe is connected in strange ways. Despite the odds and a poor prognosis after my cancer relapsed, I underwent a successful second round of chemotherapy and had a successful stem cell transplant from an anonymous donor. Then… something even more amazing happened.
“God’s promise was never that life would be fair. God’s promise was that when we had to confront the unfairness of life, we would not have to do so alone because He would be with us.“
If you’ve come this far…
My Favorite Articles
You Don’t Need to Be Perfect to Be Loved
In the last few weeks I have been riveted watching events unfold in the wake of George Floyd’s tragic death, as I imagine many of you have been, too. First…
Love in the Time of Coronavirus
For the last week I’ve been consumed with anxiety. It’s been on my mind and probably most of your minds, too. CORONAVIRUS. Partially I’m worried for myself, as being a…
The Line
Recently a friend wrote to me the following: “Everyone has a fault in their perfect self, a line running somewhere between conflicting feelings. For some, it is evenly distributed, in…
I Am Awake
“It is said that soon after his enlightenment, the Buddha passed a man on the road who was struck by the extraordinary radiance and peacefulness of his presence. The man…
[Video Blog] Overcoming Fear After Trauma
I’m doing it. I’m pulling the trigger. My first video blog! Click here to watch the video For the last two years I’ve thought about video blogging. I love…
Courage
Evey: “You did this to me? You cut my hair, you tortured me… you tortured me!” V: “You said you wanted to live without fear. I wish there was an…
Fun Articles
[Just For Fun] Watch Rascal Vs. Raggie: The Epic Kitten Battle
Okay, so as I mentioned in my last post I’ve been dealing with a lot of stress lately (as many of us are), and to make myself feel better I…
Continue Reading [Just For Fun] Watch Rascal Vs. Raggie: The Epic Kitten Battle
Elana Miller aka E. Diddy Presents The Cancer Rap
I got cancer and all I have to show for it is this stupid rap. …Just kidding. But seriously. I did it… I wrote a rap about cancer. I think when…
Continue Reading Elana Miller aka E. Diddy Presents The Cancer Rap
How to Analyze Your Dreams in 7 Steps
“A dream not understood is like a letter from God that is not opened.” –The Talmud About a year ago, I had a bizarre dream. I was in a large…
7 Things I Learned About Life That I Learned From Surfing
Sometimes I’m surprised I wasn’t born with gills. It’s like I was meant to spend more time in water than on land. I didn’t discover this until I was thirteen…
Continue Reading 7 Things I Learned About Life That I Learned From Surfing
Setting Limits Can Keep You Sane: Here’s How to Do It
Recently, as part of my mindfulness practice, I decided to experiment with saying “yes” to everything. It was an exercise recommended specifically for the “aversive” Buddhist personality type, with which…
Continue Reading Setting Limits Can Keep You Sane: Here’s How to Do It
Trippin’ In Joshua Tree
I’ve struggled with whether or not to write this story. Actually, I always knew I would write it, but wasn’t sure I would ever share it here. After all, I’m…
Wisdom & Advice
Coping with Coronavirus: Use These Skills to Be Your Best Self
Hi everyone! So we’re a little over a month into the insanity. How is everyone doing? I hope you all are doing as…
Continue Reading Coping with Coronavirus: Use These Skills to Be Your Best Self
43 Ways to be a Good Human Being: Coronavirus Edition
Help me improve this article! If you have any ideas of things to add, email me or leave a comment below and I…
Continue Reading 43 Ways to be a Good Human Being: Coronavirus Edition
Healing Anxiety With A Holistic Approach
About six months ago a patient came to see me in my psychiatry practice—let’s call her Sarah (this is a general example of…
How to Cope When Life Sucks
First off, I wanted to say a big THANK YOU for all of your positive feedback and comments about my UCLA Grand Rounds…
Transforming Difficulty into Joy
A Quick Note: My free cancer quick-start guide is days away from being released! It’s turned into a much bigger project than I…
8 Ways to Practice Gratitude
I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! It’s only been a few days but I already see people gearing up for the next…
Recent Articles
How to Learn Integrative Psychiatry in 2025
If you’re a psychiatrist or mental health provider, you’ve probably felt the urge to offer more than just medications to your patients—but maybe…
Continue Reading How to Learn Integrative Psychiatry in 2025
How to Transition From Insurance to a Cash-Pay Psychiatry Private Practice: A 6-Step Process
Making the leap into private practice can be daunting, especially if you’re accustomed to the stability of an insurance or agency job. If…
How To Optimize & Scale Your Psychiatry Private Practice in 2024
In this blog I share how to define success in your private psychiatry practice and optimize it for lasting growth. Learn why working…
Continue Reading How To Optimize & Scale Your Psychiatry Private Practice in 2024
Psychiatry Burnout: Leave the Cycle and Start a New Career Path
Are you a psychiatrist who feels uninspired, unmotivated, and stuck in a cycle of psychiatry burnout? It might be time for a new…
Continue Reading Psychiatry Burnout: Leave the Cycle and Start a New Career Path
Telepsychiatry Guidelines & Ryan Haight Act
Are you a psychiatrist who’s wondering WTF the telepsychiatry guidelines and procedures are now that the Public Health Emergency (PHE) has ended? What…
Continue Reading Telepsychiatry Guidelines & Ryan Haight Act
How To Build A Cash-Pay Psychiatry Practice In 2023 (Better Than Reddit)
If you’re feeling constrained by the insurance-based model and dream of offering your patients better care in a way that expands your growth…
Continue Reading How To Build A Cash-Pay Psychiatry Practice In 2023 (Better Than Reddit)
Blog Archives
If you want to do a deep-dive into my writing.
(Come on… you know you want to.)
Last 100 Posts
- How to Learn Integrative Psychiatry in 2025
- How to Transition From Insurance to a Cash-Pay Psychiatry Private Practice: A 6-Step Process
- How To Optimize & Scale Your Psychiatry Private Practice in 2024
- Psychiatry Burnout: Leave the Cycle and Start a New Career Path
- Telepsychiatry Guidelines & Ryan Haight Act
- How To Build A Cash-Pay Psychiatry Practice In 2023 (Better Than Reddit)
- How To Start a Telepsychiatry Private Practice (For The Not-So-Business-Savvy Psychiatrist)
- How to Start An Integrative Psychiatry Practice in 2023
- GRAIL, Inc and the (Not So) Subtle Sexism in Science & Medicine
- God’s Promise
- [Just For Fun] Watch Rascal Vs. Raggie: The Epic Kitten Battle
- You Don’t Need to Be Perfect to Be Loved
- My Interview With Leah Barrett of the Precarious Podcast
- Coping with Coronavirus: Use These Skills to Be Your Best Self
- 43 Ways to be a Good Human Being: Coronavirus Edition
- Love in the Time of Coronavirus
- Living to 100 Days
- A Little Update
- What Would You Do If You Had 10 Years Left?
- [VIDEO] Healing Anxiety Holistically (With Some Humor)
- Healing Anxiety With A Holistic Approach
- Fatigue After Cancer Treatment: How To Overcome It (Especially If You’re A High Achiever)
- A New Beginning
- Love… (A Reprise)
- Elana Miller aka E. Diddy Presents The Cancer Rap
- The Line
- I Am Awake
- The Correction
- Full Circle
- For You
- [Video Blog] Overcoming Fear After Trauma
- The One Simple Rule To Guide All Of Your Relationships
- Courage
- And On
- Resurrection
- Cancer: A Photo Essay
- A Cross in the Road
- A Little Sunday Science Lesson
- Resilience
- Fear
- The Trauma
- Taking It One Day at a Time
- How to Cope When Life Sucks
- Psychiatry, Love, and the Healing Power of Connection
- Speaking Tomorrow at UCLA
- The Slog
- What Robin Williams Can Teach Us About Understanding Illness
- The Day Has Arrived! Get My FREE Cancer Quick-Start Guide Here
- Transforming Difficulty into Joy
- Free Cancer Guide Coming Soon… Last Chance to Give Me Your Input!
- Even Cancer Couldn’t Keep Me from WDS: 12 Lessons from the 2014 World Domination Summit
- 27 Ways to Make the Day of Someone With Cancer
- How Can I Help You? (Your Advice Needed!)
- How to Help Someone With Cancer
- On Human Nature
- The Aftermath
- Loss
- My New Column
- The Second Wave
- I Can’t Write Today
- This is Not a Sad Story
- When in Doubt, Write the Truth
- The Long Road Home
- On Softening to Pain
- Really, Cancer? That’s All You Got?
- I Don’t Want Any More Transfusions
- I Feel.
- Cancer: The Daily Grind
- Things I’ve Wondered Since Being Diagnosed With Cancer
- What Happens When You Share Love
- Love Is… (Holy Shit, I Have Cancer)
- Our World Is Ruled By Love
- The Problem With Evidence-Based Medicine
- 8 Ways to Practice Gratitude
- 4 Alternative Treatments for Depression You May Not Know About
- How to Find Peace and Calm in a Chaotic World
- 10 Ways to Get Healthy Sleep, Naturally
- Integrative Mental Health & the Healing Power of Connection
- 4 Ways to Cope With Negative Emotions
- Are Antidepressants Mostly Placebos? Should We Care?
- Looking for a Natural Treatment for Anxiety? Try Kava
- Caught in Reactivity? How the Acronym STOP Can Help You Find Calm
- How to Analyze Your Dreams in 7 Steps
- On Transforming the Judgmental Mind: Stories From 7 Days of Silence
- On Taking Time to Slow Down
- Need A Quick Kick in the Ass? Read This Immediately
- Depressed Or Just Sad? How to Know if Antidepressants Can Help
- 7 Things I Learned About Life That I Learned From Surfing
- Setting Limits Can Keep You Sane: Here’s How to Do It
- The Curse of Perfectionism (And What to Do About It)
- What is Integrative Psychiatry? The Principles You Need to Know
- What Veterans with PTSD Can Teach You About Overcoming Fear
- How to Choose a Therapist
- This. Is. It. Lessons Learned From A Weekend Meditating
- 10 Things I Learned At The 2013 World Domination Summit (A Tale Of Inspiration, Potential and Facing Fear)
- The Three Buddhist Personality Types: Which One Are You?
- Mythbusters 101: Why (Almost) Everything You’ve Read About The DSM-5 Is Wrong (And What The Truth Is)
- The Gift Of Knowledge (Why I Love Being A Doctor)
- How Psychotherapy Can Help You Learn About Yourself
- 7 Leaders Who Didn’t Let Their Diagnosis Define Them
MEET THE AUTHOR
Hi, I’m Elana
I’m an integrative psychiatrist based out of Los Angeles, California. I love to write, read, and make music. I’m a 2x cancer survivor.
My story is rooted in the resilience of the human spirit and the power of love. Trust me, it’s a good one.
