Mark Epstein

Sigmund Freud once said that the best outcome that psychotherapy can offer is a return to “common unhappiness.” But what about those of us with higher aspirations? Where do we find the tools we need to heal—and then go further— to create a life of uncommon and authentic happiness? The...

It is common in both Buddhism and Freudian psychoanalysis to treat desire as if it is the root of all suffering and problems, but psychiatrist Mark Epstein believes this to be a grave misunderstanding....

Before Mark Epstein became a medical student at Harvard and began training as a psychiatrist, he immersed himself in Buddhism through experiences with such influential Buddhist teachers as Ram Dass, Joseph Goldstein, and Jack Kornfield. The positive outlook of Buddhism and the meditative...