Through selected patient sessions, Dr. Epstein explores the intersection of Buddhism and psychotherapy, illustrating how his spiritual background informs his therapeutic approach. He argues that both meditation and therapy foster courage in confronting life's challenges, suggesting that therapy can be seen as a collaborative meditation. The book highlights the importance of mindfulness, which, like a skilled therapist, helps individuals gain awareness and achieve inner peace, showcasing the therapeutic process as a profound journey of self-discovery.
Mark Epstein Book order
Mark Epstein explores the intersection of Buddhism and psychotherapy. His writings delve into the profound connection between mind and body, offering psychological insights into spiritual practice. Epstein's approach centers on integrating ancient wisdom with modern understandings of the human psyche. His work provides readers with new ways to view daily challenges and find inner peace.







- 2023
- 2022
Zen of Therapy
- 288 pages
- 11 hours of reading
"A remarkable exploration of the therapeutic relationship, Dr. Mark Epstein reflects on one year's worth of therapy sessions during which he brought together his years of experience with Western psychotherapy and his equally long investigation into Buddhism to understand how the practices, in tandem, can lead to even greater awareness - for his patients, and for himself For years, Dr. Mark Epstein was careful not to let his spiritual leanings as a Buddhist overtly intrude into his work as a psychiatrist. Content to use his training in mindfulness as a private resource, letting it guide the way he listened to his patients, he hoped that the Buddhist influence on his work would remain invisible. But as he became more forthcoming about the spiritual aspects of his thinking, he was surprised to find that many of his patients were in fact eager to learn more, and he soon realized that the divisions between the psychological, emotional, and the spiritual were not as distinct as one might think. In THE ZEN OF THERAPY, Dr. Epstein reflects on a year's worth of selected sessions with patients and examines how, in the incidental details of a given hour, his Buddhist background influences the way he works. In this cross-section of life in his office, he emphasizes how therapy, an element of Western medicine, can in fact be seen as a two-person meditation. Meditation and psychotherapy each encourage a willingness to face life's difficulties with courage that can be hard to otherwise muster. Mindfulness, too, much like a good therapist, can "hold" our awareness for us - and allow us to come to our senses. With practice and patience, as awareness becomes dominant, and the observing mind becomes stronger than that which is being observed, a change can occur, and with it a wellspring of positive and life affirming energy. Diving deep into dialogues with his patients, describing sessions in real time, and then explaining the thinking behind his own words and behavior, Epstein shows how the actuality of our being is not always something we have an easy time making room for. But the Buddhist practices of meditation and mindfulness, like therapy, can help us find peace. A chronicle of deeply personal inquiry, one which weaves together the wisdom of two worlds, Dr. Epstein illuminates the therapy relationship as spiritual friendship, and reveals how a therapist, as a spiritual friend, can help patients cultivate the sense that there is something magical, something wonderful, and something to trust running through our lives, no matter how fraught they have been or might become. For when we realize how readily we have misconstrued our selves, when we stop clinging to our falsely conceived constructs, when we touch the ground of being, we come home"-- Provided by publisher
- 2019
Advice Not Given
- 224 pages
- 8 hours of reading
"Most people will never find a great psychiatrist or a great Buddhist teacher, but Mark Epstein is both, and the wisdom he imparts in Advice Not Given is an act of generosity and compassion. The book is a tonic for the ailments of our time."--Ann Patchett, New York Times bestselling author of Commonwealth Our ego, and its accompanying sense of nagging self-doubt as we work to be bigger, better, smarter, and more in control, is one affliction we all share. But while our ego is at once our biggest obstacle, it can also be our greatest hope. We can be at its mercy or we can learn to work with it. With great insight, and in a deeply personal style, renowned psychiatrist and author Dr. Mark Epstein offers a how-to guide that refuses a quick fix. In Advice Not Given, he reveals how Buddhism and Western psychotherapy, two traditions that developed in entirely different times and places, both identify the ego as the limiting factor in our well-being, and both come to the same conclusion: When we give the ego free rein, we suffer; but when it learns to let go, we are free.
- 2018
How to Play Blues Bass: Learn, Create and Apply Your Own Blues Bass Lines
Learn, Create and Apply Your Own Blues Bass Lines. With Audio online
- 31 pages
- 2 hours of reading
(Bass Instruction). Explore various 12-bar blues forms, the shuffle feel, walking lines, box patterns, tone, turnarounds, passing tones, and transitions to establish a great blues groove with this book! Use the accompanying audio to play along with a professional band in shuffle, slow blues, rhumba, and blues rock styles. You will also learn how to lock in with the drummer in order to complement the other instruments in an authentic blues band.
- 2018
Advice Not Given: A Guide to Getting Over Yourself
- 224 pages
- 8 hours of reading
Our shared affliction of ego and self-doubt drives us to seek control and validation, yet it often sabotages our goals. In this insightful work, Dr. Mark Epstein, a renowned psychiatrist, explores the intersection of Buddhism and Western psychotherapy, both identifying the ego as a barrier to well-being. He argues that when the ego is unchecked, we suffer, but learning to let go leads to freedom. Epstein provides a guide rooted in both traditions, emphasizing the Eightfold Path—eight areas of self-reflection essential for enlightenment. Drawing from his experiences and those of his patients, he presents these ancient ideas infused with modern therapeutic sensibilities, creating a roadmap for spiritual and psychological growth. By bridging Eastern and Western thought, Epstein offers a fresh perspective on mindfulness, urging us to be more aware of our ego. This unique approach highlights the ego as both our greatest obstacle and potential ally, suggesting that we can either be at its mercy or learn to shape it. Epstein’s practical advice is accessible to all, offering wise counsel in a complex world, reminding us that "our egos can use all the help they can get."
- 2017
Vice Capades
- 281 pages
- 10 hours of reading
From outlawing bowling in colonial America to regulating violent video games and synthetic drugs today, Mark Stein's Vice Capades examines the US's relationship with the actions, attitudes, and antics that have defined morality. This humorous and quirky history reveals that American views of vice are formed not merely by morals but by power.
- 2014
The Trauma of Everyday Life
- 240 pages
- 9 hours of reading
Trauma does not just happen to a few unlucky people; it is the bedrock of our psychology. Death and illness touch us all, but even the everyday sufferings of loneliness and fear are traumatic. In The Trauma of Everyday Life renowned psychiatrist and author of Thoughts Without a Thinker Mark Epstein uncovers the transformational potential of trauma, revealing how it can be used for the mind's own development. Western psychology teaches that if we understand the cause of trauma, we might move past it while many drawn to Eastern practices see meditation as a means of rising above, or distancing themselves from, their most difficult emotions. Both, Epstein argues, fail to recognize that trauma is an indivisible part of life and can be used as a lever for growth and an ever deeper understanding of change. When we regard trauma with this perspective, understanding that suffering is universal and without logic, our pain connects us to the world on a more fundamental level. The way out of pain is through it. Epstein's discovery begins in his analysis of the life of Buddha, looking to how the death of his mother informed his path and teachings. The Buddha's spiritual journey can be read as an expression of primitive agony grounded in childhood trauma. Yet the Buddha's story is only one of many in The Trauma of Everyday Life. Here, Epstein looks to his own experience, that of his patients, and of the many fellow sojourners and teachers he encounters as a psychiatrist and Buddhist. They are alike only in that they share in trauma, large and small, as all of us do. Epstein finds throughout that trauma, if it doesn't destroy us, wakes us up to both our minds' own capacity and to the suffering of others. It makes us more human, caring, and wise. It can be our greatest teacher, our freedom itself, and it is available to all of us
- 2010
Helps to capture the onboarding margin with the '4 pillars' of successful onboarding. This book provides a business case, a systemic approach to the entire process, and instructive inside stories from Apple, Starbucks, Netflix, Microsoft, Baird, Bank of America, John Deere, and dozens of other industry leaders.
- 2007
Psychotherapy without the Self. A Buddhist Perspective
- 272 pages
- 10 hours of reading
Immersed in Buddhist psychology prior to studying Western psychiatry, Dr. Epstein first viewed Western therapeutic approaches through the lens of the East. This book wrestles with the complex relationship between Buddhism and psychotherapy and offers nuanced reflections on therapy, meditation, and psychological and spiritual development.
- 2006
Fast Track to a 5: Preparing for the AP United States History Examination
- 430 pages
- 16 hours of reading
Keyed to the 12th and 13th editions of The American pageant, this book includes a diagnostic test, practice questions, full-length practice tests as well as graphs and tables to help students learn to analyze data.

