by MARK EPSTEIN, M.D.
A Buddhist Perspective on
Wholeness
Lessons from Meditation and Psychotherapy
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An intimate guide to self-acceptance and
discovery that offers a Buddhist perspective on wholeness within the framework
of a Western understanding of self.
For decades, Western psychology has promised fulfillment through building and strengthening the ego. We are taught that the ideal is a strong, individuated self, constructed and reinforced over a lifetime. But Buddhist psychiatrist Mark Epstein has found a different way. Based on the premise that the Western notion of self is deeply flawed, Going to Pieces Without Falling Apart shows us that happiness doesn't come from any kind of acquisitiveness, be it material or psychological. Happiness comes from letting go. Weaving together the accumulated wisdom of his two worlds--Buddhism and Western psychotherapy--Epstein shows how "the happiness that we seek depends on our ability to balance the ego's need to do with our inherent capacity to be." He encourages us to relax the ever-vigilant mind in order to experience the freedom that comes only from relinquishing control. Drawing on events in his own life and stories from his patients, Epstein leads us through a series of intimate and emotionally resonant chapters that explore key psychological and spiritual experiences such as emptiness, connection, passion, and relief. Highly personal and engaging, Going to Pieces Without Falling Apart teaches us that only by letting go can we start on the path to a more peaceful and spiritually satisfying life. [from the front and back flap of the hardbound edition] |
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About the Author |
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| Mark Epstein, M.D., is a psychiatrist
in private practice and the author of Thoughts Without a Thinker.
He is a contributing editor to Tricycle: The Buddhist Review
and Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychology at New York University. He
lives in New York City.
[from the back flap of the hardbound edition] |
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Table of Contents |
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[from the hardbound edition] |
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Reviews |
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| "Going to Pieces Without Falling Apart is a daring
and profound synthesis of intelligence about emotions East and West. The
provocative blend establishes Mark Epstein as one of psychology's most dazzling
thinkers."
--David Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence
"This book is an original, provocative, and wonderful manual of transformation. With heartfelt warmth and a clear understanding of the mind, it offers a vision of who we are, who we think we are, and who we might become if we truly loved ourselves and all of life." --Sharon Salzberg, author of Lovingkindness:
"Mark Epstein's deep commitment to the practices of Buddhist meditation and psychotherapy is revealed in his rare capacity to weave between these traditions. Moving effortlessly from the analyst's couch to the meditator's cushion, Going to Pieces Without Falling Apart is an insightful and heartfelt exploration into the dilemma and joy of being human." --Stephen Batchelor,
"This is good reading--clear, warm, precise, full of poignant stories that hit home. I found it ever helpful." --Natalie Goldberg, author of Writing Down the Bones [from the back cover of the hardbound edition] Read more reviews of this book on the |
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Excerpts |
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| "...People come to me most often because they are unhappy
with how cut off they feel, not because they are not separate or individuated
enough. The traditional view of therapy as building up the ego simply does
not do justice to what people's needs actually are. Most of
us have developed our egos enough; what we suffer from is the accumulated
tension of that development. We have trouble surrendering
ourselves..."
Going to Pieces Without Falling Apart
"The major obstacle to love, I have found, is a premature walling off of the personality that results in a falseness or inauthenticity that other people can feel. Love, after all, requires a person to be open and vulnerable, able to tolerate and enjoy the crossing of ego boundaries that occurs naturally under the spell of passion...When someone is so uncomfortable with his own sense of emptiness that he struggles to keep it at bay, there is no way he will be able to be open with another person..." Going to Pieces Without Falling Apart
"The most basic fear experienced by people coming to see me for therapy is of being overwhelmed by the force of their own emotions if they relax the grip of their egos. They fear that if they give up control, they will lose control, that their unconscious will, if given a chance, rise up and inundate them. In some way, this reflects the classic view of the unconscious as a seething cauldron of demonic forces that have to be tamed by the light of reason and analysis. While respecting the power and complexity of the Freudian unconscious, my Buddhist understanding has made me suspicious of my patients' fears. It is my experience that emotions, no matter how powerful, are not overwhelming if given room to breathe. Contained within the vastness of awareness, our emotions have the power to connect us with each other rather than driving us apart..." Going to Pieces Without Falling Apart
Read more excerpts from this book on the |
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Purchasing |
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Mark Epstein's
book |
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Other Books by Mark Epstein |
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Thoughts Without a Thinker: |
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Interview |
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Brian Bruya interviews Mark Epstein |
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