The Trauma of Everyday Life

Mark Epstein's book is a rare and remarkable achievement. It fuses deep scholarship with deep tenderness - in the spirit of the greatest Buddhist teachers - to investigate the nature and psychic repercussions of trauma. The fact that Epstein can effortlessly transit between the ancient truths of Buddhism and the most contemporary understanding of trauma is a testament to his agility as a thinker. This is a wise and important book. -- Siddhartha Mukherjee author of The Emperor of All Maladies This daring psychobiography of the Buddha divines in tales of his life the sources of his early emotional pain and finds in the Buddha's methods a balm for the human psyche. In a breathtaking display of the therapeutic art, Epstein does ingenious psychodynamic detective work, deducing what ailed the Buddha, and why his remedies work so well. The Trauma of Everyday Life reads like a gripping mystery one told by your warm and reassuring, but utterly candid, analyst. What's true for the Buddha, Epstein explains, applies to us all. -- Daniel Goleman author of Emotional Intelligence Written with authentic originality, from the author's own inward struggles and achievements, it is the most loving, gentle, brave, insightful and exquisite presentation of the all too fully human process of enlightenment I have seen. Reading it engages us to look deep within to the heart as we expand our mind to appreciate the Buddha's example in the only real way - with the joy of natural relational knowing. Buddha would have loved it - I love it! I recommend it - a transforming pleasure! -- Robert Thurman author of Essential Tibetan Buddhism and Love Your Enemies Mark Epstein is one of the very few writers who has been able to make the connections between psychoanalysis and Buddhism seem not merely interesting, but somehow riveting and useful. Written with Epstein's characteristic lucidity and passion, this inspired and illuminating book clarifies a lot of our presuppositions about trauma and, indeed, about everyday life. It should be of considerable interest to a great many people. -- Adam Phillips author of Missing Out and Winnicott In this intriguing and deeply moving meditation on the human condition, Mark Epstein offers a psychoanalytic reading of the Buddha's life that illuminates the same tragedies and joys that are just as much part of our life today. -- Stephen Batchelor author of Confession of a Buddhist Atheist As always, Mark Epstein meditates on experience - his own and that of others - with exemplary intelligence, sensitivity and tact. It is hard to imagine a book this year with more lucid and bracing wisdom. -- Pankaj Mishra author of An End to Suffering: The Buddha in the World