Thoughts without a Thinker: Psychotherapy from a Buddhist Perspective

by Dalai Lama (Foreword), Mark Epstein (Author), Mark Epstein (Author), Dalai Lama (Foreword), Dalai Lama (Foreword)

• New

  Paperback
  1997

  $14.39

  This text discusses how Eastern spirituality can enhance Western psychology. As patients and therapists find themselves reaching for new solutions to their problems, the traditional disctinctions between matters of the mind and matters of the spirit are increasingly being questioned. This book is written by a traditionally trained psychotherapist who has immersed himself in the Buddhist tradition. Drawing on his own experiences as patient, meditator and therapist, the author argues that the contemplative traditions of the East help patients go beyond merely recognizing their problems to healing them, and that such an approach is not at odds with the psychodynamic method. The book begins by focusing on the Buddhist perspective. Dispelling misconceptions common even among those already practising meditative techniques, this section presents the Buddha's psychological teachings in the language of Western psychodynamics. It then goes on to explain the meditative practices of bare attention, concentration, mindfulness, and analytical inquiry, and shows how they speak to issues at the forefront of psychological concern. Finally, the book uses Freud's treatise of psychotherapy - Remembering, repeating and working-through - as a template to show how the Buddha's teaching can complement, inform and energize the practice of psychotherapy.

• Used

  Paperback
  2005

  $18.94

  Thoughts Without a Thinker is the landmark book that brought the worlds of Buddhism and psychotherapy into contact with each other, and changed thousands of lives. Drawing upon his own experience as therapist, meditator, and patient, Mark Epstein, a New York-based psychiatrist trained in classical Freudian methods, integrates Western psychotherapy and the teachings of Buddhism.In accessible, intimate language, this enlightening guide explains the unique psychological contributions of the teachings of Buddhism, describes the path of meditation in contemporary psychological language, and lays out the possibility of a meditation-inspired psychotherapy. Mark Epstein's new introduction reflects on the impact of the book and on the evolving relationship between psychotherapy and Buddhism.