Navigating Communication and Intimacy in Relationships

Mark Epstein, M.D., is a psychiatrist, speaker, and author of numerous books integrating concepts from Buddhism and psychotherapy, including Thoughts Without A Thinker, Going to Pieces Without Falling Apart, and his most recent book Advice Not Given: A Guide to Getting Over Yourself.  In this insightful interview, Mark describes the ego, the ways we need it, how it gets in our way, and it’s role in romantic relationships. The goal is to change our relationship to our egos, rather than get rid of it. He discusses ways to accomplish this by applying Buddhist and psychoanalytic methods with his patients and in his personal life. We live in an era with so many distractions that fuel our anxieties, and Mark’s interview grounds us by reminding us to tap into that part of ourselves that has always been there; from birth until death.