In his new book, 10% Happier, ABC News anchor Dan Harris tells the story of how a skeptic became a meditator, and how the practice helped him better manage an extremely competitive career. One of the key developments in Dan's strange odyssey from avowed critic of all things touchy-feely to unlikely evangelist for meditation was an unusual friendship with Dr. Mark Epstein, the Buddhist psychiatrist and author. Through many years of regular lunches and dinners, Mark helped Dan see the value of mindfulness — and also its limits. During this evening event, the two will share the story of their friendship and its lessons.

This evening’s talk will address the overlap between psychotherapy and meditation, from the perspective of a Western psychiatrist whose introduction to the study of the mind came through Buddhist meditation. Discussion will center on how primal emotions like aggression and desire are handled. While it is often assumed that Buddhism counsels suppression or eradication of such energies, Mark Epstein will propose another model. Drawn from his studies of both D.W. Winnicott and the Buddha, this evening’s presentation will use the Buddha’s own inner struggle as a model for our own. Meditation instruction will be offered. Mark Epstein is a Harvard trained psychiatrist with a private practice in New York City. A longtime student of Joseph Golstein and Jack Kornfield, he is the author of a number of works about the overlap of Buddhism and psychotherapy, including Thoughts without a Thinker, Going to Pieces without Falling Apart, and Psychotherapy without the Self.