How to understand & heal your trauma | Gabor Maté

Gabor Maté deserves a Nobel prize for his work.

His soft-spoken voice is healing on its own.

Totally agree - trauma disconnects you from yourself.

The opposite of addiction is CONNECTION. ❤ Omg yes.

Yes, yes, yes! I have been listening to Dr Maté for years, and I am finally able to grieve my buried fears, angst and sadness - all of my small-t traumas that had haunted me for so long! My parents loved me and did the best that they could. I now see that they were, themselves, also traumatised, as likely were my grandparents who were immigrants in the 1890s. Learning from Gabor and now being able to reconnect to my emotions which I had numbed as a young child, has finally set me free of lifelong depression. I am now beginning to live the real me at 71! Thank you for your work and wisdom, Dr Maté!

I worked as a medical provider in prison for 10 yrs and that was the exactly the truth. I was able to see through the inmate tough guy and got to know a lot of them. Building trust was my goal. I didn’t look at them as inmates, but rather patients that had some horrific pasts. I just hope I had a small impact on them. Gave them hope of a better future. I loved that job! That fulfilled me —then we closed. Lost another identity of myself.

“If u understood the Atmosphere and conditions of someone’s life it makes sense why they do what they do “. …..,..What a great statement

Every time i read his book, hear his book or listen to him talk i cry. So many emotions run wild in my head and i cry not only for me but every other person i know whose sufferings i could recognise and yet cant help directly. He is the only one who has taught me unconditional kindness

He's just the most amazingly wise man of our time.

Parents need to ensure their primary schools/ teachers understand this. Teachers are perpetuating this by suppressing childrens emotions and also labeling behaviors as “bad”. Parents needs to voice their expectations if they notice & also discuss the teachers response to childrens emotions before the start of the school year.

It's so interesting how this maps onto my family: I have three older sisters (9,8,5 years older). My parents were never extremly connected but my sisters had a fair run at life early. When my mom was pregnant with me, my dad started to gamble and become extremly domestically violent (projecting his shame and rage onto her). I grew up with extreme dysfunction and adversity as a "normal". And you can tell that I'm different from my sisters, struggling with personal relationships, job security, ADHD, depression and what not. I'm also the only one looking at our family story, and have done very well in terms of emotional awareness (I'm an academic and a writer). And yet, superficially, you can tell from my general life struggles how my early early years have hurt me in comparison to my sisters.

Gabor Mate is a rare visionary. I hope generations of Mate thinkers and feelers rise. Thank you Dr Mate! <3

I really love this guy. I had a rough childhood and grew up being open and vulnerable because I didn’t want to suppress my emotions and develop unhealthy anger. I was hoping that me sharing my story would illicit some empathy and compassion. I did get some understanding but ultimately some folks used parts of my story against me or to fuel gossip. In reflection I wouldn’t have done anything differently but I do appreciate speaking about society and culture. In the states it’s deemed sacrilege to criticize the larger culture. Just because a lot of people do something doesn’t make it inherently good or bad. America could use an inner upgrade. The incarceration rate, poverty rate and addiction rates are ridiculous for us being the “wealthiest” nation.

This man talks a lot of sense. This world needs healing ❤

I work in a child residential care home. Your work inspires me and I try everyday to help the kids in my care to look at the world in a different way and to accept what has happened to them and to let go of the past and hopefully give them the guidance to move forward in life. Thank you x

I always thought it was nonsense that human nature is reportedly “selfish, aggressive, and competitive.” and I appreciate that Maté brings this question. Any mammoth will tell you that humans are very fragile, and would only survive by being fraternal with other humans.

What he said about gangsters and hardening up is so true. As an adolescent I wanted to become a ganngster like the woman I would see in the neighborhoods I had live in, but no just any I wanted to be feared. So I started intentionally hardening myself. Now I figured Im not really like that once upon a time I was the loveliest 6 year old. 😢

Thank you guys!!! My mom was drunk before I was born and until I was 8. She raged if she was awakened while drunk, I learned very quickly to not make noise. ☯️

This needs to be studied by everyone! I love this immensely! Gives so much hope for the healing of people and rendering a better world in the future.

Thanks for the point made at 8:45… that our trauma is not a place to live. When we’re triggered it’s time to move forward and discover how to heal. We are not our trauma.