“Trauma is What Happens Inside You” : The Healing Insights of Dr. Gabor Maté

“How you handle the people who trigger you, that’s your call. But at least know that you’re the one with all the explosives inside you.” From the first words in this video, we know we’re in the presence of someone special. Dr. Gabor Maté has spent decades helping people around the world address issues of stress, addiction, and childhood and personal development. 

This 89-minute interview presents a treasury of his insights, all delivered with the compassion and eloquence that have made Maté one of Canada’s most beloved medical writers and speakers.  

If you don’t have an hour and a half, the first fifteen minutes alone contain extraordinary reflections on the multigenerational aspect of trauma, the power of stories we tell ourselves to help or harm us, and the liberation we can achieve by accepting the pain we carry within. Later (starting around minute 55), he zooms in on addiction itself. Maté notes that whether one’s talking about addiction to sex, gambling, ideology, or cocaine, “the exact same brain circuitry is involved.”  

Fascinating ideas, delivered with empathy and caring. Maté is a healer worth listening to.