The Dr. Hyman Show How Trauma Makes Us Sick And How We Can Heal with Gabor Maté
Sep 14, 2022
In this enlightening conversation, Dr. Gabor Maté, a physician renowned for his work on trauma and addiction, explores the connection between emotional experiences and physical health. He reveals how childhood trauma can lead to chronic health issues, critiques capitalism's impact on nutrition, and discusses trauma's role in addiction. Maté emphasizes the need for trauma-informed healthcare and highlights the healing potential of psychedelics. He advocates for understanding individuals through their narratives, suggesting a profound shift in how we approach health and healing.
01:43:45
Dr. Hyman's Personal Trauma Story
- Dr. Hyman shares his personal experience with trauma, stemming from his mother's parentified childhood and his own subsequent dysfunctional patterns.
- Through soul archaeology, therapy, and psychedelic work, he gained insights into his corrupted "love software" and achieved significant personal rewiring.
Trauma is Meaning, Not Event
- Trauma is not the event itself, but the meaning we ascribe to it.
- This distinction allows for healing, as the meaning can be reframed, unlike the unchangeable event.
Dr. Maté's Early Life Trauma
- Dr. Maté's experience as a Jewish infant under Nazi rule shaped his understanding of trauma.
- He emphasizes that even small wounds can have lasting impacts, especially unmet childhood needs.
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Intro
00:00 • 4min
Trauma, Health, and Community Connections
03:59 • 20min
The Detrimental Effects of Profit Motives on Health and Nutrition
24:26 • 2min
Understanding Addiction through the Lens of Trauma
26:17 • 3min
Challenging the Myth of Normal Health
29:17 • 5min
Healing Beyond Diagnosis
34:38 • 28min
Exploring Ibogaine's Potential in Addiction Treatment
01:02:34 • 5min
Health, Trauma, and Epigenetics
01:07:04 • 20min
Healing Through Trauma Awareness
01:26:41 • 14min
Embracing Love Medicine and Healing Through Trauma
01:40:13 • 2min
In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts
Close Encounters with Addiction
Gabor Maté
In this book, Dr. Gabor Maté presents a comprehensive and compassionate look at addiction.
He argues that addiction is not a moral failure or a genetic disease but rather a result of human development gone awry, often due to childhood trauma.
The book includes first-person accounts, case studies, and scientific research to illustrate how addictive behaviors are attempts to self-soothe deep-seated fears and discomforts.
The Myth of Normal
Trauma, Illness, and Healing in a Toxic Culture
Gabor Maté
Daniel Maté
In this book, Gabor Maté and his son Daniel Maté challenge the prevailing understanding of 'normal' health, arguing that Western medicine often neglects the impact of trauma, stress, and modern-day living on our bodies and minds.
They connect the dots between individual health issues and the broader societal problems, offering a compassionate guide for health and healing.
The book is based on over four decades of clinical experience and is supported by extensive scientific research, patient stories, and personal disclosures.
Hold on to your kids
Why Parents Need to Matter More Than Peers
Gabor Mate´
Gordon Neufeld
In this book, Gordon Neufeld and Gabor Maté argue that children's increasing attachment to peers rather than parents is a significant issue that undermines family cohesion, interferes with healthy development, and fosters a hostile and sexualized youth culture.
The authors provide practical advice on how to 'reattach' to children, emphasizing the need for parents to be the primary source of enrichment, security, and warmth.
They suggest strategies such as 'collecting' children through spontaneous and desirable interactions, maintaining family-oriented activities, and ensuring unconditional acceptance to prevent peer orientation and its negative consequences.
Salt Sugar Fat
How the Food Giants Hooked Us
Michael Moss
In this book, Michael Moss delves into the strategies used by major food companies to create products that are highly appealing and addictive.
He explores the concept of the 'bliss point,' where scientists calculate the optimal combination of sugar, fat, and salt to maximize consumer desire.
Moss also uncovers marketing techniques borrowed from the tobacco industry and reveals how these practices contribute to the obesity epidemic.
The book is based on meticulous research and interviews with industry insiders, providing a detailed and often unsettling look at the processed food industry's impact on public health.
What Happened to You?
Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing
Bruce D. Perry
Oprah Winfrey
Through deeply personal conversations, Oprah Winfrey and Dr. Bruce Perry explore how traumatic experiences in early life shape behavior and identity.
The book emphasizes the importance of understanding and addressing past traumas to clear a path for future healing and resilience.
Winfrey shares stories from her own past, while Dr. Perry provides scientific and emotional insights, highlighting the need to ask 'What happened to you?
' rather than 'What’s wrong with you?
' to foster a deeper understanding of human behavior and promote healing.
How to Change Your Mind
What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us About Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence
Michael Pollan
In this book, Michael Pollan delves into the history of psychedelic drugs, from their rise in the 1960s to their current resurgence in medical research.
He combines historical and scientific analysis with personal narratives of his own experiences with psychedelics, such as LSD and psilocybin.
The book explores how these substances are being used to treat conditions like depression, addiction, and anxiety, and discusses their potential to revolutionize our understanding of the human mind and consciousness.
Pollan's work is a blend of science, memoir, and travel writing, offering a nuanced and engaging look at the therapeutic and spiritual benefits of psychedelics.
Dhammapada
F. Max Muller
The Dhammapada is a Buddhist scripture that distills the complex teachings of the Buddha into concise, crystalline verses.
It is part of the Khuddaka Nikaya of the Pali Canon of Theravada Buddhism.
The text includes various chapters that cover themes such as earnestness, thought, the nature of the fool and the wise man, and the path to enlightenment.
It emphasizes the importance of controlling one's thoughts and actions to achieve happiness and avoid suffering.
The verses are traditionally believed to have been spoken by the Buddha on various occasions and are accompanied by commentaries that provide context and stories to illustrate the teachings.
Educated
A Memoir
Tara Westover
In 'Educated,' Tara Westover recounts her journey from a childhood in rural Idaho, where she was raised by survivalist Mormon parents who opposed public education and medical care, to becoming a scholar at Harvard and Cambridge University.
The book details her struggles with physical and verbal abuse, her self-education, and her eventual admission to Brigham Young University.
Westover's story is a powerful exploration of resilience, the importance of education, and the complexities of family relationships.
She navigates the tension between her desire for knowledge and her loyalty to her family, ultimately finding a way to reconcile her past and present selves.
The Body Keeps the Score
Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma
Bessel van der Kolk
In this book, Dr. Bessel van der Kolk uses recent scientific advances to show how trauma reshapes both the body and brain, compromising sufferers’ capacities for pleasure, engagement, self-control, and trust.
He explores various treatments, including neurofeedback, meditation, sports, drama, and yoga, which activate the brain’s natural neuroplasticity to aid in recovery.
The book emphasizes the power of relationships in both causing and healing trauma and offers hope through descriptions of novel approaches to treatment.
It is based on Dr. van der Kolk’s own research and that of other leading specialists in the field.
When the Body Says No
Tracy A. Todd
Scattered
The Making and Unmaking of a Refugee
Aamna Mohdin
In 'Scattered: The Making and Unmaking of a Refugee', Aamna Mohdin courageously revisits her past, marked by the turmoil of the Somali Civil War and her subsequent displacement.
The book is a raw and unflinching portrayal of her journey from Somalia to the UK, highlighting the role of luck in her survival and the complexities of her identity.
Mohdin reflects on her experiences as a journalist and her encounters that prompted her to write the book, including a critical moment in Dunkirk where she was mistaken for a refugee.
The narrative explores the historical, social, and political forces that shape refugee experiences and emphasizes the importance of refugees telling their own stories.
Hello Again
A Fresh Start for Parents and Adult Children
Gabor Maté
Daniel Maté
This episode is brought to you by Rupa Health, InsideTracker, and FOND Bone Broth.
Why are we seeing more chronic disease, stress, obesity, addiction, and so many other states of illness than ever before, despite having the most advanced medical system in the world?
Because we aren’t living in a natural and normal world. We’re actually having normal responses to our abnormal circumstances, many of which create trauma that gets stored in the brain and body. Today on The Doctor’s Farmacy, I’m honored to talk to my dear friend Dr. Gabor Maté about the myth of normal, and why doing the difficult work of uncovering trauma is essential for living our fullest expression of life.
A renowned speaker and bestselling author, Dr. Gabor Maté is highly sought after for his expertise on a range of topics including addiction, stress, and childhood development. Dr. Maté has written several bestselling books, including the award-winning In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction, When the Body Says No: Exploring the Stress-Disease Connection, and Scattered: How Attention Deficit Disorder Originates and What You Can Do About It, and has co-authored Hold On to Your Kids: Why Parents Need to Matter More Than Peers. His latest book, The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness & Healing in a Toxic Culture was just released.
This episode is brought to you by Rupa Health, InsideTracker, and FOND Bone Broth.
Rupa Health is a place where Functional Medicine practitioners can access more than 2,000 specialty lab tests from over 20 labs like DUTCH, Vibrant America, Genova, and Great Plains. You can check out a free, live demo with a Q&A or create an account at RupaHealth.com.
InsideTracker is a personalized health and wellness platform like no other. Right now they’re offering my community 20% off at insidetracker.com/drhyman.
To experience the amazing health benefits of FOND Bone Broth, go to fondbonebroth.com/drhyman and use code HYMAN20 to get 20% off your purchase.
Here are more details from our interview (audio version / Apple Subscriber version):
- Uncovering my personal trauma history (6:42 / 3:50)
- Scientific evidence linking trauma and stress to physical and mental illness (14:38 / 11:45)
- Social determinants of health (16:34 / 14:15)
- Our crisis of separation, disconnection, and loneliness (20:25 / 18:00)
- The link between addiction, our profit-driven culture, and trauma (25:16 / 22:20)
- The myth of normal (31:07 / 26:33)
- Tools, therapies, and resources for your own healing (49:50 / 45:41)
- Treating trauma with plant medicines and psychedelics (55:40 / 51:16)
- The biology of psychology (1:10:46 / 1:06:20)
- Gabor’s vision for our society (1:31:42 / 1:25:48)
Learn more about Gabor Maté at drgabormate.com and get a copy of his new book, The Myth of Normal—Trauma, Illness, & Healing In a Toxic Culture, here.