04/29/2025
Eight minutes listening to this vid can Change a Life. Please watch. Learn how science, and the world renowned psychiatrist pioneer - Dr. Gabor Mat'e - enlightens us all about addictions. A conversation we all need to hear.
We all have addictions; they are part of the human condition. They can be resolved. In this vid, Dr. Mat'e speaks to the definition of addictions and how to resolve them. "The source is not "genetic", but is in childhood trauma and in stress and social dislocation endemic to systems of inequality and injustice."
They are environmental and cultural and many are formed in families. Game changer once you realize this and allow yourself to do the deep work of trauma recovery. We all come from trauma , it is a part of life, it is passed down genetically. Trauma is what happens in the body (or not) as a result of an experience(s) - that needs to be "processed and understood", so the negative impact exits the body. It is usually based in fear and it is very personal in terms of how individuals respond to traumatic events. We all deserve to life a life of joy, purpose, and service; and we can.
Trauma (and addiction) recovery is very real. It has become more common in certain areas of restorative medicine like holistic trauma therapy, trauma psychiatry, and Functional Med and Nutrition. I am a "Trauma-trained" practice in my Functional and Integrative Nutrition practice. Many providers in my field have completed this type of training because we learned that health conditions can return after "healing" - from unresolved trauma which is very stressful on the body and mind. Or we observed that healing was limited because of depression, anxiety, stress, etc. - all based in unresolved trauma's.
In terms of addictions, Gabor states - "Don't ask why the addiction, ask why the pain." Please do not judge people in the throes of trauma - because you are judging everyone, including yourself. People in the throes of trauma can be experiencing anything form a crises to isolation and be silent in their pain. Often people are reacting from a place of deep pain, confusion, or survival instinct. It's important to approach them with compassion, patience, and understanding rather than judgment. Even though you will not completely understand anyones trauma - nor do you need to. Direct them to the support they need and encourage them to be accountable to work with experts to heal. Trauma can profoundly affect behavior, perception, and decision-making. Healing is rarely linear.
In addition to the profound 8 minute video below, a wonderful on-line documentary that I often rec'd to patients is "The Wisdom of Trauma" . The website is the name of the documentary title.
Here is the 8 minute video.
This interview took place at Wisdom 2.0, in partnership with Fetzer institute and Unlikely Collaborators.The full interview is at: https://youtu.be/osew41SrN...
