Mental illness, addiction & most chronic illness is linked to childhood loss & trauma (Gabor Maté)

Here Gabor Mate tells us the medical profession are the most difficult to speak to about what he’s learned in his work because they don’t recognize that so-called mental illness and most physical chronic illness is the result of childhood loss and trauma.

We don’t need anymore research he says. We know the cause of these issues. SEE: More: Adverse Childhood Experiences Study (trauma in childhood associated with many later problems, including that which gets labeled mental illness)

He points out that the barrier to the health professionals is that they’ve not cared for their own trauma. This is clearly true. Many professionals are afraid of their own darkness. This makes it impossible for them to correctly recognize issues in their patients and clients.

I love Gabor Mate. If you’re not familiar with his work please view this video. He’s brilliant, inspired and right on.

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO VIEW  (the original video that was shared here is no longer available…the below one is related but not as detailed)  There is lots more on YouTube should you want to pursue more.

UPDATE: in various social media people pointed out that trauma is not the only aspect we’re dealing with here. This is of course true and this blog, again and again, underscores the fact that we are holistic beings. So, no…it’s not the whole story, nor the only dynamic in place.

But remember too, trauma can be invisible and it’s also not always familial…we live in an atrociously violent and abusive society which incurs trauma in numerous ways…additionally as holistic beings EVERYTHING matters…our environments, what we eat, how we’re treated, whether we exercise, what we think… etc etc…the unique combination of things come together…differently in different people. See: Nature vs nurture, biological vs. psychological: how about both/and rather than either/or

See also: Healing generational pain and trauma  – this isn’t about blaming anyone. We are all in this together. Healing is up to all of us.

 

• In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts — a book by Gabor Mate

More posts that feature Gabor Mate on Beyond Meds:

• We are all addicts…

• Breaking Through A Toxic Environment

• Power of addiction and addiction to power

• Our culture and society have destroyed the conditions required for healthy childhood development

• Ask, not why the addiction, but why the pain?

More on topic: Trauma and PTSD collected info, commentary and links This link includes many different perspectives including body and somatic oriented understandings.

See also the work of Dr. Bessel van der Kolk:  Psychiatry ignores trauma says Dr. Bessel van der Kolk

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