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Gabor Mate - How Trauma Triggers Addiction? Must-Watch Interview On London Real TV

2 Jul 2017 · 3 min

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2:30

In this interview excerpt, Dr. Gabor Maté recounts his birth in Budapest during the Holocaust, describing how the trauma of his family's deportation shaped his understanding of the brain and human behavior. He defines addiction as any behavior that provides temporary pleasure or relief yet leads to long‑term negative consequences, emphasizing that addictions originate in pain and end in pain. Maté links trauma not only to addictive behaviors but also to a wide range of chronic illnesses such as autoimmune disease, cancer, and neurodegenerative disorders, underscoring the inseparable unity of mind and body. He references spiritual teacher Eckhart Tolle, noting that true human achievement lies in recognizing our own insanity, and conveys an optimistic message that healing—derived from the Anglo‑Saxon concept of wholeness—is possible if we confront and integrate all aspects of ourselves.

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I was born a Jewish infant in Budapest, Hungary, in January 1944. 2 months later, the German army occupies— the Wehrmacht occupies Budapest, deports half a million people to their deaths in Auschwitz, my maternal grandparents being amongst them. That experience sets your brain in a certain way. Because it is all about trauma. So addiction is manifested in any behavior that a person craves, finds temporary pleasure or relief in, but then experiences negative consequences in the long term and doesn't give up. So I'm going to ask you now, by that definition, Brian, have you ever had an addictive behavior in your life?
Yes, many. In my opinion, I was probably a functional alcoholic. I drank every day. It gave me temporary relief. From? From the pain I was feeling, usually related to interacting with my fellow humans.
As a spiritual teacher said, addictions all begin in pain and they end in pain. So why do people use? Why do people engage in addictions? Because they have deep emotional problems they don't have the means to resolve on their own. Most chronic illnesses also originate in trauma, including autoimmune disease and cancer and degenerative nervous system disorders and so on, because of the unshakable unity of mind and body. Eckhart Tolle was a spiritual teacher. He said that the greatest achievement of humankind is not its architecture or art or scientific our glories, but our ability to see our own insanity. That, that's where the healing is. By the way, healing comes from the Anglo-Saxon word for wholeness. So I have a totally optimistic message, really. I think healing is entirely possible. So if we're going to heal, if we're going to become whole, let's look at everything.