10% Happier with Dan Harris Modern Life Is Making You Sick, But It Doesn't Have To | Dr. Gabor Maté
Dr. Gabor Maté, a bestselling author and expert on stress and addiction, dives into the hidden societal stressors impacting our health. He critiques the concept of 'normal' in modern life, linking it to rising issues like addiction and autoimmune conditions. Maté emphasizes the importance of understanding trauma, not just the big events, but the everyday wounds we face. He advocates for a trauma-informed approach to health and hints at the healing potential of psychedelics, urging listeners to rethink how societal factors affect well-being.
56:50
Stress, Trauma, and Illness
- Stress and trauma are significant factors contributing to both physical and mental illnesses.
- These factors negatively impact various bodily systems, increasing vulnerability to diseases.
Trauma and Reconnection
- Trauma is disconnection from self, often developed as a survival mechanism in difficult situations.
- Reconnecting with oneself is essential for healing and achieving wholeness.
Defining Trauma
- Trauma is not the event itself, but the internal wound resulting from it, impacting one's sense of self.
- It manifests as both 'big T traumas' (major events) and 'small t traumas' (unmet needs).
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Intro
00:00 • 5min
The Myth of Normal: Understanding Health in Modern Society
04:58 • 3min
Contrasting Ancient Lifestyles with Modern Illnesses
08:16 • 3min
Understanding Trauma and Its Impact on Health
11:20 • 19min
Exploring Emotional Health: The Four A's and Five Compassions
30:48 • 5min
Empowerment Through Compassion
35:21 • 15min
The Healing Potential of Psychedelics and Shamanic Wisdom
50:05 • 5min
Healing from Limiting Beliefs
54:59 • 6min
Insights on Trauma and Parenting
01:01:26 • 4min
#1563
• Mentioned in 27 episodes
Scattered Minds
The Origins and Healing of Attention Deficit Disorder
Gabor Maté
In this book, Dr. Gabor Maté argues that Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD/ADHD) is not a genetic 'illness' but a response to environmental stress.
He explains that the brain circuits responsible for emotional self-regulation and attention control fail to develop in infancy due to life experiences.
The book provides insights for parents to understand their ADD children and for adults with ADD to gain insights into their emotions and behaviors.
It presents a program to promote neurological development in both children and adults, emphasizing the role of social and emotional environments in both the cause and cure of the condition.
#1921
• Mentioned in 23 episodes
When the Body Says No
Tracy A. Todd
#1132
• Mentioned in 34 episodes
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.
#337
• Mentioned in 81 episodes
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.
#13404
• Mentioned in 4 episodes
IntraConnected
MWe (Me + We) as the Integration of Self, Identity, and Belonging
Daniel Siegel
IntraConnected delves into the nature of how our experience of 'self' emerges across the lifespan.
It combines personal reflections with scientific discussions to show how our culture may promote a sense of separation as a solo, isolated self, but a broader perspective reveals that our identity is connected to others and the natural world.
The book introduces the concept of 'MWe' (Me + We), emphasizing the interconnectedness of individual and collective identities.
It also explores mindfulness practices, quantum physics, and indigenous wisdom to promote a deeper sense of intraconnection and well-being.
#7905
• Mentioned in 6 episodes
The trauma of everyday life
Mark Epstein
In 'The Trauma of Everyday Life', Mark Epstein discusses how trauma, whether from significant events or everyday sufferings like loneliness and fear, is a universal and inevitable part of human experience.
Epstein argues that both Western psychology and Eastern practices often fail to recognize the potential of trauma for personal growth.
He draws on the life of Buddha, his own experiences, and those of his patients to illustrate how trauma can awaken us to our own mental capacities and the suffering of others, making us more human, caring, and wise.
#8029
• Mentioned in 6 episodes
Devil Makes Three
Ben Fountain
Devil Makes Three is a propulsive novel that delves into the tumultuous world of Haiti following the 1991 coup that ousted President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.
The story follows a diverse cast of characters, including American expats and Haitian nationals, as they navigate the treacherous landscape of political upheaval and personal survival.
The novel explores themes of power, greed, and the complex interplay of international politics.
#2020
• Mentioned in 22 episodes
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.
New episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for free, with 1-week early access for Wondery+ subscribers.
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Hidden sources of stress — and how to beat them. Also: the myth of normal, the necessity of being disillusioned, and the disutility of comparing your suffering.
Description:
There's so much to be grateful for in modern medicine. We can all agree that we would not do as well in a world with no Advil or dentistry. And yet, our guest today, who is a renowned doctor, says modern medicine is overlooking something crucial: the pernicious impact that modern living has on our minds and bodies. In other words, we are surrounded by these hidden societal and structural sources of stress and we aren't thinking about how to treat and prevent these factors that are degrading our happiness and our immune systems.
Dr. Gabor Maté is a bestselling author with an expertise on everything from stress to addiction to ADHD. His latest book is called, The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness, and Healing in a Toxic Culture
Content Warning: This episode has mentions of child abuse, sexual trauma, suicide and addiction
In this episode we talk about:
- What he means by "the myth of normal"
- How diseases, such as autoimmune conditions, are an "artifact of civilization"
- How to begin to tackle what Dr. Maté calls, "the social sources of illness"
- His definition of trauma and the difference between "big T traumatic events" and the trauma of "wounding"
- How trauma in society is so normalized that we don't even recognize it
- Whether the term trauma is overused
- Why comparing suffering is a fruitless endeavor
- What he means by "the necessity to be disillusioned"
- The power and possibility of psychedelics
- Why he thinks we should incorporate shamanic medicine into our western medical framework
- And what he means by "undoing self-limiting beliefs" and how these beliefs show up in our everyday lives
Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/gabor-mate-archive
Where to find Gabor Maté online:
Website: drgabormate.com
Social Media:
Books Mentioned:
- The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness, and Healing in a Toxic Culture
- When the Body Says No: Exploring the Stress-Disease Connection
- Scattered Minds: The Origins and Healing of Attention Deficit Disorder
- In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction
- Hold On to Your Kids: Why Parents Need to Matter More Than Peers
Other Resources Mentioned:
- The Wisdom of Trauma
- Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Is Associated with Increased Risk of Ovarian Cancer: A Prospective and Retrospective Longitudinal Cohort Study
- Decrease in depression symptoms is associated with longer survival in patients with metastatic breast cancer: a secondary analysis
- Marital Status, Marital Strain, and Risk of Coronary Heart Disease or Total Mortality: The Framingham Offspring Study
- George Engel
- How spanking may affect brain development in children
- The Trauma of Everyday Life by Dr. Mark Epstein
- IntraConnected: MWe (Me + We) as the Integration of Self, Identity, and Belonging by Dr. Dan Siegel
- A. H. Almaas
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