Introduction
The psychiatrist and author Gabor Maté is one of the well-known doctors for his insights about the effects of trauma on the mind and body, and for his compassionate guidance in the healing process. In a series of bestselling books, he has argued that childhood trauma and other stresses may be behind addiction, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and other conditions. In Maté’s latest work, “The Myth of Normal,” co-written with his son Daniel Maté, he posits that trauma – which he means as “wound,” as in the original Greek language – is woven into the fabric of Western society. It is so pervasive that it is considered the norm – very difficult for most people to perceive as fish perceive water. Maté writes in his book that “as soon as we decide to see clearly how things are, the healing process can begin – a word that means at its roots ‘return to wholeness.’”
How does exploring trauma help you understand what’s happening now?
As I mentioned in my book “The Myth of Normal,” I was born a Jewish baby in Hungary in 1944, two months before the Nazis invaded Hungary. Until then, most of the Hungarian Jewish population had been spared from genocide. But when the Nazis arrived, Adolf Eichmann, the leader of the Nazi German army who was the architect of the genocide, said the operation went off like a dream. Within three months, they killed half a million Hungarian Jews and sent most of the rest to Auschwitz, including my grandmother, my aunt, and nearly my mother and me. It was a coincidence that my mother and I weren’t on the same transport to Auschwitz. But I spent the first year of my life under Nazi occupation. When I was eleven months old, my mother gave me to a strange Christian woman in the street to save my life. I didn’t see my mother for six weeks.
How can trauma make some turn into monsters and others into empathetic humans?
I believe we all have both sides. The question is: which side prevails? Processed and understood trauma can be a great teacher. Repressed trauma can distort your character to the point of sociopathy. And people who go in one direction or another – perhaps it depends on their degree of attachment to humanity. People who express their traumas fully, personally, like serial killers – these individuals have never received any empathy in their lives. Thus, trauma fills them with rage, and they seek power and dominance at any cost. Many such examples can also be found in politics.
What is the role of politics in amplifying trauma?
Take the politics of neoliberalism, which has been championed by its saints Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan and has continued under various governments of all stripes: under neoliberalism, there has been more social isolation and the elimination of social programs and a feeling of insecurity and loneliness. Each of these factors contributes to illness, not only for minority populations but for the general populace.
Do you see a link between the Holocaust and what’s happening in the Middle East?
The events of October 7, the brutal atrocities committed against Jews in southern Israel – for most of my Jewish peers who know little about the history of Palestinians and what has happened to them, this is a horrific attack on the Jews, the biggest disaster to befall us since the Holocaust. So one trauma mirrors another and feeds into it.
Does denial, as you call it, represent healing?
It is the first part of healing because until we are in contact with reality and connected to the actual source of our suffering, we cannot heal ourselves. Buddhism teaches, for example, that once you recognize the source of your suffering, that is a big step toward healing. I am known as a seer, and I do my best. Many tell me: “I have an addiction, but I was a happy child.” Then we have a three-minute conversation. They realize they were happy in their childhood, but they suppressed all the pain they experienced. Once people recognize they have been traumatized, they see that there is nothing inherently wrong with them. They are not defective, they are not damaged goods, but something happened that made them act in ways that harm themselves or harm others.
What
What is the role of politics in expanding trauma?
Take neoliberal policy, championed by its saints Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan, and continued under various governments of all kinds: Under neoliberalism, there has been more social isolation, the eradication of social programs, and a sense of insecurity and loneliness. Each of these factors contributes to illness, not only for minority populations but for the general populace.
Why are such people sometimes popular among voters?
We often look to our political leaders for alternative parents who will take care of us. We seek out individuals who embody strength and toughness. We turn to these individuals as surrogate parents because it is very difficult to be an adult in this world. Being an adult means being capable of being genuinely different.
What does it mean to be “genuinely different”?
Is it controversial to say you prefer to be in touch with reality rather than believe in a false dream? The great writer James Baldwin said: “We live in a country that primarily uses words to cover the sleeping, not to awaken him.” If a national debate were held on rights and wrongs, history, and differing opinions on what is currently happening in the Middle East, which would attract a larger audience, that or the Super Bowl? Much of culture is designed to lull us to sleep. It’s all about escaping reality. Life is incredibly tough. It’s very hard to look life in the face.
Do you see a connection between the Nazi Holocaust and what is happening in the Middle East?
The events of October 7, the brutal atrocities committed against Jews in southern Israel – for many of my Jewish colleagues, who don’t know the history of Palestinians and what happened to them, this is a horrific attack on Jews, the biggest disaster to befall us since the Holocaust. So, one trauma resembles another and feeds off of it.
Does denial, as you call it, represent healing?
It is the first part of healing because until we come to terms with reality and connect with the actual source of our suffering, we cannot heal ourselves. Buddhism teaches, for example, that once you recognize the source of your suffering, that is a significant step towards healing. I am known as a scout, and I do what I can. Many people tell me: “I have an addiction, but I was a happy child.” Then we have a three-minute conversation. They realize they were happy in their childhood, but they suppressed all the pain they experienced. Once people realize they have been traumatized, they see that there is nothing fundamentally wrong with them. They are not defective, not damaged goods, but something happened that made them act in ways that harm themselves or others.
What is the role of politics in expanding trauma?
Take neoliberal policy, championed by its saints Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan, and continued under various governments of all kinds: Under neoliberalism, there has been more social isolation, the eradication of social programs, and a sense of insecurity and loneliness. Each of these factors contributes to illness, not only for minority populations but for the general populace.
Why are such people sometimes popular among voters?
We often look to our political leaders for alternative parents who will take care of us. We seek out individuals who embody strength and toughness. We turn to these individuals as surrogate parents because it is very difficult to be an adult in this world. Being an adult means being capable of being genuinely different.
What does it mean to be “genuinely different”?
Is it controversial to say you prefer to be in touch with reality rather than believe in a false dream? The great writer James Baldwin said: “We live in a country that primarily uses words to cover the sleeping, not to awaken him.” If a national debate were held on rights and wrongs, history, and differing opinions on what is currently happening in the Middle East, which would attract a larger audience, that or the Super Bowl? Much of culture is designed to lull us to sleep. It’s all about escaping reality. Life is incredibly tough. It’s very hard to look life in the face.
Do you see a link between the Nazi Holocaust and what is happening in the Middle East?
Do you see a link between the Nazi Holocaust and what is happening in the Middle East?
The events of October 7, the brutal atrocities committed against Jews in southern Israel – for most of my Jewish colleagues, who are unaware of the history of Palestinians and what happened to them, this is a horrific attack on Jews, the largest disaster that has befallen us since the Holocaust. Thus, one shock resembles another and feeds on it.
Does denial, as you call it, represent healing?
It is the first part of healing because until we are in touch with reality and connected to the actual source of our suffering, we cannot heal ourselves. Buddhism teaches, for example, that once you recognize the source of your suffering, that is a big step toward healing. I am known as a guide, and I do what I can. Many people tell me: “I have an addiction, but I was a happy child.” Then we have a three-minute conversation. They realize they were happy in their childhood, but they suppressed all the pain they endured. Once people recognize that they have been traumatized, they see that there is nothing inherently wrong with them. They are not defective, not broken goods, but something happened that made them behave in ways that harm themselves or harm others.
Source: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/confronting-illusions-can-help-heal-trauma/
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