Episode #24 Exploring Trauma, Addiction, and Emotional Pain with Guest Dr. Gabor Mate
Body of WonderShow Notes
Addiction is a public health crisis, made worse in the last year by the emotional stress and grief experienced by so many during the pandemic. It is characterized by compulsive actions despite harmful consequences.
Our guest on this episode is addiction expert and author, Dr. Gabor Maté. He is internationally known for his work on mind-body unity in health and illness, attention deficit disorder and other childhood developmental issues, and his breakthrough analysis of addiction as a psycho-physiological response to childhood trauma and emotional loss.
Dr. Maté contends that a deeper understanding of trauma is needed in healthcare to address the substance abuse epidemic. Together with Drs. Weil and Maizes, Dr. Maté, explore the roots of addictive behavior. He reasons, that at its foundation, “Addiction is an attempt to solve a problem.”
More from Body of Wonder
What happens when a police lieutenant becomes one of America's most powerful advocates for psychedelic medicine? In this conversation, Dr. Victoria Maizes and Dr. Andrew Weil sit down with Lt. Sarko Gergerian. He is a Massachusetts police lieutenant, clinical mental health counselor, and co-founder of CLEAR (Community and Law Enforcement Assisted Recovery). Sarko traces his journey from Northeastern University philosophy student to police officer to trained psychedelic therapist, and explains why he has spent over fifteen years as an outspoken critic of the war on drugs. Also covered is the urgent call for first responders to have legal access to the same psychedelic therapies now being fast-tracked by the federal government. With momentum building from federal fast-tracking of psychedelic research to growing state decriminalization movements, Sarko makes an urgent and compelling case for why first responders deserve legal, accessible psychedelic care now. Join us to Lt. Gergerian's insight on what it means to serve and protect.
Discover how personalized approaches like adaptive therapy, fasting, and integrative medicine are transforming cancer management, especially in the event of metastatic cancer. Dr. Dawn Lemanne, a medical oncologist, and fellowship faculty at the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine shares insights from her pioneering work in the field with Drs Andrew Weil and Victoria Maizes, emphasizing real-time treatment adjustments to better manage cancer.
How do dogs think, and why do humans share such a powerful bond with them? In this conversation, Dr. Victoria Maizes and Dr. Andrew Weil sit down with Dr. Evan MacLean, director of the Arizona Canine Cognition Center at the University of Arizona, to explore the science behind the canine mind.
In this special episode of Body of Wonder, Dr. Andrew Weil and Dr. Ann Marie Chiasson turn the tables and interview their longtime colleague and co-host, Dr. Victoria Maizes, about her upcoming book Heal Faster: Unlock Your Body’s Rapid Recovery System. They explore the body’s innate capacity to heal, practical strategies for reducing anxiety, the hidden impact of environmental toxins, personalized nutrition approaches, the value of supplements, and how to prepare for and recover from surgery using integrative tools. Dr. Maizes shares compelling patient stories and actionable guidance that empowers listeners to support their own rapid recovery.
Dr. Victoria Maizes and Dr. Andrew Weil sit down with Dr. Talal Moukabary, an expert in cardiac electrophysiology, for a look at POTS, long COVID, and the autonomic nervous system.