Has anyone read Gabor maté's books?

[Mummabear04]

Gobor Maté keeps popping up on my social media feeds and I am very intrigued by him. Has anyone read any of his books? What do you think of his ideas?

I have started reading one of his books and found it interesting. Currently on holiday so I don’t have it with me and can’t remember the title lol

I could be wrong but I think he is Jewish and is against the actions of the Israeli state from the videos I have seen on him discussing it. Never viewed him as anti-Semitic personally but maybe others have seen something else.

Psychotics? Do you mean hallucinogens like lsd/psolocybin? Because I can tell you first hand that my own experience of using psilocybin to treat ptsd from sexual abuse and it was life changing in enabling me to heal. I had reached a point in my therapy where I couldn’t seem to get any further and I was stalling/slipping back. Several small doses dose and one large and I couldn’t BELIEVE the difference. I was so much happier, less anxious, just at peace. It lasted almost a year and in that time I healed more through therapy , self love and self reflection than I had done in an entire decade working five times harder.

I feel that’s fair enough but equally this is a discussion forum and others including OP don’t necessarily have to accept your belief of Gabor Mate as a racist. Especially when you haven’t provided any concrete examples.

@Mummabear04 here’s a video I found of him talking about Israel.

Make of that what you will . There are many others too but this is a fairly recent one.

Here’s a shorter link about some fairly recent commentary too https://youtube.com/shorts/U5pIwMvTcAg?si=0OAq1nFdSyq-Xs40

I've had the 'pleasure' of meeting him and he's an exhausting, egotistical prick. As someone above has said, he definitely gives off guru vibes.

Gabor Mate was a Jewish refugee, I'm amazed to hear that he is anti-semetic.

I have read his books and think he has some really useful things to say about trauma and how it impacts us all. I don't agree with everything, but I personally found a great deal of it informative and it gave me a much better understanding of how I had been affected.

Where did you find a therapist for that? (Or did you do it alone).
I know psychotherapy with these kinds of drugs is legal in the Netherlands, but I don't know where else.

"I'm amazed to hear that he is anti-semetic."

You should make your own mind up about that and not just believe what someone says on here, bearing in mind that some people consider any criticism of the Israeli government to be anti-Semitic.

His work on the link between stress / trauma and chronic pain was instrumental to me recovering from the severe burnout caused by my job and life. ‘When The Body Says No’ is the book.

I’ve seen many interviews with him, been to see him speak, and read a few of his books. I don’t agree with him on everything and like many influential doctors he can be a bit egotistical, but I do think there’s a lot of value in his work and views. He’s hated by many of those with very traditional mainstream views of psychology and behaviour though.

I'm really confused by some of these comments.

GM was a jewish baby who was given away by his mother to save him during the Nazi time.

He suffered alot of trauma and as such quite openly admits to having made mistakes in his life ie overworking to 'prove' he had value

As someone currently under NHS care for trauma from childhood he makes so much sense to me. I often watch him and can really understand what he says and it really helps me.

I have nothing negative to say about him at all. I am really surprised at these negative comments about him.

I thought he was considered 'brilliant' in the arena of childhood trauma. I certaintly think he is anyway.

He was born in the Hungarian ghetto during WWII. Come on, he is so far from being anti semitic, don’t get pulled into that conspiracy rabbit hole @Mummabear04 .

He does not however agree with what Israel has done in Gaza which is what I presume the other poster views as anti semitic.

But he is heavily aware of the nature of both people and trauma and that leads him to feel very strongly on issues. I think he is wrong about ND but absolutely correct that trauma can trigger auto immune conditions and very likely right that trauma (incorrect environment conditions) massively exacerbates the negative aspects of ND.

I did it myself after tons of research. I grew my own mushrooms and just ran with it. Started off really small with microdosing and worked my way up. Took just one large dose and it was the most profound experience of my life. I was sat on the sofa in the garden on a glorious summer day. I was half dozing and it felt like the birds were singing ina choir just for me. The sky turned into a beautiful ocean and floated me to the sun and the sun itself told mei need to forgive myself and honestly, I felt such a lightness and warmth. Then a bumble bee the size of a yoga ball fist bumped me and told me I’d be ok.

completely bonkers but amazing.

It’s reported that GM slapped his 3yo son across the face when he refused to sing happy birthday to him.

I’ve got that book about teens and it’s fine. But can’t earnestly admire him knowing he was a shitty dad.

That is true. It is Gabor Mate who speaks about it. His son probably wouldn’t even remember it except that Mate speaks about how self centred and awful a father he was being and how he needed to address that to have proper relationships with his children. He also speaks about the fact that he was a workaholic and left his wife to it too much in the early years of parenting.

So while he does have an ego, he has self awareness about his flaws which is a pretty authentic way to be as we all have them and I’m not sure people own them to the extent that he does.

The point of parenting is you’ve got to do it in the moment tho right? Otherwise it’s all academic. I was an excellent parent before I had kids….