Gabor Mate

[Chickenkeev]

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabor_Mat%C3%A9

Does anyone else listen to him? I've never felt as 'understood' as when i've listened to him. It sounds batshit, but what he says really makes so much sense to me. I had childhood trauma, so i suppose it's possible that what he says just suits my 'agenda', but really i don't think it's that. Just wondering if anyone has any thoughts?

He's a family doctor with decades of experience in treating people with trauma. I don't know why people dislike him tbh, he makes a lot of sense and has brought complex theories about trauma to the forefront and made them accessible to the general public. I've seen him speak in public several times and have a tangential connection to his kids and family. I admire him greatly.

He helped a close friend a lot. I’d love to listen to him, I can’t seem to ‘understand’ his way of speaking though.

Um he thinks autoimmune disease is caused by ‘suppressed female anger’. So no. I didn’t make myself ill thanks.

Yet within the healing world it’s pretty much know that auto immune diseases stem from trauma and undealt emotions

You mean the quack world?

So my Crohn’s disease diagnosis at 15 was due to entirely non existent childhood trauma? What absolute fucking nonsense.

He has some interesting and helpful thoughts about some stuff. His opinions are unhelpful and just outright nonsense in others. Generally he's a take with a pench of salt but may be helpful kind of person.

He's just another quack.

He perpetuates harmful, outdated and unscientific theories about ADHD, insisting it is a coping mechanism borne of parental neglect. ADHD is no such thing; it is a neurological disorder with a genetic link.

He also diagnosed Prince Harry with ADHD, based on an interview and reading his book. I mean come on

I don't think it's so much female but saying women have suffered more and then have these conditions as a result.

Yeah as a fellow Crohnes sufferer I fund that insulting.
same as my sister found the term fighting cancer offensive, did she have terminal cancer because she didn’t fight hard enough

If he is a quack, he has it down to a fine art. The childhood trauma stuff he talks about got me right in the gut. I haven't heard about the auto immune stuff, that's pretty far out.

I have mixed feelings. I think trauma has a significant influence in many people's lives, in myriad ways. But everyone experiences it differently, and the same event can profoundly impact some people while not bothering other people at all.

Mate has brought a different angle to trauma to the oublic consciousness which is potentially a good thing, but I have the sense that he's fallen into the social media soundbite trap in a bid to stay relevant. He's a specialist with a specific set of skills and experience, but it seems to me he isn't staying in his lane and is undermining his message as a result.

Shame really.

Absolutely this. Of course what he says will resonate with you because you have suffered trauma. To apply, as he does, this to everyone with ADHD or an auto-immune disease is harmful and quite frankly fucking ridiculous

He keeps popping up on my YouTube recommendations, but I get very strong Jordan Peterson vibes from him.

Agree with you there re different ways it can manifest. My older sister went through similar to me, but she is driven and controlled. I am the opposite 😬i suppose it could be the case anyway, but i've always felt she's just said 'that's not happening to me' and she's made it happen. She has a great career, married a very safe man etc she's very much the boss of her life. I dunno really. Random musings I suppose....

What’s your AIBU or is this just for traffic?

I just put it here because it's where i always read.

Well the 'healing world' sounds like a whole load of shit full of gullible idiots.

I thought it was pretty well recognised that mental/emotional/psychological pain/suffering/trauma takes its toll on your physical health. I don't see how that's 'quack' stuff at all, I've medic friends that absolutely agree so I never doubted it?

High levels of anxiety and stress absolutely impact physical health.

There's no need to be nasty. PP wasn't peddling anything like. Live and let live etc.

I find this true of him and also so many people in the self help world. They have some phenomenally wise things to say and then suddenly we are in the land of batshit crazy. I think it's fine to take the wisdom and leave the bonkers belief to one side.

I think you're absolutely right.
That's why we use a placebo in randomised control trials. The mind is a powerful thing

You sound angry!

Wow. This is right up there with the “therapist” who told me my vaginal prolapse was caused by my not wanting to have sex with DH 🤦‍♀️ Nothing to do with two massive babies, a traumatic forceps delivery and inconsistent pelvic floor exercise 🤷‍♀️. I also have an autoimmune disease so I guess that’s also due to trauma and undealt with emotions 🤔 Oh & DS1’s autism was due to my inability to breastfeed…

WRT to the OP, I heard a lengthy interview with him last year (I think it was on James O’Brien’s podcast) and was sufficiently interested in what he expressed to buy his book. He was talking specifically about how a mother who experiences trauma can struggle to connect with her child & gave the example of his own mother. I’m not articulating his POV well here but it made sense to me as a clinical psychologist. I haven’t got around to reading it yet so I can’t really comment further. However, as with all things, context is everything and I suspect he’s one of those people who attracts attention from others via sound bites, without those people reading further or wider into his work or the work of others in the field.