Ep. 536 – Mindrolling Revisited: Trauma And The Realm of Hungry Ghosts with Dr. Gabor Maté

This week, we take a look back at a conversation that Raghu had with Gabor Maté about trauma, desire, addiction, and getting honest with ourselves.

In this remastered episode, Gabor explores these struggles through the lens of the Hungry Ghost Realm of saṃsāra.

To learn more about all six realms of saṃsāra and the Wheel of Life in Buddhist tradition, check out this episode of the Mindrolling Podcast with Buddhist teacher, David Nichtern: Ep. 168 Awakening from the Daydream

Gabor Maté is a renowned speaker and bestselling author. After 20 years of family practice and palliative care experience, Gabor worked for over a decade in Vancouver’s Downtown East Side with patients challenged by drug addiction and mental illness. The bestselling author of four books published in over thirty languages, Gabor is sought after for his expertise on addiction, trauma, childhood development, and the relationship between stress and illness. His latest book, released in 2022, is titled the Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness & Healing in a Toxic Culture. 

In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts

Gabor Maté has been exposed to so many patients suffering from addiction through his work as a doctor in Vancouver, BC, which has one of North America’s worst drug abuse problems. He and Raghu discuss the connection between addiction, in its many forms, and what Buddhist philosophy refers to as the Hungry Ghost Realm.

Healing Trauma, Breaking Addiction 

Gabor talks about the role of trauma in addiction. He shares his own traumatic experiences being a Jew born in Nazi-occupied Hungary. Raghu and Gabor also discuss the ways that trauma and suffering are handed down from parent to child.

The Pursuit of Desire 

In his book In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction, Gabor writes about the drive behind addictions. He and Raghu discuss how the energetic charge behind addiction is more about desire than attainment.

Equal Parts Honest and Compassion

Gabor examines how we can look at ourselves honestly and constructively by practicing compassionate inquiry.

Psychology of Spiritual Seeking

The spiritual path is a way to transform some of the wounded natures that we all grow up with. Gabor speaks about this and the risks of spiritual materialism that come along with it.

“The hungry ghosts are depicted as these creatures with large empty bellies and small scrawny necks with narrow gullets and small mouths. No matter what they do, they cannot ever fill that emptiness inside, and that relates to me as the realm of addiction.” – Dr. Gabor Maté

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