Dr. Gabor Maté: Emotional Eating and Addiction

When We Eat Not To Nourish But To Nurture. Dr. Gabor Maté, renowned physician and author, speaks about the root causes of eating disorders, which have their roots in early childhood trauma.
In fact, all addictions, including food (anorexia, bulimia, binge eating), substance addition (drugs, alcohol, medications) and even the lesser recognized ones, such as work or stress addiction, sex addiction, exercise addiction, etc.
As we grow and develop as a child, we are completely dependent on those around us. We have to learn to love our caregivers no matter what. If during those formative years, we do not have our basic needs met for safety, security, love, touch and support of many kinds, we may learn on a subconscious level either have these needs filled in other, more harmful ways (i.e. the quick fix of love through a drug) or we learn that love and nurturing comes also with pain.
These patterns become hardwired into our nervous system and our subconscious mind. We learn to seek to nurture outside of ourselves instead of from within. For those of us with eating disorders, eating is no longer an act of providing nutrition, but instead an act of seeking happiness, or a brief end to the inner pain we experience.
Delve deep into this topic with Dr. Gabor Maté, author of "In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts - Close Encounters with Addiction" "When the Body Says No - The Cost of Hidden Stress," and "Scattered Minds: The Origins and Healing of Attention Deficit Disorder," as well as soon to be Author of "Toxic World" an exploration of how a toxic society is affecting humanity. Dr. Maté was a physician in East Vancouver for many years and has seen and witnessed the lives of many of the cities most marginalized members.
This talk is a part of the Empowering Speaker Series, brought to you by Empower Health Clinic, located in Vancouver, British Columbia. Empower Health is committed to providing Transformative Healthcare Solutions through integrated healthcare services, health education events, including this keynote speaker series, as well as affordable healthcare through community treatment options.
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More information on Dr. Gabor Maté:
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[@anniebootboot]

Food becomes a substitute for our lack of emotional nourishment

[@cccccccccccc242]

THIS!

[@paulacretu1263]

Such a compassionate and generous man. A true masculine role model. Kind and authentic.

[@dawningall3137]

I have studied, listened to lectures, read articles and books, watched podcast, videos and documentaries and I have found that listening to Gabor’s informed and knowledgeable talks the most beneficial, easy to understand and for me, enjoyable of any. I am looking forward to reading all his books, I believe that so many of my own and those of my families issues are definitely related to childhood wounds. Thank you Gabor 🙏💙

[@deannakell1990]

I so agree. I was thinking how I would love to have someone in my life that speaks to me the way he speaks to people, but I don’t so I guess maybe I become that person for myself?

[@georgemoustakas4030]

I agree with everything but why are you using the word masculine in this context?

[@marialuisarivas2977]

Please the transcription

[@leafymonkey]

Well said

[@onlypearls4651]

I lost 120 lbs. in 9 months by changing my mind.

[@Abdul-qw8ox]

Can you please tell how. Did you took therapy.

[@staycurious644]

Pressed play on this after eating a whole packet of shortbread cookies. Thank you Dr Mate.

[@claudiaschneider5744]

OMG - I could tell you my story about stuff like shortbread cookies - do not buy those any more. Made me sick and tired every time I use to binge eat🤢🤮🤧 that kind of food too.

[@marthamagee2055]

Gabor Maté is a gift to the planet.✨🙏✨

[@joelmasantos879]

I wish all parents had access to this video. we would heal the human kind unborn generation.

[@4luv215]

We can start now. Hold on and teach our children and grandchildren. May you be blessed with peace joy, love and abundance.♥️💜

[@L.Hodson]

True !!!

[@claudiaschneider5744]

@@4luv215 : its much to late for my generation - I guess - will never be able to get grandchildren at all. Its just another sad horrible story of my life.

[@capricornqueen5262]

During the questions/comments, I love that he turns it into a conversation by saying I'm not a expert in that let's ask the experts here or he tells the man you tell me what you think about nervous system. Such is a true teacher and a man comfortable with himself not entrenched in ego.

[@claudiaschneider5744]

I am glad that he is not so conseited to claim that he knows everything....

[@user-ni8bu4vv8x]

Was literally turned away from a substance abuse treatment center a couple weeks ago and told to go to an eating disorder facility instead- if that doesn’t tell you how disconnected the behavioral healthcare system is

[@teaacustardcream2868]

Thats fucked up

[@lorraineneville2907]

Orthorexia. Addiction to “ clean eating”. My dear friend has this….probably due to the fact that her abusive, alcoholic, father tried to poison her with food. She took over the cooking early on in her life.

[@shmadsta]

Wow, I hadn't heard of Gabor before, but I respect him so much after this video. It's rare to find influential people like this who are so real and genuine.

[@nityaa1603]

Watch when the Body Says No. He teaches with compassion and understanding.🙏

[@fernandopessoa9619]

He's so healing in his words❤ recomend his latest book the myth of normal if you havent read it😄

[@Calidore1]

Love this man. Showing us the world as we’ve long suspected but never expressed.

[@sharrondee575]

Thank you for sharing your knowledge so compassionately ❤

[@mojomanx1]

This is a lot older than 2021. Premiered where? Trudeau been I power in 2015. That said, Dr Mate's a one of a kind. I'm from Vancouver too and had no idea about him up until recently. God bless him.

[@Sarah-with-an-H]

Yeah when he says “there’s no point in telling people to eat less” the types of people who shame people who are addicts are just layering on additional trauma and stress.

[@paulastaggs6339]

My mom used to tell me, "Drown your sorrows in food." Wow, what a message.

[@claudiaschneider5744]

My mom´s solution for everything bad always have been "food" plus she was the only one who would like to control what and how much we have to eat - it did not work out at all - only worst case szenario when it cames to food until today for me.

[@wilderwentzel2662]

What an amazing person!! I hope he lives forever, even if by just keeping his knowledge and words alive in our memories and others memories 😭🦧

[@nicoledelissen977]

Such a relaxed and open sharing. I like this way of exploring, finding answers instead of already knowing the answers. The willingness to see more than you have learned to see.

[@EmpowerHealthCa]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@wildrose8758]

Thank you so much for making this available publicly!

[@DLFfitness1]

Knowledge is power! 👍🏽

[@paulam5864]

I love this talk and he is awesome. One thing though, the word overweight is not really a good term. How do you determine someone as overweight? That chart used is fraught with problems. Many people have messed with their metabolisms so much with disordered eating that they will never be what we think of as a healthy weight. What will be healthy for them will be "overweight" when they stop the disorder. Trauma is serious and rampant among us, even p people who seem to have it all together, sometimes, especially them. I am so happy he calls out the medical industry for needing to address this needed information. Our whole body has to deal with trauma, our precious, miraculous bodies are very wise and speak loud and clear.

[@eternalstudent7461]

Thank you Dr. Maté, for all your talks, and for mentioning that book. Definitely a must-read, I was amazed. Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us is a book by Michael Moss published by Random House in 2013 that won the James Beard Foundation Award for Writing and Literature in 2014. It also was a number one New York Times bestseller in 2013

[@michelleduncan9965]

Books like those are critical for showing & teaching us the truth about how we've been so poorly steered by Big Food, & their partner Big Pharma.

[@lisatowe778]

Love listening to this man Medicine seems to be great when the body is overwhelmed and in crisis. Not so good for maintenance.

[@peachpotter]

I wish someone had asked him his views on whether hypnosis or some other form of mind control may be beneficial in treating the trauma that caused the destructive addictive behaviour not the behaviour but the root cause.

[@fernandopessoa9619]

I have seen a conversation with him here on KZbin where he mentions hypnosis, but ofc cant remember witch video it was😂

[@peachpotter]

Oh thank you so much, I’ll search for it. That’s good to know! He’s such a lovely man isn’t he.

[@kesiafix6131]

This guys is incredible!

[@jameslopez958]

Very simple and Straight Forward Information! 👍✌️❤️

[@bettinazwerdling9158]

There is a bit missing here, and I couldn't think more highly of Dr. Gabor Mate, I believe. Food if for nourishment AND pleasure (etc). And sex is not just for reproduction, but for pleasure, attachment, etc (and BEING WITH the 'biopsychosocialspiritualecological' beings that you so articulately have taught us. THAT WE ARE -- in other lectures. So yes to what you say about food being not the problem but a way of coping with (another) problem. Yes over/undereating (when healthy food is abailable and we are educated) is on a spectrum of trauma....and all that you say else here.

[@Ida12301]

Lack of spiritual experiences are also a form of developmental trauma. If spiritual experience simply mean being whole, fulfilled, true to our nature and in a nurturing society, it’s no wonder why so many suffer from substance abuse and addiction in a toxic society, which both soothes them and give them an artificial spiritual fulfillment. About the eating for oral stimulation and self soothing as derived from a babies basic need for being breastfed, I belive this can also explain why smoking and nail biting are both so common stress responses and hard to break addictions for so many. Their origin are also similar to the rocking movement often observed in psychiatric patients or people that have experienced severe trauma, as derived from a baby’s desire to being rocked or carried to calm down or sleep, as again is derived from the rocking movements from when being inside of the womb. About the over-eating itself, I came to think about something I read about the psychology behind chewing as a stress-relief, it was actually a tip about chewing gum to calm nerves, because our brains naturally register that if we are able to dine, we are not in current danger. So not only does eating sooth by oral stimulation, but also by telling our brains to relax and give us a sense of security. Dr. Matés thoughts makes me think about Jean Liedloff’s book The Continuum Concept. She speaks about developmental trauma; she named one chapter Deprivation of Essential Experiences, the toxic modern society vs the natural hunter-gatherer society, the link between substance abuse and trauma, and most importantly, about the importance of meeting a babies basic needs when it comes to physical contact, movement, nurture and attention. It’s absolutely worth reading to understand trauma, and especially if you have or plan to have a baby.

[@carolynmurphy3697]

Interesting about the rocking you mentioned as I never understood why I rocked from side to side in bed at night as a child and banging my head on the wall as I rocked back and forth in a chair. It makes more sense now as my mother was very emotionally immature so I would expect she would never have met my needs. Thanks for that food for thought ❤

[@Ida12301]

​@@carolynmurphy3697 I am happy that I wrote something you found useful! I hope you come to peace with your past.

[@reenanair1595]

Wow! Thank you for this Dr Gabor

[@margitjona3607]

Hálásan köszönöm, ha lenne magyar felirat is 🙏❤️

[@stefaniaolivares4518]

Love everything you have said as it makes soooo much sense !! You are one of the very few who gets it !! Love listening to you x x x

[@hdavies9994]

I think people have a very destructive view of what is beautiful. Models who ate so underweight they don't have periods and they are valued and told they look perfect and beautiful. Part of anorexia is an unconscious way of staying a child. With such bad body image issues they are afraid to take up space. They want to be an invisible child. And when the only thing they can control in life is their food and weight. And then when the body is so starved it has to binge. And as Gabor says bingeing becomes an emotional release. Like stuffing all the feelings then purging it all out. And fat and sugar is a serious drug like food. No one binges on carrots. Junk food is a drug not real food.

[@virtualtourmaps]

Spot on! "Bingeing becomes an emotional release. Like stuffing all the feelings then purging it all out. And fat and sugar is a serious drug like food. No one binges on carrots. Junk food is a drug not real food."

[@graceomalley4]

What if your trauma isn’t from childhood but the ‘normal’ stress and strain of surviving in a cutthroat world while raising children and caring for our elderly parents? I agree with everything about the emotional nature of addiction and the need for connection. Has all trauma to be from our childhood? I love Gabor but I have these questions.

[@graceomalley4]

@@vivian5361 ok. Good point. I suppose oral soothing is a baby stage.

[@lambchop6278]

He writes also about women being the stress absorbers in our world. I recommend his books for greater detail. I also recommend "Dodging Energy Vampires" by Christiane Northrup.

[@brianh5844]

I think this is a valuable point that while childhood experiences are very important, sometimes we have trauma as adults that can be very impactful. The trauma we experience as adults is always interacting with whatever trauma and conditioning from childhood, but there is a way sometimes where we can put so much focus on our childhood that we lose sight of significant trauma and conditioning we experienced as adults. I think it's a both/and. The stress you have from trying to survive in this world while caring for your parents is surely real and important. I don't think Gabor would disagree either.

[@candicebonnici959]

Thank you Dr Gabor Mat'e.

[@wendylohsg]

Does anyone know the book that Dr. Gabor Maté is reading?🤔

[@bojanaagarski5005]

Great talk

[@newtonmoon]

Things that did not happen is also something that happened - neglect for example.

[@hugmc]

So fear is the sand in the machinery off life

[@mollyp9321]

Most specialists don't want to deal with obese people because it lowers their successful surgeries. It makes them look bad to have a fat or sick patient have a bad outcome. They are more worried about themselves because of a competitive specialist market. But they are going to have to get used to it because more and more people, especially the elderly are needing surgeries, for osteoarthritis and more, and they are going to get it only from those willing to work on them.

[@mareezy]

Very informative video 📹 👍 👏 👌 😀

[@marialuisarivas2977]

Please the transcription

[@MensGroup]

Thanks for this! :)

[@stephaniehand503]

thanks

[@robertrogers7331]

Doctors are not able to look at addiction/attachment disorders as causal in disease, because doctors are wealth/enfranchisement survivors of our abusive class system. The treatment for denial in MD's is the same as for street drug users and for our selves. We unconditionally offer care, compassion and connection.

[@4luv215]

And is that not so sad?! Especially when these brainwashed, clueless and basically blind ( like the majority in-the movie, The Matrix) medical personnel are OUR CHILDREN and other family members... 🥲

[@robertrogers7331]

@@4luv215 I believe All of us begin life attachment deprived. So that children on both sides of the class divide grow up Never knowing who we are. Wealth and isolation are proportional, so clueless is deeply a part of enfranchised groups. Greenpeace is addictive behavior.

[@vanessasworder]

Beautiful soul ❤

[@tessg4799]

Awesome talk!

[@robynhope219]

I did some of that in my younger yrs...eat and purge. Now due to HPA axis dysfunction, I'm too skinny and wish to gain.

[@ZeroGravity60]

How about weight loss and the healing of addiction? As a human, you have a physical body and an energy body. Your energy body is inside and surrounding your physical body and is commonly referred to as your aura. The inner core of your aura holds the borders of your physical body. Within this storage information system, negative emotions get energetically entangled with your core aura and will now attract fat to your body. How? By gobbling up stress related to the emotion, the host within you. So, you go on a diet and these negative emotions will give up their gobbled-up stress bringing you to your chosen weight goal. But as soon as you stop your diet and stop suppressing the emotions, they will go back to eating and you're soon back where you started from. Actually, that's not true. The stress experienced in keeping to your diet may well have produced even more negative trapped emotions leading you to gain an extra number of pounds a month down the line. DON'T DIET! Deal with negative emotions & the experiences they represent. Expelling emotions presently trapped/buried in your soul is how. Silent meditation is "a" tool. Addiction. If you have an addiction you have one or more of the following: [ ] A weak self-will. [Usually due to abundant subconscious negativity of all kinds] [ ] An influencing soulless entity. [s] [Established belief with a life of its own] [ ] An influencing entity. [s] Physically deceased spirits who roam the Earth in search of experiencing their still existing addiction, experiencing it with and through you. [Drugs, Alcohol, Spending, etc.] [ ] A demon. [s] Demons enter the energy aura of unsuspecting individuals who are subjected to and or, pursue evil pleasures. A demon's job is to destroy you. Keep you from the healing truth. A demon will make his thoughts feel like your thoughts. Bombarding and attempting to manipulate your mind and actions. Just like 2,000 years ago, a demon must be extracted for the addiction to be more than managed but actually healed. [Hey, where did you think all those demons and spirits went from 2,000 years ago? These beasts of the other side are still with us and we don't give them the credit for our demise that they deserve.] Heal your soul and you'll naturally expel/sufficate your demons.

[@jacintacullen9580]

so wise

[@olivermatias2349]

♥️👌thank you so much ☺️♥️😚

[@ale189251]

Buddah was actually a scandinavian guy. The word Bud in swedish means messenger. And Bra-man means good-man in swedish. Buddah is what some people would call a god. But in swedish God means good. So he was a good man. Thats the real definition of old world gods.

[@gamerzacker2617]

Buddha in sanskrit means awakened one Brahma in sanskrit means God

[@quinnlafleur6533]

When I was young. Middle school and high school I remember wishing I was overweight - to take attention off me so I was left alone and didn’t have to deal with attention. Another view of obesity.

[@Sarah-with-an-H]

I had something abusive happen to me when I was a kid at the hands of a cousin who was too young to babysit me and I now know he has faced abuse and was repeating a behavior. Nothing sexual in nature mind you, but it was something terrifying. It was after that where I was still forced to participate in family functions and to also stay silent so I turned to food so I didn’t have to interact so holiday foods are my biggest food triggers today. Cheese crackers chips cookies, candy… you get the picture. It’s been 40 years since and I’m still addicted and suffering.

[@laralukich]

Yep, can relate. Being overweight was a protective mechanism for me too.

[@ShirasongMusic]

It occurred to me when he read the description of the aboriginal father and son that the only person I have ever thought of as normal and non addicted is Jesus, the Son of God.

[@MzEmpressnia]

amazing insight by Dr. Mate! Question what genes were he talking about associated with weight gain?

[@marialuisarivas2977]

I need to zee the transcripción

[@marialuisarivas2977]

Please subtitles

[@slimelove3493]

This one misses the mark for me. It’s ok love him

[@maidinulster]

So please please tell us so how we break this addiction

[@claudiaschneider5744]

well, I guess thats our personal private path and job - all Gabor does, is to show up about eating addiction - and that is insane already.

[@yvonneherdman4951]

Here's my thought: Def. Addiction: dependent on, unable to do without. Ask: I depend on this thing FOR WHAT? My answer is always 'to make me feel better'. So DO you feel better? Well, no not really, because afterwards (and sometimes during) I feel a sense of wrongdoing. WHY would that be? Well because I am an idolator who is looking for and expecting blessing, happiness, peace, love, joy to come from a source that can't give me those things. Instead, I find death as I serve my idol, yet in madness, I keep expecting to get good things. So, what to do? 1. Face reality. 2. Change your mind. 3. Live to please God 4. He will restore your soul, He will be your God and give you all the good things you couldn't get from your false gods. 5. Develop a relationship with Yahweh God...He will never leave you or forsake you!!!

[@inesafrica6641]

Thanks for this. This is the only truth. Am currently fighting this path to be set free from my idolatry. Which i would say is food... ​@@yvonneherdman4951

[@shekkishek4663]

I believing the soothing is one aspect of the problem. An important mind’s eye danger signal which triggers anticipation then danger then the survival instinct kicks in, then adjustment and reorganization is not there as well. The relationship between this brain disorder and ADHD’s deficits that allows for poor decision making and earlier death from not sensing danger for one’s well being and safety are related if not the same I have come to believe. The warning signal-triggering system is either not there or impaired and eventually is minimized almost beyond repair from the chemical effects from the constant exposure to the substances like carbohydrates that have been processed. The treatment needs to be the same as ADHD which is a lifestyle based on external cuing. External cues to make up for the internal cuing system for danger, for the why of saying no to the substance, then the cuing to support the adjustment to the healthy way. This is a lifelong need. There is no cure, it is lifelong management. Obese people are allowing dangerous behavior because the function of the mind’s eye didn’t develop at all or is impaired. Eventually the compulsive behavior because of exposure to the substance does enough damage to lead to addiction. External cuing management is the way. Eventually the person develops the habits from constant external cuing so that they come close to having the normal experience. That takes a lot of time and requires lifelong management. The deficit does not go away instead it is managed to the point of creating the feelings of normal responses to danger, 😅 concern. Emotional support is needed because it’s hard and lengthy until ease kicks in. Then when the person feels healed, they try to be normal which is a mistake but happens. That’s the cause of recidivism. The deficit does not get healed by external cuing, it gets managed to the point of habit formation. Habit maintenance stops when not attended to.

[@JasminMarsters]

I mindfully overeat 😅

[@hopeisorange]

Who cleaned up the Bhudda’s pee and poop as he meditates for days on end? That’s what I’ve always wondered…that’s probably totally sacrilegious😂

[@ricardopinzon549]

[@filigranski_trag]

❤️

[@a.maya12]

Why Dr Mate never quotes the Psychoanalysts and takes words and thoughts as they were his...? Projection, unconciouss, repression, defense mechanism, and so on? Neves quotes Winnicott, M. Miller or M. Klein??? He says he sees the projection of parents on his children and does not quote Ana Freud???

[@calebkisby4069]

The concepts of projection, unconscious, repression, and defense mechanisms are so well-known that they are taught in Psych 101 classes. He seems to be speaking to an audience of trained psychologists and clinitions, so there's probably no need to cite the classics.

[@MaulqasmPK]

He is giving a talk about a specific problem and how to understand and fix it. If you come to me asking how to change the transmission fluid in your car, and I explain it to you without crediting the author of the service manual have I done something wrong or unethical?

[@sharibrennan383]

You are kind, I hope you accept God, Jesus into your heart. I will love to speak to you in Heaven. 🙏🏽🙏🏽❣️🙏🏽🙏🏽

[@claudiaschneider5744]

....okay, but where is this totally enlightend buddha putting his poo poo?

[@Be1More]

thanks

[@marialuisarivas2977]

Please the transcription