Photo courtesy of Don Matt
Dr. Gabor Maté is an expert in childhood trauma and its effects on people’s lives. I’ve wondered why some folks survive and thrive, while others seem to shrink and retreat into fearful ways of living. Dr. Maté has caused me to ask what behaviors children are exhibiting in reaction to the trauma inflicted upon them by our society — i.e., shootings in school, the fear they are taught to exhibit toward anything outside their homes — worse yet, the fear precipitated inside their homes. And what of our adults? Trauma from childhood has affected far too many of us. We don’t know how to handle the abuses from family, friends, teachers and others in positions of authority. What if we recognized the source of mass shootings and other horrendous crimes? It’s too easy to say the cause is video games, mass media, violent cartoons, and the like. While many things are contributing factors, what if we admitted that early childhood trauma can and does manifest itself in ways we don’t understand. These feelings need to be assimilated, translated, and released. Perhaps the teachings of Gabor Maté (and others who understand what is happening to us) can facilitate the transitions we need to make. If I am able to recognize my reactions to trauma in all its forms, perhaps I can release my own and allow others to have the courage to face theirs. Let’s not be afraid to see where those realizations take us!
“So much of what we call abnormality in this culture is actually normal responses to an abnormal culture. The abnormality does not reside in the pathology of individuals, but in the very culture that drives people into suffering and dysfunction.” — Dr. Gabor Maté
“The great peace of the Kingdom shines in your mind forever, but it must shine outward to make you aware of it.”
—A Course in Miracles T-6.II.12:8
“O wake and hear the angel-song That bids all discord cease, From pain and sorrow, doubt and fear, It brings us sweet release; And so our hearts find peace.”
—Christian Science Hymnal page 9
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