This week, we take a look back at a conversation that Raghu had with Dr. 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.
“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
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.
“What the addiction is is the attempt to solve a problem in your life, the problem of not knowing how to handle the distress or the difficulty of life. So my question around addiction is not why the addiction, why the pain, and now we are looking at trauma.” – Dr. Gabor Maté
Listen to Gabor speak more about addiction and recovery with Chris Grosso on Ep. 38 of the Indie Spiritualist Podcast.
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.
“In the addicted mode, the emotional charge is in the pursuit and acquisition of the desired object, not in the possession and enjoyment of it. The greatest pleasure is in the momentary satisfaction of yearning.” – Dr. Gabor Maté
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 psychology of spiritual seeking is a delicate balance. There has to be an openness and a curiosity – but you have to watch that drivenness. That drivenness itself gets in the way of what you are seeking.” – Dr. Gabor Maté
Getting Real
Gabor and Raghu close with a conversation about getting real with ourselves and the need for authenticity.