DR. GABOR MATE: THE 7 IMPACTS OF TRAUMA

From his years of experience as a physician and addiction recovery expert, Dr. Gabor Maté has identified 7 major impacts that trauma has on a person. In this video, Gabor explains what the 7 impacts of trauma are. In the full series Healing Trauma & Addiction, he goes more in-depth about the impacts of trauma and how to heal from them.

Gabor Maté describes trauma as more than just an external event; it is an internal wound that constricts and diminishes emotional and psychological functioning. He famously states, "Trauma is not what happens to you. Trauma is what happens inside of you as a result of what happens to you." This inner wound profoundly impacts individuals in seven key ways:

1. Separation of Self –Trauma creates a disconnection from one's authentic self and inner instincts, causing individuals to lose trust in their own gut feelings and intuition, which are vital for navigating life.

2. Disconnection from Other People – Trauma often leads to feelings of isolation and an inability to trust others. This disconnection fosters a sense of loneliness and difficulty forming meaningful, secure relationships.

3. Altered Worldview – Trauma skews perception, leading individuals to see the world through a negative or fearful lens. This altered worldview makes it hard to trust life, people, or future outcomes.

4. Lifelong Pain – Trauma is a wound that persists until it is properly addressed. It continues to affect a person emotionally and psychologically throughout their life, creating ongoing pain that must be faced for healing to occur.

5. Cognitive Development – Trauma can impair cognitive development, particularly in children. It affects the brain's ability to process information, focus, and make decisions, leading to long-term challenges in learning and personal growth.

6. Personal Shame – Trauma often instills deep feelings of shame, causing individuals to feel fundamentally flawed or unworthy. This personal shame can lead to self-loathing and a belief that they are not deserving of love or success.

7. Difficulty Being Present – Trauma makes it hard to live in the present moment. Individuals may constantly relive past experiences, reacting to the past instead of engaging fully in the present, which keeps them from moving forward.

These impacts reveal how deeply trauma shapes both the inner and outer lives of individuals, and Maté emphasizes the importance of addressing these wounds to reclaim emotional and psychological health.

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Thank you for supporting Wholehearted ♡

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Watch more free Gabor Maté videos:

► Adverse Childhood Experiences

► The Myth of Normal & The Power of Connection
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[Fiawordweaver]

I’m 70. My addictions. Misuse of food and money. Losing my home as a single parent and the shame of failing my children. I write poetry instead of journaling to help me heal. I am healing. Here is one of my poems.

“My face is a roadmap.

My face is a roadmap of paralyzed fear
It lost the contour of shine
Where sadness appears.

My face is a roadmap
To my story afraid to unfold
My face is a roadmap
Of all the tears buried beneath the road.

My face is a roadmap
Where once there was light
Molesting father,
narcissistic mother and brother
Darkened it
to ashen abysmal night.

For years my hidden molestation is what I thought shredded my soul
that didn’t compare to the narcissistic abuse my mother and my religion bestowed.
Trampling my heart, lungs, and vocal cords.

My face is a roadmap
Of religious demise
Respect honor your parents at all cost
Are the lies.
I didn’t fight back,
l didn’t utter a word.
I didn’t even know what was a healthy loving world.

My face is a roadmap
Aging lines of frequent attacks
From a shell of a mother
Reminding me
You’re selfish
Self centered
Regardless of the mountain of love showered to
Her impenetrable heart sac.

My face is a roadmap
Wiped out by the tidal wave of trauma
Voice smothered to the depths of all that
Surreal drama.
Good days I’m grateful to be alive,
Rough days I struggle to stay to survive.

My face is a roadmap
69 years
Stained with tears.
It took years layered with abusive narcissistic tasks
To turn my roadmap
Into a pretend happy face mask.

My face is a roadmap
It conceals
Reveals
A generation of trust built on sand
A broken trust in me
Constantly needs
A helping hand

Today, I author this piece to drive out my fears
I want to claim happiness
What’s left of my years.

My face is a roadmap
Also shows joy
It came with a price
I’d pay again and again
To have my precious girl and boy.
There is a truth to a portion of my heart undefeated
That truth my two children saved
With love over their years
They repeated.

My face is a roadmap
Blake stares
To a far away place
Where all children are gently loved
Always kept safe. “
Kimi swanson Minor

[mziwamadodagoba]

Favourite point is: you think you’re reacting to the present moment but you’re actually reacting to the past.

[themajor]

1 separation from self
2 Disconnection from others
3 Altered worldview- to hostile as opposed to good
4 lifelong pain- pain that stays with you and results in constant escapism
5 cognitive development - trauma inhibits brain development
6 personal shame
7 difficulty being present

[JohnGeorge-pwxo]

I was severely traumatized years ago as a teenage. Got diagnosed with cptsd. Spent my whole life fighting cptsd. I suffered severe depression and mental disorder. Not until my wife recommended me to psilocybin mushrooms treatment. Psilocybin treatment saved my life honestly. 8 years totally clean. Never thought I would be saying this about mushrooms.

[VanessaAbq]

I KNOW all of these to be true. 😔 I watched someone I deeply loved struggle with addiction as an attempt to cope with all 6 of these deeply engrained effects of his trauma in his life. He ultimately lost the battle 💔 but at least he’s now in peace.

[zinaidanebitno]

May God bless this human being for every "drop" of knowledge he shares with us.

[lindanorris]

THE ENTIRE WORLD SHOULD BE LISTENING TO THIS MAN, THIS DR.

[kathystuckless]

You nailed it my friend
I'm almost 51 and I can't seem to climb out of this deep hole I fell in

[aspasiaholley]

May we all live in a world that is trauma informed🙏🏽Thank you for sharing this.

[katekennelly]

Wow. This is the most eloquent and powerful description of trauma I have never encountered. Everyone should watch this to understand what trauma is and how it affects everything: your view of world, your ability to connect to it, your sense of time, and above all, your sense of self

[mathew]

You've listed 7 profound effects of trauma, which can be interconnected and long-lasting. Here's a brief expansion on each point:

1. Separation from self: Trauma can lead to dissociation, causing a disconnection from one's own thoughts, emotions, and bodily sensations.

2. Disconnection from others: Trauma can make it challenging to form and maintain healthy relationships, leading to feelings of isolation and loneliness.

3. Altered worldview: Trauma can shift one's perspective from a positive, trusting outlook to a more negative, hostile, or pessimistic view of the world.

4. Lifelong pain: Traumatic experiences can lead to chronic pain, both physical and emotional, which can be debilitating and lead to coping mechanisms like cognitive escapism.

5. Cognitive development: Trauma can impact brain development, particularly in regions related to emotional regulation, memory, and executive function.

6. Personal shame: Trauma can foster deep-seated shame, self-blame, and self-doubt, making it difficult to maintain a positive self-image.

7. Difficulty being present: Trauma can lead to difficulties with mindfulness and being present in the moment, as the mind may be preoccupied with memories, worries, or fears.

These effects can be overwhelming, but it's essential to remember that healing is possible with the right support, resources, and therapies, such as trauma-informed care, counseling, and mindfulness practices.

[pralines]

How true. I always thought I was weirder than everyone else... But no, I've just been traumatized. Almost all the points sit on me + other issues. Finding books and videos about gabor opened my eyes to what has been weighing on me all my life. Now the only thing is...how to get out of it?

[zulfikaregzikutor]

I had anxiety and depression and once i started praying 5 times a day on time i do not remember the last time i had either.

[vamama]

It's true. I felt that disconnect out of body feeling. I started counting tiles in washroom and felt I don't see it, feel it asking myself why am I awake but asleep like in a blurr fog or not present. That was in 3rd grade. Uptill now the same. I am alive but aa if not fully awake ever. I can't hold a job. I have triggers all the time. I need attention but all I get is rejectiin. Yes, I married a narcissist who was beating me and I was running away but never escaping. I don't feel swlf worth. I need many things to fill the gap of my mother hating me never ever asking about me or being kind. I had never felt I was deserving of love happiness or money. Little to mention I tried to fill the role for other people to like me, having 30 odd jobs. Never was I longer on a job over a year.

[donnabatchelor]

I'm 58 and still trying to sort out huge family trauma and so much death and loss over the years. It still bubbles up. Being around people is difficult, but I'm pushing myself to socialize more. Thank you for these impacts. It will help me know what to focus on in the future.

[StressRUs]

I'm a retired psychiatrist and addiction medicine specialist, as well as recovering alcoholic/addict, and a great fan of Gabor, also of Hungarian descent. However, these 7 steps are very flawed and just seat of the pants speculations. Also, he never mentions the most powerful recovery tool, that has healed my own childhood trauma defenses: Group therapy, in my case, 12-step groups. We cannot make this journey alone. Finally, he avoids (?) the spiritual dimension, which is central in my recovery journey. Love and peace for one and all! Just don't try to do it alone.

[GodHelpMe]

All I do is navigate my way through the world...
Doing my best, moment-to-moment,
to endure the least amount of suffering as possible...
And I keep doing that every day, just waiting to die.

There's no joy, no hope, no happiness in my life.
It's just pain and trauma and survival and misery.

It's been like this, all 45 years of my life, so far.

My heart is shattered. My soul is raped.

I cannot endure this hell anymore.

Rage and grief consume every cell of my being.

[Erri-kbet]

I have lifelong pain inside but also my body hurts most of the time. Sometimes I feel I have had enough of this. But listening to Gabor and searching to find what has been going on I slowly begin to feel beter and have hope for the future. I have no need and no wish to see or talk to my parents and brother again. In fact I would prefer that they just dissapear.

[Albisriede]

Without Gabor I would never have realized that it was the trauma my then pregnant mother experienced during Allied bombing raids in the Berlin of WWII. I've long contemplated why sudden loud noises startle and shake me to this day. Her then isolation in another country without close loved ones nearby, may have added to this challenging situation and had its traumatic effect on her babe (me). So how does one remedy such injuries 7+ decades later? It ain't easy, and it may never come to pass.

[Sophia-hjko]

Greatest Mind that heals and helps to navigate own self. Thank you, Dr. Mate! Respect and honour to listen to you.