Trauma, Illness & Healing in a Toxic Culture and Compassionate Inquiry

Dr. Maté will be presenting a keynote and workshop as part of a lifestyle medicine conference for healthcare professionals on the topic of his latest book the Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness & Healing in a Toxic Culture. This will be at County Hall, London, UK on March 9, 2024 from 9:00am – 3:30pm.

Based on The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness and Healing in a Toxic Culture

Half of North American adults suffer from chronic illness – a fact Western medicine views largely in terms of individual predispositions and habits.

Western medicine imposes two separations, neither tenable scientifically. First, it separates mind from the body, largely assuming that most chronic illnesses have nothing to do with people’s emotional and psychological experiences. And yet, a large and irrefutable body of research has clearly shown that physiologic and behavioural functioning of human beings can be understood only if we integrate our body functions with those of the mind: functions such as awareness, emotions, our interpretations of and responses to events, and our relationships with other people. Second, Western practice views people’s health as separate from the social environment, ignoring social determinants of health such as class, gender, economic status, and race. Such factors, in reality, are more important influences on health and longevity than individual predispositions and personal factors such as genes, cholesterol levels, blood pressure and so on.

This talk shows how a society dedicated to material pursuits rather than genuine human needs and spiritual values stresses its members, undermines healthy child development and dooms many to chronic illness, from diabetes to heart disease, from autoimmune conditions to cancer.

Compassionate Inquiry™ is a psychotherapeutic method developed by Dr. Gabor Maté that
reveals what lies beneath the appearance we present to the world.

Using Compassionate Inquiry, the therapist unveils the level of consciousness, mental climate,
hidden assumptions, implicit memories and body states that form the real message that words
both express and conceal.

Through Compassionate Inquiry, the client can recognize the unconscious dynamics that run
their lives and how to liberate themselves from them.

Dr. Maté will demonstrate the process of Compassionate Inquiry with course participants and
instruct therapists in the practice of this powerful technique to help clients access deep healing
and transformation. This will be both an experiential, participatory workshop where participants
will be guided through their own personal process, as well as an introduction to the training to
teach the method of Compassionate Inquiry to health professionals, therapists and social
workers. Please note, Dr. Maté will not teach the Compassionate Inquiry approach, but
will demonstrate it. Participants will not learn the approach but can find out more about
the year-long professional training at www.compassionateinquiry.com.