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The Tim Ferriss Show

#620: Dr. Gabor Maté — The Myth of Normal, Metabolizing Anger, Processing Trauma, and Finding the Still Voice Within

The Tim Ferriss Show

Tim Ferriss: Bestselling Author, Human Guinea Pig

Lifestyle Design, Business, The 4-hour Workweek, Productivity, Timothy Ferriss Show, Startups, Tim Ferris, Entrepreneurship, Longform Interviews, Tools Of Titans, Timothy Ferriss, The Tim Ferriss Show, Tim Ferriss

4.617.4K Ratings

🗓️ 7 September 2022

⏱️ 97 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Dr. Gabor Maté — The Myth of Normal, Metabolizing Anger, Processing Trauma, and Finding the Still Voice Within | Brought to you by Tommy John premium underwear, Athletic Greens all-in-one nutritional supplement, and ButcherBox premium meats delivered to your door.

Dr. Gabor Maté (@DrGaborMate) is a renowned speaker and bestselling author, highly sought after for his expertise on a range of topics that includes addiction, stress, and childhood development. Dr. Maté has written several bestselling books, including the award-winning In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction, When the Body Says No: Understanding the Stress-Disease Connection, and Scattered: How Attention Deficit Disorder Originates and What You Can Do About It. He has also coauthored Hold On to Your Kids: Why Parents Need to Matter More Than Peers. His works have been published internationally in nearly thirty languages.

His new book is The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness, and Healing in a Toxic Culture.

Please enjoy!

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This episode is brought to you by Tommy John premium underwear! For men, Tommy John offers six different styles so you can find the one that suits you best. Their line of men’s briefs and boxers is one of my top choices for all-day comfort. I tested their Second Skin Mid-Length Boxer Brief and the Cool Cotton Trunk.

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This episode is also brought to you by Athletic Greens. I get asked all the time, “If you could use only one supplement, what would it be?” My answer is usually AG1 by Athletic Greens, my all-in-one nutritional insurance. I recommended it in The 4-Hour Body in 2010 and did not get paid to do so. I do my best with nutrient-dense meals, of course, but AG further covers my bases with vitamins, minerals, and whole-food-sourced micronutrients that support gut health and the immune system. 

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This episode is also brought to you by ButcherBoxButcherBox makes it easy for you to get high-quality, humanely raised meat that you can trust. They deliver delicious, 100% grass-fed, grass-finished beef; free-range organic chicken; heritage-breed pork; and wild-caught seafood directly to your door.

And now, ButcherBox is offering you, my dear listeners, a fantastic deal—free chicken for a year! Get 2 lbs. of free-range, organic chicken breasts for free in every order when you sign up at butcherbox.com/TIM by September 25th. Plus, get an extra $10 off your first box with promo code TIM10 at checkout. Claim this deal at butcherbox.com/TIM.

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[05:30] How COVID affected Gabor.

[06:33] Exploring plant medicine with Indigenous First Nations.

[13:29] How Gabor got fired from his own ayahuasca retreat.

[16:35] Can Indigenous medicine ever be understood through a Western lens?

[21:37] How does Gabor clear himself of the trauma he takes from others?

[22:48] Was writing The Myth of Normal more labor intensive than Gabor’s other works?

[25:40] A personal story about how past trauma can show up in everyday life.

[29:01] Coping with rage and anger.

[40:01] Attachment versus authenticity.

[45:12] Where does depression originate?

[48:23] Raising a child to learn self-regulation.

[52:24] What Gabor hopes The Myth of Normal readers don’t miss.

[57:20] Finding the right balance of self-care when caring for a family.

[1:01:18] The harm of focusing on correcting a child’s behavior rather than their underlying emotional dynamics.

[1:05:47] Rehabilitation versus punishment of incarcerated, traumatized adults.

[1:14:55] If he couldn’t write, what would be the focus of Gabor’s clinical practice?

[1:17:50] Finding and listening to one’s inner voice or calling.

[1:25:58] Are you bargaining with your authenticity?

[1:30:41] Parting thoughts.

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Past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show include Jerry SeinfeldHugh JackmanDr. Jane GoodallLeBron JamesKevin HartDoris Kearns GoodwinJamie FoxxMatthew McConaugheyEsther PerelElizabeth GilbertTerry CrewsSiaYuval Noah HarariMalcolm GladwellMadeleine AlbrightCheryl StrayedJim CollinsMary Karr, Maria PopovaSam HarrisMichael PhelpsBob IgerEdward NortonArnold SchwarzeneggerNeil StraussKen BurnsMaria SharapovaMarc AndreessenNeil GaimanNeil de Grasse TysonJocko WillinkDaniel EkKelly SlaterDr. Peter AttiaSeth GodinHoward MarksDr. Brené BrownEric SchmidtMichael LewisJoe GebbiaMichael PollanDr. Jordan PetersonVince VaughnBrian KoppelmanRamit SethiDax ShepardTony RobbinsJim DethmerDan HarrisRay DalioNaval RavikantVitalik ButerinElizabeth LesserAmanda PalmerKatie HaunSir Richard BransonChuck PalahniukArianna HuffingtonReid HoffmanBill BurrWhitney CummingsRick RubinDr. Vivek MurthyDarren AronofskyMargaret AtwoodMark ZuckerbergPeter ThielDr. Gabor MatéAnne LamottSarah SilvermanDr. Andrew Huberman, and many more.

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Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

This episode is brought to you by Butcherbox. Butcherbox makes it easy for you to get high quality,

0:05.1

humanely raised meat that you can trust. They deliver delicious 100% grass-fed, grass-finished beef,

0:11.6

free-range organic chicken, heritage-breed pork, and wild-caught seafood directly to your door.

0:17.4

For me, in the past few weeks, I've got a ton of their salmon, as well as two delicious

0:22.1

barbecue ribs racks in the oven. Super simple. They were the most delicious pork ribs I've ever prepared,

0:27.2

and my freezer is full of Butcherbox. When you become a member, you're joining a community focused on doing what's better for all.

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That means caring about the lives of animals, the livelihoods of farmers, treating our planet with respect,

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and enjoying better meals together. Butcherbox partners with folks, small farmers included, who believe in going above and beyond

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when it comes to caring for animals, the environment, and sustainability. And none of their meat is ever given antibiotics or added hormones.

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So how does it work? It's pretty simple. You choose your box, and your delivery frequency. They offer five boxes, four curated box options,

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as well as the popular custom box. So you get exactly what you end or your family love. Box options and delivery frequencies can be customized to fit your needs.

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You can cancel at any time with no penalty. Butcherbox ships, your order frozen for freshness,

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impacted an eco-friendly 100% recyclable box. It's easy. It's fast. It's convenient. I really, really enjoy it. And best of all,

1:22.8

looking at the average cost, it works out to be less than $6 per meal.

1:27.0

And now Butcherbox is offering you, my dear listeners, a fantastic deal. Free chicken for a year. Get two pounds of free range, organic chicken breasts for free,

1:36.3

in every order when you sign up at Butcherbox.com slash Tim. Plus get an extra $10 off of your first box with promo code Tim10TIM10. At checkout. That's Tim10.

1:51.0

Claim this deal at Butcherbox.com slash Tim or see the link in this episode's description. This episode is brought to you by Athletic Greens. I get asked all the time what I would take if I could only take one supplement. I've been asked this for years.

2:09.6

The answer is invariably AG1 by Athletic Greens. I view it as all-in-one nutritional insurance. So you can cover your bases. If you're traveling, if you're just busy,

2:19.8

if you're not sure if your meals where they should be, it covers your bases. I've recommended it since the four-hour body, which was got

2:27.9

Eons ago 2010 and I did not get paid to do so. With approximately 75 vitamins, minerals and whole food sourcing ingredients, you'll be hard pressed to find a more nutrient dense formula on the market.

2:39.2

It has a multi-vitamin, multi-mineral greens complex, probiotics and prebiotics for gut health and immunity formula, digestive enzymes and adaptogens.

2:48.6

You get the idea. It is very, very comprehensive and I do my best, of course, to focus on nutrient dense, proper meals, but sometimes you're busy. Sometimes you're traveling. Sometimes you just want to make sure that you are getting what you need.

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