This week’s episode features Dr Gabor Maté, a Hungarian-Canadian physician who’s main interests include childhood development and trauma, and their impact on lifelong physical and mental health.

Professor Nutt and Dr Maté talk about the inseparable nature of our body and mind.

How do they affect each other?

How can psychedelics offer therapeutic potential to both mental and physical conditions?

Dr Gabor Maté was born in Hungary and emigrated to Canada as a young child. Following years of clinical practice, now retired, he travels around the world to speak about how life experiences shape our physical and mental health.

In his books including the most recent “In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction” he explores the relationship between “early adversity” i.e. stress, childhood neglect or abuse and susceptibility to addictions, autoimmune diseases, cancer and many others. He is also widely recognised for his perspectives on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Additionally, after being a part of an Ayahuasca retreat program Dr Gabor Maté advocates the therapeutic potential of this and other psychedelic substances in the treatment of a variety of mental and physical conditions.

Gabor Mate’s website

In the Realm of Hungry Ghost

The six realms of Buddhist cosmology

Vancouver harm reduction program

Ayahuasca

Psilocybin

Psilocybin and depression: Psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression: fMRI-measured brain mechanisms by Robin Carhart-Harris et al., 2017

Ayahuasca retreat with Dr. Gabor Maté and Richard Condon

Scleroderma patient article:Ayahuasca Let Me Walk Again

United Nation’s Convention on Psychotropic Substances, 1971

When the Body Says No: The Cost of Hidden Stress

Stress and the risk of multiple sclerosis

Childhood Trauma in Multiple Sclerosis

Psychedelics for psychological and existential distress in palliative and cancer care

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Irvin Yalom || Existential Psychotherapy