logo
episode-header-image
May 2024
2h 11m

#738: Dr. Gabor Maté and Dr. BJ Miller

Tim Ferriss: Bestselling Author, Human Guinea Pig
About this episode

This episode is a two-for-one, and that’s because the podcast recently hit its 10-year anniversary and passed one billion downloads. To celebrate, I’ve curated some of the best of the best—some of my favorites—from more than 700 episodes over the last decade. I could not be more excited. The episode features segments from episode #298 "Dr. Gabor Maté — New Paradigms, Ayahuasca, and Redefining Addiction" and episode #153 "The Man Who Studied 1,000 Deaths to Learn How to Live."

Please enjoy!

Sponsors:

Vuori Clothing high-quality performance apparel: https://vuoriclothing.com/tim (20% off your first purchase)

Shopify global commerce platform, providing tools to start, grow, market, and manage a retail business: https://shopify.com/tim (one-dollar-per-month trial period)

LinkedIn Ads marketing platform with 1B+ users: https://linkedin.com/TFS (free $100 LinkedIn ad credit for your first campaign)

Timestamps:

[05:37] Notes about this supercombo format.

[06:57] Enter Gabor Maté.

[07:22] Compassionate inquiry and trauma vs. traumatic.

[11:06] Self-reconnection resources.

[14:40] How Gabor benefits from yoga.

[16:27] Gabor’s thoughts on the therapeutic value of psychedelics.

[18:14] What’s been revealed by Gabor’s experiences with ayahuasca?

[25:32] Essential intention.

[26:30] We don’t respond to what happens, but to our perception of what happens.

[32:48] Enter BJ Miller.

[33:07] What does BJ do?

[35:32] What does the first meeting look like for a new patient at the Zen Hospice Project?

[37:18] Defining palliative care.

[40:54] What happens when a patient dies in Zen Hospice compared to a regular hospital?

[45:03] How many deaths has BJ experienced?

[45:42] What has observing hundreds of deaths taught BJ about living?

[50:39] On keeping a mindfulness or meditation practice.

[55:05] About the Dinky (a terrifying story of electrocution).

[1:04:29] The miracle of a snowball in the burn ward.

[1:07:48] BJ’s experience as an undergraduate student at Princeton.

[1:08:46] On the idea of art.

[1:14:46] How BJ would support someone who suffered injuries similar to his own.

[1:16:57] What helps people most in hospice care?

[1:21:22] Why cookies matter.

[1:23:12] Thoughts on the use of psychoactive compounds in end-of-life care and treating existential suffering.

[1:33:46] BJ’s secret habit that might surprise most people.

[1:38:32] Suggested material for an introverted hospice patient.

[1:45:04] What comes to mind when BJ hears the word “successful?”

[1:48:13] Daily practices for seeing good in people.

[1:51:00] How to ride a motorcycle when missing three limbs.

[1:55:01] What purchase of $100 or less has most positively affected BJ’s life?

[1:56:53] BJ’s billboard.

[1:58:24] BJ’s advice to his 30-year-old-self.

[1:59:58] What has BJ changed his mind about in the last few years?

[2:01:26] BJ’s requests/asks/suggestions of the audience.

*

For show notes and past guests on The Tim Ferriss Show, please visit tim.blog/podcast.

For deals from sponsors of The Tim Ferriss Showplease visit tim.blog/podcast-sponsors

Sign up for Tim’s email newsletter (5-Bullet Friday) at tim.blog/friday.

For transcripts of episodes, go to tim.blog/transcripts.

Discover Tim’s books: tim.blog/books.

Follow Tim:

Twittertwitter.com/tferriss 

Instagraminstagram.com/timferriss

YouTubeyoutube.com/timferriss

Facebookfacebook.com/timferriss 

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/timferriss

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.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Up next
Today
#830: Nick Kokonas and Richard Thaler, Nobel Prize Laureate — Realistic Economics, Avoiding The Winner’s Curse, Using Temptation Bundling, and Going Against the Establishment
Richard H. Thaler is the 2017 recipient of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences for his contributions to behavioral economics and the Charles R. Walgreen Distinguished Service Professor of Behavioral Science and Economics at the University of Chicago Booth School of Busi ... Show More
1h 57m
Sep 30
#829: James Nestor — Breathing Protocols to Reboot Your Health, Fix Your Sleep, and Boost Performance
James Nestor is a science journalist and the author of the international bestseller Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art, with more than three million copies sold in 44 languages.This episode is brought to you by:Helix Sleep premium mattresses: https://HelixSleep.com/Tim (27% of ... Show More
1h 50m
Sep 24
#828: David Senra — How Extreme Winners Think and Win: Lessons from 400+ of History’s Greatest Founders and Investors (Including Buffett, Munger, Rockefeller, Jobs, Ovitz, Zell, and Names You Don’t Know But Should)
David Senra is the host of the Founders podcast. For the past nine years, David has intensely studied the life and work of hundreds of history’s greatest entrepreneurs. His new podcast, David Senra, showcases conversations with the best-of-the-best living founders and extreme win ... Show More
2h 55m
Recommended Episodes
Mar 2025
How to Build New Habits and KEEP Them! BJ Fogg & James Clear : 1256
For years, we’ve been told that willpower and repetition are the keys to forming habits. But the truth is, habits don’t stick because of repetition—they stick because of emotion! In this all-time classic episode, Dave brings together two of the world’s top habit experts—BJ Fogg, ... Show More
27m 39s
Jun 2024
272. Eric Chaffin — Doing Good by Doing Right [Encore Edition]
The real game changers aren’t just the ones who talk a good game — they’re the ones who take decisive action and make a tangible impact in their communities and with their clients. If your team isn’t genuinely committed to doing the right thing every single time… you’re on a fast ... Show More
36m 7s
Jul 4
Stress, Brain Health, Trauma, and Healing with Dr. Sweta Adatia | The Masoom Minawala Show
Stress has become the soundtrack of our times—recent surveys show that roughly one in every three Indians wrestles with serious stress on a typical day, and Gen Z & millennials feel the squeeze even more intensely. Enter Dr Sweta Adatia, the neurologist who goes beyond treating b ... Show More
54m 26s
Oct 2024
Modern Medicine and its Blind Spots — with Dr. Marty Makary
Dr. Marty Makary, a renowned surgeon and professor at Johns Hopkins, public health expert, and a two-time New York Times bestselling author, joins Scott to discuss his latest book, Blind Spots: When Medicine Gets It Wrong, and What It Means for Our Health. They go over topics inc ... Show More
55m 8s
Sep 29
Andrew Huberman: The #1 Reason Why Faith-Based Practices Matter When It Comes To Your Mental Health
The world's most respected neuroscientist just admitted something LIVE at Summit of Greatness that shocked everyone: prayer saved his mental health. After decades of relying purely on science, Andrew Huberman discovered that faith-based practices don't just feel good—they literal ... Show More
58m 11s
Sep 18
#93 Former Monk: Master Your Focus In 3 Simple Steps | Dandapani
🚀 Main Street Over Wall Street is where the real deals get done. Join top investors, founders, and operators for three days of powerful connection, sharp strategy, and big opportunities — live in Austin, Nov 2–4. https://contrarianthinking.biz/msows-bigdeal I sat down with Danda ... Show More
1h 12m
Mar 2025
Steve-O's Encounter With Demons: A Paranormal Podcast | EP. 105
BUY YOUR TICKETS TO THE "MAN ON WATER" TOUR NOW! https://www.thegeorgejankoshow.com/ Steve-O’s NSFW multimedia comedy specials stream for free, with no ads, at http://steveo.com Sponsored By: Find CELSIUS near you: https://www.celsius.com/buy-locate/ celsiusbrandpartner celsiusli ... Show More
2h 3m
Sep 11
200. 200th Episode of the #1 Health Podcast in the World! - Dana White, Joe Rogan, RFK Jr. & More!
200 episodes ago, I had a simple dream: put life-changing information on a platform for free, and watch humanity transform. Today, that vision has created the world’s leading health and wellness podcast, featuring conversations with RFK Jr. outlining his $1.9 trillion plan to end ... Show More
24m 40s
Sep 2024
How to turn your habits into something more meaningful (w/ Master Fixer Mike Norton)
Do you brush your teeth before or after you take a shower? It’s a question author and Harvard Business School professor Mike Norton has asked countless people in his research to find out how intentional, repetitive actions – also known as rituals – create outsized meaning and pur ... Show More
30m 13s