Dr. Gabor Maté presents The Hungry Ghost:A Biopsychosocial Perspective on Addiction from Heroin to Workaholism
Event date: 10/17/2019
Event type: Single day (a day or less)
Workshop Description
This workshop, based on the best-selling book In The Realm of Hungry Ghosts, draws on cutting-edge science to illuminate where and how addictions originate and what they have in common, whether the addiction is to drugs, alcohol, nicotine, or behavioural addictions such as shopping or sex. Dr. Maté weaves together scientific research, case histories, and his own insights and experience to explain the roots of addiction and to encourage us to develop a compassionate approach towards the addicted individual; one that stands the best chance of restoring him or her to wholeness and health.
Topics Covered Include:
- What is the source of addictions?
- What happens chemically and physiologically in the brains of people with substance dependency or behaviour addiction?
- The false “blessings” of addiction as experienced by the addicted person (e.g., as emotional anaesthetic, as personality booster, as social lubricant, and so on);
- The development of the addicted mind: how early childhood experiences shape the brain;
- The social basis of addiction in economic, cultural and political dislocation and disempowerment;
- How much choice does the addicted individual really have, and how much responsibility?
- Developing a therapeutic relationship in which healing is possible;
- How to encourage the addicted individual to take responsibility;
- The prevention of addiction, both in adolescence and before.
Presenter
A renowned speaker, and bestselling author, Dr. Gabor Maté is highly sought after for his expertise on a range of topics, from addiction to mind-body wellness. Rather than offering quick-fix solutions to these complex issues, Dr. Maté weaves together scientific research, case histories, and his own insights and experience to present a broad perspective that enlightens and empowers people to promote their own healing and that of those around them.
For twelve years Dr. Maté worked in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside with patients challenged by hard-core drug addiction, mental illness and HIV, including at Vancouver’s Supervised Injection Site. With over 20 years of family practice and palliative care experience and extensive knowledge of the latest findings of leading-edge research, Dr. Maté is a sought-after speaker and teacher, regularly addressing health professionals, educators, and lay audiences throughout North America and internationally.
As an author, Dr. Maté has written several bestselling books including the award-winning In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction. His works have been published internationally in twenty languages.
Dr. Maté is the co-founder of Compassion for Addiction, a new non-profit that focuses on addiction. He is also an advisor of Drugs over Dinner.
Dr. Maté has received the Hubert Evans Prize for Literary Non-Fiction; an Honorary Degree (Law) from the University of Northern British Columbia; an Outstanding Alumnus Award from Simon Fraser University; and the 2012 Martin Luther King Humanitarian Award from Mothers Against Teen Violence. He is an adjunct professor in the Faculty of Criminology, Simon Fraser University.