Why Do We Celebrate Trauma (aka: resilience)? with Dr. Gabor Maté

Did anyone teach you that understanding your grief is the key to being (or becoming) a healthy human being? Probably not.

In this expansive episode, Megan speaks with world-renowned author and physician Gabor Maté about the role of trauma and grief in our personal lives and in society at large. Dr. Gabor Maté on grief, this week on It’s OK that You’re Not OK.

In this episode we cover:

• What is “personal agency” and why does losing personal agency create disease?
• Why calling grief a disorder has social, relational and political ramifications
• How do elephants grieve? Is it really so different from humans?
• Women as the emotional shock absorbers for the rest of the world
• Dr. Gabor Maté’s conversation with Prince Harry (!)

We're re-releasing some of our favorite episodes from the first 3 seasons. This episode was originally recorded in 2023.

Looking for a creative exploration of grief? Check out the best selling Writing Your Grief course here.

Follow our show on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok @refugeingrief and @itsokpod on TikTok. Visit refugeingrief.com for resources & courses

About our guest:

Dr. Gabor Maté is a renowned speaker and author, with expertise in trauma, stress, addiction, and child development. He’s the NYT best-selling author of The Myth of Normal, Scattered Minds, the award-winning In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts, and many other books.

Find him at drgabormate.com

About Megan:

Psychotherapist Megan Devine is one of today’s leading experts on grief, from life-altering losses to the everyday grief that we don’t call grief. Get the best-selling book on grief in over a decade, It’s Ok that You’re Not OK, wherever you get books. Find Megan @refugeingrief

Additional resources:

Watch the documentary The Wisdom of Trauma exploring Gabor Maté’s work to understand the connection between illness, addiction, trauma, and society.

Read Hold on to Your Kids by Gordon Neufeld & Gabor Maté

Want to talk with Megan directly? Join our patreon community for live monthly Q&A grief clinics: your questions, answered. Want to speak to her privately? Apply for a 1:1 grief consultation here.

Check out Megan’s best-selling books - It’s OK That You're Not OK and How to Carry What Can’t Be Fixed

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