“Dr. Gabor Maté, a renowned addictions and mental health physician, has discussed the catastrophic effects of trauma on all the patients he worked with over several decades. He says that trauma causes a disconnection from the self which makes mental illness and addiction more likely to occur as a result.”
It’s wonderful to see you mention Gabor Maté in the context of this article. Perhaps more than anybody else, he has championed the theory that addictions are attempts to confront, to deal with, and to try to overcome the suffering associated with emotional, physical, and/or sexual trauma (especially from childhood). I’ve listened to him speak for many hours at this point, both about his own history of trauma and about addictions more generally.
I highly recommend the following two podcast episodes for anybody who’s interested in learning more about Gabor Maté’s theory of addiction (both substance- and non-substance-based):
