The Power of Addiction and The Addiction of Power: Gabor Maté at TEDxRio+20

Addictions

Canadian medical professional Gabor Maté is an expert in incurable diseases, chemical dependents, as well as HIV favorable patients. Dr. Maté is a renowned writer of books as well as reporter understood for his knowledge about attention deficiency condition, tension, chronic illness and adult relationships. His theme at TEDxRio +20 was dependency– from drugs to power. From the absence of love to the wish to run away oneself, from susceptibility of the being to indoor power– absolutely nothing escapes. As well as he takes the chance of a generic and charitable prescription: "Discover your nature and be nice to on your own."

In the spirit of suggestions worth spreading out, TEDx is a program of neighborhood, self-organized occasions that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and also live audio speakers integrate to trigger deep conversation and also link in a little group. These regional, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = separately arranged TED event. The TED Seminar provides general support for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized. * (* Based on certain rules as well as policies).

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67 thoughts on “The Power of Addiction and The Addiction of Power: Gabor Maté at TEDxRio+20”

This is one of the most powerful speeches I’ve ever listened to. Without any tricks, any flair or any glamorization.
Just a small man speaking in the simple manner about the great truth from the great heart.
Thank you so much for posting it.

“Find a lamp inside yourself, be a lamp unto yourselves, find a light within.” It made me cry.

I’m over 40 months clean from drugs and alcohol and this man hits the nail directly on the head. I highly recommend reading his books.

This man is a Lighthouse. He doesn’t just shine for himself but for others also

“Nothing records the effects of a sad life as graphically as the human body.”
-A Legend

This has got to be the best speech on addiction on the entire fricken internet. Wow. Awesome. So glad that this kind of insight is being spread around and seen by many many people! What a great dude.

7 and a half years later, and this is still one of the most powerful talks I have heard.

Watched hundreds of TED and never seen people applauding just in the middle of the speech and a final standing ovation… 100% deserved, Great speech!

This was an incredible TEDx Talk. As a newly licensed mental health therapist with a certification in addictions counseling, this video was an excellent teaching tool. More of this information should be taught in our classrooms, especially on the graduate level.

Beautiful and powerful speech. One I could relate to as am addict myself. (I’m 5 months sober). He describes the pain addicts are in absolutely perfectly and describes just how badly they’re treated by society. Going to support groups, I can say people in recovery are some of the best people you will ever meet. When you show kindness and compassion to someone they can achieve so much ❤️

Dr. Gabor Mate’ was my older brother’s DR. in the Down Town East side of Vancouver BC. He made my hardened damaged brother feel cared about for the first time in his miserable life. This is one of the best DRS. in Canada. On behalf of my older brother Graham Thank you for your compassion.

His soft approach is pure and ego free .
Outstanding speech and message 👏
Thank you 😊

I still cant get over how amazingly humble Dr Gabor Maté is he is so knowledgeable and does tremendous work. Angel in the flesh 🙏🏽💞

I just found this on YouTube purely by accident. It’s explained so much about the way my life has evolved. I’m 72 with many physical problems. Most have been there all my life. Spent far too long in hospital as a child without emotional support. Life has been a mess emotionally. Made lots of mistakes. Understand better how that has made me what I am. Definitely an addict to a number of things. Despite life in general I hope I have a year or two to make a change .

Yes he has definitely called it. I used to wonder what my life would have been like had things that happened to me as a young child hadn’t happened..I wish I had been there for my boys but I was getting high constantly & running, I quit wondering what my life what have been like & forgave .It would be nice I to knpw that know I was forgiven. I let my addiction and shame rob me of so much & I am 50 this year,,still running I guess we can forgive, but never forget.

Without finding this man I would not be on day 4 of sobriety. I will never look at people’s addiction the same. EVER.

The single most highly intelligent, compassionate addiction specialist I’ve ever come across

@Nichole Swan Taking a short break from my homework- I’m 42 lol. Only half way through this talk. Making a cup of tea. I’m off drugs a few years now and there isnt much that makes me tear up…. I scrolled down through the comments.YOUR message right here😭
Thank You Nichole❤
Hope you are well

I watched the rest😭😭😭
He is amazing🤗

Very sweet said

This made me cry. Absolutely spot on. Today I celebrate 4 years sober. Very grateful for this amazing talk. Thank you 😁🙏

@guylaine chevrier 💖

So glad he included all addictions. People who look down on a drug addict need to look at what they are using to escape pain.

Thanks that was very nice of u

There is this amazing book called: ‘the body keeps the score’ by dr. Bessel van der Kolk. It shows how our brain is affected by trauma and it explains how many chronic diseases are related to child abuse.

@carmenl163 yes, that’s a very good book

I don’t.

I’ve just started reading that book. Awesome and ground breaking

Yes if u can see the space within beyond thought, personality conditioned self u are on your way

God Bless You ❤️Have Relapsed since My Dads Transitioned, I’m struggling.May Lord Jesus bless every single one of you especially those struggling today 🙏

I second that. Well said.

Very well stated. Thank you.💕

How are you doing now?

You can do it!

“People in power are very often some of the emptiest people in the world, so don’t look to them for change”
Well put! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

Sounds like a very dispeccable quote to me. Pityful. Death is the natural process of life. And life is very mystical it self. Maybe it resonates for those who act as if they will live for ever. But a warrior will tell you that our time is very limited here and we must use it to reach the totality of our selfs. No time for foolish acts or thoughts. No dispeccable acts. Our time is very limited to witness the nagual.

@Rebecca Miner Dear Rebecca, I sincerely hope you have peace as well as the wisdom to know you have the power within to change your life. God Bless you!

@Me How are you doing with your sobriety? I am rooting for you!

We need more Gabor Maté on Mother Earth! Compassionate unconditional love humility knowledge wisdom clarity down to earth = Dr Gabor. Thank you for your love and light. Doctors healers and all kinds of practitioners should watch this! ❤️🙏❤️

Thank you for acknowledging the root cause of the problems we face as Indigenous people fighting to retain our culture. It really means a lot hearing an expert such as Gabor Maté validate our reality. Tēnā rawa atu koe.

Congratulations!!

Had your natural dopamine receptors came back after 5 months in ?? Please respond when you see this.

Good luck for your future. You have taken such an important first step.

U are amazing and u are great dont forget that. No matter how Old are u, amazing thing will happen to u. Im really sorry for all the pain that u endured, but don’t forget u are a piece of art created by God and I’m convinced that u will do good and u are an amazing human being! God bless u

Keep going! It has been ten months– I hope you are keeping on? (You posted on day 4– maybe you did not stick, but try again if you fell.)

Such encouragement!

@Rebecca Miner Two years later, how is it going?

Books. 👍

@TMT Reading is RAD!!

Exactly! Other people sometimes.

This is so. Good.

Happy for you! ❤

@Tita Rivera great question, and I wish Dr. Mate could speak to it! Having read his book, he elaborates on this quite a bit. It’s not only overt abuse that can contribute to the incomplete development of the dopamine system, but really a wide spectrum of poor emotional attunement. It’s not a matter of the parent being “good” or “bad” but whether they are able to adequately mirror and meet and hold their child’s emotional state. For example, his parents were very loving but they were also dealing with their own trauma and fear and weren’t able to fully care for him in the way that he needed.

@Tita Rivera I’m certain that there are exceptions to the patterns that he has detected in his work; science is full of exceptions. But the evidence he presents in “In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts” for the link between inadequate attachment and subsequent addiction is really, really compelling and I’d recommend reading it!

@ameeya617 You could also say that about someone who suffers from cancer; the stress they put on their loved ones, the extra cost they incur on the ppl around them, the lost hours of productivity and burden on society. If you think about drug addiction as a medical problem it sits aside them quite well.