I think this guy is our national Doctor and has correctly diagnosed SoA. The good news is that there is a treatment. The bad news is that most of those acting out their trauma won't practice that treatment. At best we whom are not striking out can witness a false sense of calm from laws which restrict those who want to strike out. In that case their anger, or that of their children/allies, will flare up again (probably sooner next time) and might dominate. The bad news is that this first major flare up hasn't yet subsided and could still dominate. A Theocracy, here, would likely look a lot like The Taliban's Afghanistan or Iran's so-called "Moral Police" state. Theocracies don't tend to last but Iran's has been in place for 43 years. The good news is that Earth is likely to wipe out humans as we suffer their angry hurt. I'm on Earth's side.
Thanks for posting this. Great interview! I look forward to reading The Myth of Normal.
I look forward to seeing your thoughts about it. Peace.
Dr. Mate's definition: Addiction is a complex psychological, emotional, physiological, neurobiological, social and spiritual process. It manifests through any behavior in which a person finds temporary relief or pleasure and therefore craves, but in the long term causes them or others negative consequences, and yet the person refuses or is unable to give it up.
Main hallmarks: 1. Short term relief or pleasure and therefore craving; 2. Long term suffering for oneself or others; 3. An inability to stop.
He also asserts that "no drug is in itself addictive, not even the most notorious "high-risk" ones like crack or methamphetamine. Most people who try drugs, any drug, even repeatedly, never become addicted."
Every addict is a dopamine fiend, outsourcing the hunt for the homegrown chemical hit that makes the present moment exciting and vibrant...Addiction begins as an attempt to induce feelings that we were biologically programmed to generate innately, and would have --if unhealthy development hadn't got in the way.
*Healing , in a sense, is about unlearning the notion that we need to protest ourselves from our own pain. In this way, compassion is a gateway to another essential quality: courage."
Far as I know, he is no one's "national doctor". I have been following his career and work for decades. He spent 10 years in the lower East side of Vancouver working on the street to help opioid addicts and advocate for their care.
I wrote that "I think this guy is our National Dr" so he's not that of "no one." My opinion has just as much weight as anyone else's and he is for me. I think our national illness is not 45 but the mental illness Dr Mate is talking about. This is more important than COVID as it's causing more deaths and suffering.