Gabor Maté, M.D. is my favorite physician on this planet.
His scientific yet compassionate and mindful approach to addictions, ADD, disease and the human condition has contributed much towards individual and species-level healing.
Just as I was wishing that some kind soul would illustrate some of his concepts in cartoon form, the good people at After Skool went ahead and did exactly that in the following video.
Let me say a few words.
There are big A Addictions and little a addictions. Most people have dealt with both in their lives. Most certainly they have had exposure to big A Addictive behavior around them at some point and at some level. Many have struggled with big A Addictions in their own lives.
Almost everyone still has “little a” addictive behavior in their life. Smallish behaviors that are meant to sooth, distract, provide pleasure…Are attempts to heal, fill a void or connect…but have some negative consequences…and are not easy habits to break.
Therefore I think we can put “addictions” on a continuum, and be more conscious about our own selves and opportunities for growth and health, be less judgmental of others, and more helpful in our understanding of others’ opportunities for growth and health.
The neatest part of the video below is the connection Dr. Maté draws between what goes on in our childhoods (for almost all of us) and losing our sense of self.
Regaining a very strong sense of alignment is part of what is so powerful and effective in coaching, and why those little a addictions matter. So this video is for everybody.