Like many of us, I am deeply concerned about the way the world seems to be going. Environmental Destruction, Systemic Childhood Abuse, Sexual Assault, Mass Shootings… are all on my mind.
One of my greatest influencers is Dr. Gabor Mate.
His contention that childhood wounds are at the root of addictions and abusive behaviours mirrors my own.
I believe that not much will really change until enough of us heal from our childhood wounds. For it is the messages we received as children that keep us stuck in limiting beliefs, self abusive and environmentally destructive behaviors.
The world needs us to do our own work to heal, now.
When I heard this interview with Russell Brand and Dr. Gabor Mate, it gave me hope that there are a growing number of others who also understand the roots of our afflictions. Dr. Mate proposes the possibility of moving beyond our childhoods and becoming more effective in creating positive change in our lives and our world.
Dr. Mate’s addressing of the emotional traumas experienced by many of our world’s political leaders, and how it has led to many of their short-sighted decisions, is very pertinent to resolving the environmental and social situations we face.
For several years I have been looking at my EFT Tapping/Matrix Reimprinting/Conflict Resolution Coaching Practise as both personal AND political.
If we are willing to address and release the grief, frustrations, disappointments, shame, fear and anger that lives on inside us, then we become more able to take creative actions, to have our messages be more easily understood and heard by others. This is a big part of why I do what I do to help people suffering from traumatic childhoods.
When, for example, we continue to come from a place of anger or anxiety, it is very hard for others to hear us. Typically, they become defensive or fearful and so our concerns fall on deaf ears.
A study at Yale University showed that the more fear 4 year old’s felt, the more conservative their political attitudes were 20 years later! Another study found that the Amygdala, the fear centre of the brain is larger in conservatives than liberals and that when people were feeling physically threatened their political and social attitudes become more conservative. It is my contention that conservative politicians are very aware of how motivating fear can be, and if you will pardon my pun, use it liberally during election campaigns. Interestingly, when we help people to feel safe, their values become more liberal and inclusive.
I invite you to consider what the world could look like, if more of us released and reframed the individual emotional roots of our systemic dysfunction and emotional stress, woke up to the world’s realities, and found new ways to take effective affirmative actions?
When we take steps to really heal our childhood wounds, to resolve the fears learned at our mothers’ knees, we not only change our own lives for the better, the changes we make create a ripple effect out – to our families, communities, countries and ultimately to our world.
If you are ready to do more of your own work to change the circumstances of your own life, while contributing towards making a better world for all of us, please contact me now to schedule an appointment.
Thanks, Alice
- If you would like to listen to the interview in its entirety here is that link; https://www.russellbrand.com/podcast/053-dr-gabor-mate-damaged-leaders-rule-addicted-world/
- For more from Dr. Mate: this time from the Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/nov/24/joanna-moorhead-gabriel-mate-trauma-addiction-treat
- An account of the Yales studies on fear and conservativism. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/inspired-life/wp/2017/11/22/at-yale-we-conducted-an-experiment-to-turn-conservatives-into-liberals-the-results-say-a-lot-about-our-political-divisions/?tid=ss_fb&utm_term=.d7e5ed79ba78
