In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction
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- Create Date：2021-05-20 11:52:35
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Gabor Maté
- ISBN：1785042203
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Summary
To heal addiction， you have to go back to the start…
Featured on Russell Brand’s podcast Under the Skin
Dr Gabor Maté is one of the world’s most revered thinkers on the psychology of addiction。 His radical findings – based on decades of work with patients challenged by catastrophic drug addiction and mental illness – are reframing how we view all human development。
In this award-winning modern classic， Gabor Maté takes a holistic and compassionate approach to addiction， whether to alcohol， drugs， sex， money or anything self-destructive。 He presents it not as a discrete phenomenon confined to a weak-willed few， but as a continuum that runs through （and even underpins） our society; not as a medical ‘condition’， but rather the result of a complex interplay of personal history， emotional development and brain chemistry。
Distilling cutting-edge research from around the world， In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts avoids glib self-help remedies， instead promoting self-understanding as the first key to healing and wellness。 Blending personal stories and science with positive solutions， and written in spellbinding prose， it is a must-read that will change how you see yourself， others and the world。
10th anniversary edition， updated with new chapter on the Opiod crisis
Featured on Russell Brand’s podcast Under the Skin
Dr Gabor Maté is one of the world’s most revered thinkers on the psychology of addiction。 His radical findings – based on decades of work with patients challenged by catastrophic drug addiction and mental illness – are reframing how we view all human development。
In this award-winning modern classic， Gabor Maté takes a holistic and compassionate approach to addiction， whether to alcohol， drugs， sex， money or anything self-destructive。 He presents it not as a discrete phenomenon confined to a weak-willed few， but as a continuum that runs through （and even underpins） our society; not as a medical ‘condition’， but rather the result of a complex interplay of personal history， emotional development and brain chemistry。
Distilling cutting-edge research from around the world， In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts avoids glib self-help remedies， instead promoting self-understanding as the first key to healing and wellness。 Blending personal stories and science with positive solutions， and written in spellbinding prose， it is a must-read that will change how you see yourself， others and the world。
10th anniversary edition， updated with new chapter on the Opiod crisis
Reviews
Julia Bracewell
，
As someone who works in the Mental Health and Addictions field， I cannot express just how much I appreciate Dr。 Mate and this book。 Addiction is a symptom of trauma， it is not a moral failing and yet we tend to treat it as such。 Consequently， as this book points out， addicted folks have become our society's scapegoats。 Dr。 Mate illustrates how we are an addicted culture， yet we place some addictions lower on our hierarchy of social acceptability。 There we can punish others while justifying our o As someone who works in the Mental Health and Addictions field， I cannot express just how much I appreciate Dr。 Mate and this book。 Addiction is a symptom of trauma， it is not a moral failing and yet we tend to treat it as such。 Consequently， as this book points out， addicted folks have become our society's scapegoats。 Dr。 Mate illustrates how we are an addicted culture， yet we place some addictions lower on our hierarchy of social acceptability。 There we can punish others while justifying our own addictions。 He discusses how the neurochemical foundations for addiction are laid during childhood and offers a picture of hope through mindfulness practices， harm reduction and by discussing what research shows about the awesome potential for change that lies in the neuroplasticity of the human brain。 Most notable of all， he writes about addiction as not just someone with over 30 years experience in the field， but as someone with his own addictions。 I wish everyone could read this book; I think we would all see a little bit of ourselves in the "hungry ghost"。 。。。more
Deirdre
，
I liked this SO MUCH， right up until he got to possible solutions， which present， to me， at best two-thirds of the actual solution to addiction。 That is why it gets minus one star from moi。You can't really fault Maté; it isn't his fault that he does not believe in a powerful God working to heal and dissipate the pain， hate， and evil that riddle the human mind。 I think that spiritually， he takes it about as far as anyone from a secular perspective can take it， and farther than most。 But I just fo I liked this SO MUCH， right up until he got to possible solutions， which present， to me， at best two-thirds of the actual solution to addiction。 That is why it gets minus one star from moi。You can't really fault Maté; it isn't his fault that he does not believe in a powerful God working to heal and dissipate the pain， hate， and evil that riddle the human mind。 I think that spiritually， he takes it about as far as anyone from a secular perspective can take it， and farther than most。 But I just found it such a letdown: after a brilliantly argued， compassionate， wise， and all-encompassing take on the problem of addiction， the best that anyone can manage is 'loving community' and 'cognitive behavioural therapy。' Amiright？ Essentially？ And I think， really？ After I have been persuaded， by 80% of the book， that addiction is an insidious brain-changing trauma-caused death machine， human love and human willpower seem so paltry as a solution。 Matched with Maté's stories and stats about people's death， it leaves me not actually thinking we can get ourselves out of this kind of mess without a lil help。 Or a lot。 Otherwise， I say it again， brilliantly argued， vividly and eloquently described， and with a lot more room for the spiritual aspect of human life given than most secular authors I have read recently。 I will certainly re-read and recommend。 。。。more
Farrell
，
This book is so important for everyone to read， whether you're an addict or not， whether you live with one or not。 As the author points out， the definition of "addiction" is broad and many of us suffer from all kinds of addictions - shopping， food， etc。 This book speaks about why people are way they are， how drugs effect our brain chemistry， how our environment effects our brain chemistry and so much more。 A vital book for understanding ourselves and others。 This book is so important for everyone to read， whether you're an addict or not， whether you live with one or not。 As the author points out， the definition of "addiction" is broad and many of us suffer from all kinds of addictions - shopping， food， etc。 This book speaks about why people are way they are， how drugs effect our brain chemistry， how our environment effects our brain chemistry and so much more。 A vital book for understanding ourselves and others。 。。。more
Stephen Haines
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This is one of those books that I think everyone should read or at least learn something about。 It provides invaluable insight into the nature of the addictive mind/processes via both highly personal stories from “the front lines” of Vancouver， B。C。 as well as informative relay of studies in not only brain development but also interrelated fields of study like psychology and sociology。 Reading this book left no doubt in my mind that criminalization of drug abuse is the precise opposite approach This is one of those books that I think everyone should read or at least learn something about。 It provides invaluable insight into the nature of the addictive mind/processes via both highly personal stories from “the front lines” of Vancouver， B。C。 as well as informative relay of studies in not only brain development but also interrelated fields of study like psychology and sociology。 Reading this book left no doubt in my mind that criminalization of drug abuse is the precise opposite approach needed to combat what is a worldwide humanitarian crisis。 What is so desperately needed is understanding， treatment， support， & patience。 To not take this approach， we not only fail our own people， we cost our society， in numerous ways， greatly。 。。。more
Sandy Baptie
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The personal stories and perspectives of a front line downtown eastsider on the battling grounds of addictions come to light in this self deprecating， honest， and raw memoir。 It shows you that addictions don’t necessarily have to be substances， and serves as a handbook to addictions- in terms of navigating the emotional， social， biological， and logistical facets。
Ono Mergen
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Super intwresting and I admire the way he approaches each patient and individual case。 however， all these case studies make for a dull read。 I get it， you have to。illustrate your point， but this could have been much shorter and on point
Gchap
，
Thank goodness for Doctors like Gabor Mate， you are an amazing human。 This book has transformed my outlook on addictions and has helped me to support those in my life who are currently struggling。 I vote Gabor Mate for Prime Minister of Canada！
Jason A
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Essential ReadingAs someone who has struggled with addiction and who is tentatively finding a way forward with a spiritual practice， this has been life changing reading。 I can’t recommend it highly enough。
Ash Larnder
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Only made it to 50% progress。
Hannah Cowen
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This was a powerful， beautiful， compassionate look at the nature of addiction and trauma and what it takes to heal。 We are a long ways from the world and systems needed to create the vision Mate puts forward; for now we work with broken tools and dream of a better world while doing the hard work， and take hope at the relentless humanity and beautiful resilience that fills even the most broken places。 This book was so important for me in the work I do and I am grateful to it。
Robin Steinberg
，
2 Stars。 This book drags on and on and it is just so depressing。 Hopeless。 I read half the book and skimmed the rest。 It is hard for me to leave a book unfinished but with this one I just had to let go and move on。
Lonnie
，
This book taught me a lot about my own susceptibility for addiction。 I have struggled with alcoholism and overeating to soothe myself。It focuses on drug and alcohol addiction， but also shows how any impulsive behaviour （from shopping to overworking） can become addictive behaviour。The author is candid about his own addiction which although seemingly benign when compared to drug addiction， has the same motivation and impulses behind it。I recommend this book even if you are not struggling with addi This book taught me a lot about my own susceptibility for addiction。 I have struggled with alcoholism and overeating to soothe myself。It focuses on drug and alcohol addiction， but also shows how any impulsive behaviour （from shopping to overworking） can become addictive behaviour。The author is candid about his own addiction which although seemingly benign when compared to drug addiction， has the same motivation and impulses behind it。I recommend this book even if you are not struggling with addiction or supporting someone who is。It is more about what individuals do in order to fill the void in their life and the reasoning and explanation behind addiction。He speaks with compassion about （and sees past the addiction） the addict。He touches on colonisation and how the dispossession， ignorance， violence toward， and belittling of their beliefs have made those communities susceptible to addiction。 This book also speaks to trauma， neglect of children and how it compels them seek out comfort and makes them less likely to be able to self soothe and deal with stressful situations and therefore can look to external things to calm them。It’s a wonderful book that I plan on reading again。 I felt it gave me a greater understanding of my own addictions and difficulties。 。。。more
Justin Souter
，
A fantastic read - profound， challenging， brutal， enlightening， and kind。 Dr Gabor's work and practice are inspiring in their possibilities - and sobering given our continued approach to these issues。 Leavened by Dr Gabor's description of his own struggles， and sympathetic portraits of those he serves， heals， and mourns。 A fantastic read - profound， challenging， brutal， enlightening， and kind。 Dr Gabor's work and practice are inspiring in their possibilities - and sobering given our continued approach to these issues。 Leavened by Dr Gabor's description of his own struggles， and sympathetic portraits of those he serves， heals， and mourns。 。。。more
Brian
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Excellent read。 Dr。 MATE has extensive history working with people who live in Downtown Eastside Vancouver。The lens in which he views， then explains the intersection of trauma and addictions is supported through anecdotal stories of his clients and discussion on current research。 His chapters on harm reduction and review of the literature supporting safe injection sites is important。 If you are in the field， want to deepen your understanding of addictions I highly recommend。
Sarah
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3。5A lot of interesting info。 But he is also pushing an agenda and is unable to separate it from his religious beliefs。 I felt like I had to work hard to sort some gems from the chaff。
Jana
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Found most of it really interesting。 But do not agree with religion being part of the solution to addiction
Dane Riley
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I wish everyone read this book in grade nine or something。So important。
Jill
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One of those "everyone should read" books。 It's not just about the addicted brain， it's about how our society facilitates and even actively encourages addiction。 Very compelling， very readable， very important。 One of those "everyone should read" books。 It's not just about the addicted brain， it's about how our society facilitates and even actively encourages addiction。 Very compelling， very readable， very important。 。。。more
Cyndee
，
I appreciate this comprehensive look at addiction written by a doctor who works with homeless addicts in Vancouver， Canada。 He tells the patients' stories， demonstrating both the frustrating aspects of addiction as well as the goodness and humanity he finds in even the most dire patients。 But he is clear about the unlikelihood of recovery and how difficult it is。 He explains the brain chemistry of addiction， and particularly how the human brain develops in infancy and childhood and how abuse or I appreciate this comprehensive look at addiction written by a doctor who works with homeless addicts in Vancouver， Canada。 He tells the patients' stories， demonstrating both the frustrating aspects of addiction as well as the goodness and humanity he finds in even the most dire patients。 But he is clear about the unlikelihood of recovery and how difficult it is。 He explains the brain chemistry of addiction， and particularly how the human brain develops in infancy and childhood and how abuse or neglect caused patients to be susceptible to addiction later in life。 I think this is certainly a contributing factor in many cases， but to say that ALL cases of addiction are caused by this as he seems to is a bit of a stretch。 We all know of seemingly normal families in which one sibling turned out to be an addict and the other siblings were fine。 However， Maté goes one step further saying that even if there's no outward abuse， parents can fail to be well-attuned to their children's needs， due to their own stress or distraction， or mothers can suffer stress during pregnancy that can cause damage to their infant's brain， so it seems that any case can be explained away this way， and it's difficult for anyone to meet this high standard of complete attunement。 Maté does not blame individual parents， but rather society for failing to provide appropriate support to pregnant women and parents。 His view of prevention of drug addition is simply to provide more supports in infancy and early childhood。 He takes an overly romantic view of humanity's past， saying that this aspect of parents being overly stressed is a modern phenomenon， yet I have a hard time believing that a 1600s farm wife with 10 children was really that attuned to her individual children's needs。 In the past， humans were also consumed with the business of survival。 Modernity has brought new and different challenges， principally lack of community support networks that contributed to human survival in previous epochs。 Buuut from what I know of parenting in earlier centuries， it does not seem as intensive as the expectations of parents today， who only have 1-3 children in most cases。 Maté also takes the view that it is not the drugs themselves that cause addiction， citing the well-known rat-park study， in which happy rats living in a community with many healthy rat activities did not continue taking the drugged water， whereas lonely stressed rats did。 I think there is some truth to this but I also think that there is evidence that powerful drugs hijack brain pleasure systems and even people who weren't too bad off before can end up addicted。 However， I do agree with Maté that prescription opioids， taken as prescribed， are not as dangerous as they've been made to sound。 Maté also doesn't believe in any genetic link in addition; addiction running in families is about family circumstances rather than genes。 I am skeptical。 He dismisses adoption and twin studies， saying that fraternal twins are more likely to be treated differently by their parents， explaining differences， and that adopted babies are affected by their 9 months in their biological mother's womb。 Maté offers ideas on how society can better deal with addiction--obviously decriminalization is an important step， but also offering addicts drugs in controlled environments so they aren't turning to crime to support their habit and may actually be able to contribute to society if they aren't constantly looking for their next fix。 The problem is we like to condemn addicts as the worst of society， going so far as trying to deny them food stamps， because we see them as responsible for their own downfall。 But doing this just harms all of us， because addicts cause the most harm to society when they are desperate。 He makes a compelling case， but I doubt such programs will ever come to fruition when we have so many "blameless" people who are still left to suffer。 Maté also explores spiritual and philosophical methods for overcoming addiction， while acknowledging that most drug addicts simply don't have the necessary brain bandwidth to do this internal work。 But he is of the opinion that many of us suffer from other， less severe behavioral addictions and could benefit from this information， although I feel like an entire book could have been written on this。 While acknowledging its lesser severity， Maté compares his own addiction to spending thousands of dollars on CDs （seriously） and spending too much time working to his patients' struggles。 Sometimes this comparison seems a bit silly， but it has given Maté more empathy for his patients。Overall， this book is really dense with information and insightful。 I'm glad I read it。 。。。more
mahesh
，
Dr。 Mate's approach towards addiction is a fusion between Jiddu Krishnamurthi and Eckart's teachings。 Books do start with painful stories of addicts which lay a path to explore the burning and tragic mind of addicts。 His non-judgmental personality reflected in writings allows understanding of addicts' bitter stories drowned under the hopeless clouds polluted by moralistic and censuring culture。 We often hear from all modern empowered humans， "We all have a choice to make in life"。 Does it apply Dr。 Mate's approach towards addiction is a fusion between Jiddu Krishnamurthi and Eckart's teachings。 Books do start with painful stories of addicts which lay a path to explore the burning and tragic mind of addicts。 His non-judgmental personality reflected in writings allows understanding of addicts' bitter stories drowned under the hopeless clouds polluted by moralistic and censuring culture。 We often hear from all modern empowered humans， "We all have a choice to make in life"。 Does it apply in all contexts？The author has highlighted this fallacy by giving a detailed and supportive explanation about the painstakingly eccentric universe of addicts。 His finding has greatly helped me to understand the perspective of addict's choices in life。 He also highlights the loopholes in the "War on Drugs" declared by the government with vested interests。 He is not entirely disregarding any regulations or advocating the legalization of drugs， But he is suggesting more research and implementation by learning the core of addiction。The first half of the book offers you a great insight into the world of addiction， However， after that， it becomes repetitive and inconsistent。 The second half is too lengthy and boring because it's a never-ending cycle， so it's better to read Jiddu Krishnamurti's book to understand the author's final message。 。。。more
Erin
，
A wonderful， compassionate， challenging book。
Soniuca
，
Genes load the gun， the environment pulls the trigger。The book is a trauma-informed approach on addiction which definitely changed my view on the subject。
Kaitlin
，
This book is great。 It's the work of MD Gabor Maté who treats some of Canada's most vulnerable populations in downtown Vancouver's Eastside。 He draws parallels between his addiction to buying classical music compact discs （seriously） to that of the hardcore drug addicts he treats and it isn't annoying or pompous。 The part of the book that sticks with me the most is when Maté discusses how his work has been reviewed by some as "humanizing drug addicts" and he responds with “No， I don’t humanize t This book is great。 It's the work of MD Gabor Maté who treats some of Canada's most vulnerable populations in downtown Vancouver's Eastside。 He draws parallels between his addiction to buying classical music compact discs （seriously） to that of the hardcore drug addicts he treats and it isn't annoying or pompous。 The part of the book that sticks with me the most is when Maté discusses how his work has been reviewed by some as "humanizing drug addicts" and he responds with “No， I don’t humanize the addict because the addict is a human being。” WHAT。 A。 CLAP。 BACK。 Really disheartening to see the tragic lives people are fated （？） with， the intergenerational trauma， the childhood abuse， the undiagnosed illnesses （particularly ADHD） and the self harm。 Very interesting to see the newfound knowledge of exactly how important prenatal environmental influences are （very） and how exposure to drugs in the prenatal environment can lead to permanent neurological， developmental and behavioral consequences。 。。。more
Linda_pilko
，
A deeply profound book。 I can’t recommend it enough。 Addiction is very much more than substance or alcohol abuse and the underlying causes are many and varied and not always what you believe them to be。 Unbearably painful to read in parts， thought provoking and Gabor Mate’s professionalism， kindness and honesty shines through。
Noah David
，
4。5
Richard Sanders
，
A book which has fundamentally changed my view of addiction and how to care for people in a broader setting。Highly recommended
Diarmaid Smyth
，
Incredible insight and argument for the approach of pure empathy when it comes to dealing with emotional trauma。 "Don't ask why the addiction， ask why the pain"。 Incredible insight and argument for the approach of pure empathy when it comes to dealing with emotional trauma。 "Don't ask why the addiction， ask why the pain"。 。。。more
Alyssa
，
Gabor is the real MVP。 He might be one of the top people I would like to have dinner with。 Imagine a world where systems were structured primarily around compassion？ If people didn’t ignore the “moral” argument in favor of the “scientific” one and realized that they are one in the same。 Leading with compassion leads to results。 And so much more。 A perspective shifting book。
Hazel
，
I put off reading this semi behemoth of a book in fear of having to face some of my own demons。 And it has。 A bit of a slow start but once it picks up speed， the end comes suddenly and leaves you wanting more。 Gabor is an inspiration！！ We are blessed to have him on the streets of Vancouver and to hear his unique perspective。 Definitely recommended。
A。L。 DeLeon
，