SS Film Festival presents “Physician, Heal Thyself,” featuring Dr. Gabor Maté.
One of the world’s most influential thinkers on trauma, addiction and mental health, Dr. Gabor Maté is widely admired as the author of such bestsellers as In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts, The Myth of Normal and When the Body Says No.
In this engaging and painfully honest review of his life’s work, Dr. Maté shares not only his professional theories, but also his personal story: his difficult upbringing in a Jewish family in post-war Hungary, his experience as a student journalist for the Ubyssey, his early reputation as an infuriating contrarian and his work with marginalized communities.
Winning an Audience Award when it premiered in October at VIFF, first-time filmmaker Asher Penn’s PHYSICIAN, HEAL THYSELF encourages us to own our failings, accept our imperfections and prioritize our mental health.
Candidly discussing his own struggles with addictive behaviours, ADHD and fractured relationships, Maté admits: “Part of the problem was that I believed in everybody’s healing but my own.”
