Birth year – death year

Born 1944

Occupation

Physician and author

Major contributions to psychedelic space

  • Advocate for psychoactive plants, particularly Ayahuasca, as a potential treatment for addiction
  • Developed a psychotherapeutic method called Compassionate Inquiry
  • Has extensively worked with childhood development, trauma, and addiction

Career highlights

Dr. Gabor Maté is a widely published author, retired physician, and highly regarded expert in addiction and trauma. He is interested in the relationship between childhood development and trauma, as well as their impacts on lifelong mental and physical health.

In 2010, Maté became interested in the healing potential of Ayahuasca and led multi-day retreats in partnership with a Peruvian Shipibo ayahuasquero. He has since advocated for the therapeutic use of psychoactive substances in order to treat the root causes of addiction, stress, and trauma.

Maté believes that unconscious psychological stresses underlie and contribute to chronic medical conditions, and psychedelic-assisted therapy can help a person bring these dynamics to the surface—and work through them.