The Wisdom of Trauma

"Trauma is not what happens to you. Trauma is what happens inside you, as a result of what happens to you."

— Dr. Gabor Maté

One in five Americans are diagnosed with mental illness in any given year. In the US, death by suicide is the second most common cause of death for those aged 15-24, killing over 48,000. Annually, drug overdose kill 81,000 in the US. The autoimmunity epidemic affects 24 million people in the US. What is going on? The interconnected epidemics of anxiety, chronic illness, and substance abuse are, according to Dr. Gabor Maté, normal. But not in the way you might think.

In The Wisdom of Trauma, we travel alongside physician, bestselling author, and Order of Canada recipient Dr. Gabor Maté to explore the root causes of the myriad health epidemics faced by Western countries. This is a journey with a man who has dedicated his life to understanding the connection between illness, addiction, trauma, and society.

Trauma is the invisible, but no less material, force that shapes our lives. It shapes the way we live, the way we form connections, and the way we make sense of the world. It is the root of our deepest wounds. Dr. Maté gives us a new vision: a trauma-literate society in which parents, teachers, physicians, policy makers, and legal personnel seek to understand the sources from which troubling behaviors and diseases spring, in order to better address the issues of the populations they serve. Through his insights a path materializes towards individual and collective healing, with practices that aim to create cures to address root causes before they manifest as physical symptoms.

FEATURING

Gabor Maté, Psychologist/Physician
Rae Maté, Artist
James Doty, Director/Founder, Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education, Stanford University
Tim Ferriss, Entrepreneur
Fritzi Horstman, Founder/Executive Director, Compassion Prison Project
Romie Nottage, Director, Downtown Streets Team San Francisco
Tessa Rose, Harm Reduction Specialist

All orders also include a Digital Discussion Guide and Digital Bonus Feature Collection, including the following videos featuring Dr. Maté in conversation with leaders in their fields:

Climate Crisis, Fragmentation and Collective Trauma
Trauma and the Nervous System from the Polyvagal Theory Perspective
Women, Trauma and the Patriarchy
Building Intergenerational Trauma Sensitivity & Awareness
Indigenous Resilience: Healing Trauma Through Tradition and Resistance
21 Questions with Dr. Maté

FILMMAKER'S STATEMENT: "When we started this film, we thought that we were among the lucky ones who had had a happy childhood. We thought that trauma was caused by bad things happening to people; REALLY bad things: War, murder, violence, sexual exploitation... But trauma, as we learned from Dr. Gabor Maté, happens to everybody.

Individually and collectively we carry a backlog of pain that has never been heard because we miss narratives to help us share, witness and hold space for each other's deepest wounds.

We hold the vision of a society that can acknowledge the truth about shame and the pain of unmet needs that live quietly but widely among us. Trauma cannot always be conquered, fixed, or resolved, but it can be heard, held, and loved."

Preview link available upon request. Contact [email protected] for more information

Wisdom of Trauma | Video Project Documentary Film

A Film by Zaya and Maurizio Benazzo

88 minutes and 61 minutes

Scene Selection • Closed Captioned • Includes Digital Bonus Feature Collection

Grades 10 - Adult

Item #: WOT-2018

Can our deepest pain be a doorway to healing? A journey to the root of human pain and the source of healing with Dr. Gabor Maté

Starting at $89

Licensing Options

K-12 Classroom, Public Libraries: DVD - $89 K-12 DVD + Digital File - $139 Colleges, Institutions, Businesses: DVD - $395 Colleges: DVD with Digital Site License - $495 K-12 School District pricing available. Please inquire at [email protected] Single Community Screening - Please Inquire to [email protected]

Reviews and Festivals

"Would work for mental health professionals, students studying psychology or neuroscience, and those studying to become addiction specialists."

— Video Libraian

"Highly Recommended. Captivating documentary that reconceptualizes how the 'common template' of hidden childhood distress knows no bounds in the damage it can cause an individual... The Wisdom of Trauma would be a very strong addition to any high school or academic library. The themes of mental health and therapy can be used as a vehicle to drive insightful conversations that further destigmatize the discipline as a whole."

— Educational Media Reviews Online

"Remarkable to watch how quickly Maté connects with people, understands where their trauma originates, and begins to help them work through it to find themselves...The Wisdom of Trauma urges its audiences to ask why, collectively, we respond to trauma the way that we do in schools, hospitals, and the criminal justice system."

— YES! Magazine

"One of the most important documentary film I have witnessed. In addition to deserving a wide audience, this film should also be found in the political and medical worlds' halls of power."

— Don Schwartz, From the Heart Productions

"Will lend parents, educators, health care providers, faith leaders and many others wisdom and insight about the traumas carried forth in themselves and in their families, communities, and work environments."

— Jenny Degroot, The Banner

"A must-see for everyone. Professionals have never been more knowledgeable and aware of increased drug overdose, suicide rates, and a decrease in physical health across the world. So why, with all this knowledge and awareness is nobody getting better? The filmmakers are asking 'What is going on?'"

— Nicola O'Hanlon, In the Rooms

"Incredible documentary...Incredibly powerful...The most focused expression I would say, of [Gabor's] work. And this kind of very deep contribution that [the filmmakers] are making is more than just a different perspective for people about trauma. I feel like it's actually got the capacity to level up the level of consciousness...It's a heavy lift, to move ourselves forward, and to see the sacredness and wisdom and then there's the necessity of trauma and bringing the consciousness to it. It's very beautiful. So I just have deep gratitude for [the filmmakers'] work. Thank you."

— Dr. Will Van Derveer, Integrative Psychiatry Institute

"Go check it out, particularly in the mental health field. This is a really important movie [the filmmakers] made. So I just want to put that here, go check this out. It's a key instrument you've kind of injected here. It's a good one. It's a big one."

— Keith Kurlander, Integrative Psychiatry Institute

"Demonstrates, in a simple yet profound way, how trauma can affect our whole life and lead to relational difficulties, deep sorrow and suffering, and mental and physical illness...Explains brilliantly how trauma does not necessarily stem from extremely dramatic events such as war or famine, but rather from events that our nervous system interpret as threatening to our life or integrity...I have recommended The Wisdom of Trauma to all my clients, and to anyone who was willing to listen while I was still on the hype train after seeing the movie... Definitely get your hands on a copy, a screening, or an online event, because this is a movie that will make you feel proud of the global body psychotherapy community you are part of, and the work that you and your colleagues do."

— Alexandra Algafari, International Body Psychotherapy Journal (Vol. 20, Issue 2)

"Powerful and important documentary...I cannot recommend it more highly and am so inspired by how well received it has been – a clear demonstration of how a trauma-informed mindset is slowly beginning to infuse our cultural consciousness...Society is suffering collectively - as The Wisdom of Trauma so beautifully conveys"

— Elephant Journal

"I watched The Wisdom of Trauma by Zaya and Maurizio Benazzo featuring the phenomenal work and insights of Dr. Gabor Maté with great inputs from Fritzi Horstman of Prison Kind on Adverse Childhood Experiences, trauma, addiction and prison. The tenderness and healthy, healing touch between Gabor and Tim is stunning."

— Dr. Jane Mulcahy PhD, University of Limerick

WINNER

Believe Psychology Film Festival, Best Therapy

Documentary Film Festival, Best Feature Film

Shift Your World Film Festival, Higher Ground Award

Setubal Film Festival, Glad I Came Award, Best Feature

Open World Toronto Film Festival, Documentary

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Spirit Film Festival

Open World Toronto Film Festival

Setubal Film Festival

World Cinema Antwerp

Auroville Film Festival

Brooklyn Film Festival

Festival du Film Au Contraire

Melbourne Documentary Film Festival

Documentary Film Festival

Virtual Reel Recovery Film Festival

Belive Psychology Film Festival

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