Researcher
Dr. Gabor Maté, MD
Addiction is a response to pain, not a moral failure. Trauma is inseparable from chronic illness.
Key concept we apply
Ask 'what pain are you trying to numb?', not 'why the addiction?'
Shapes these self-assessments
- Addiction Screening
- PTSD Screening
- ACE Assessment
- Parasite & Heavy Metal Screening
- Holistic Wellness Assessment
Take an assessment grounded in this work
Our free self-assessments cite this researcher's frameworks directly in your personalized educational report.
Other thinkers in this lineage
Dr. Stephen Porges, PhD
Polyvagal Theory: three autonomic states (ventral vagal / sympathetic / dorsal vagal). Foundation of our nervous system sections across cleanse, PTSD, burnout assessments.
Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, MD
'The Body Keeps the Score' — trauma lives in the body, not just the mind. Foundation of our PTSD and ACE assessment structure.
Dr. Peter Levine, PhD
Founder of Somatic Experiencing® (SE/SEP) — a body-first educational framework for resolving trauma stored in the nervous system. Author of *Waking the Tiger* (1997) and *In an Unspoken Voice* (2010). Trains certified Somatic Experiencing Practitioners (SEPs) in 40+ countries. SE works through titration, pendulation, and the SIBAM (Sensation-Image-Behavior-Affect-Meaning) observational map to gently discharge incomplete fight, flight, or freeze responses without re-flooding the system.
Dr. Bruce Lipton, PhD
'The Biology of Belief' — beliefs, environment, and emotions measurably shape gene expression. Cell membranes (not DNA) are the brain of the cell. Cited inline in every AI-generated educational report.