This quote explains that trauma isn't just about a past event, but how that event changes our internal world and affects us long-term. It highlights that healing involves understanding these inner responses rather than just recalling the memory.
Quote by Gabor Maté: “Trauma is not what happens to you, but what happens inside you.”
Trauma is not what happens to you, but what happens inside you.
Insight
Historical Context
In the early 2020s, global conversations around mental health, intergenerational trauma, and the impacts of systemic stress intensified, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Societies were increasingly acknowledging the widespread effects of unaddressed emotional wounds.
About the Author
Hungarian-Canadian physician and author whose work on addiction, trauma, and the mind-body connection has reshaped mainstream understanding of mental health. His books include In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts and The Myth of Normal.
View all quotes by Gabor Maté