Once again, Gabor Maté proves prescient in his clinical focus and writing. Leading Edge Seminars is honoured to present his newest workshop Hello Again: A Fresh Start for Parents and Their Adult Children. Gabor and his son Daniel will be co-presenting an evening talk (Oct. 18) and a weekend workshop (Oct. 19-20) in Toronto.
Attachment theory and the understanding of how the parent-child bond impacts psychosocial development has become a mainstay of current psychotherapy. However, for parents who struggled as parents and adult children who had a difficult time in childhood, resolving the pain, resentments and shame that arise from imperfect early childhood development experiences can sometimes feel impossible. Because every parent was also once a child and the legacy of attachment trauma can resonate throughout generations until it is like the blind leading the blind: who is the parent? Who is the child?
This two-part blog offers a brief survey of Gabor Maté’s work on parent-child attachment.
PART 1: Your Own Happiness is a Gift to Your Child
In this first video, Gabor describes why and how a parent’s own state of wellness has far-reaching consequences in a child’s life and when that child becomes an adult:“We’re not talking about does mother and dad love the child, that you can take for granted in most cases. Are the intentions good? That’s always there.
“We’re just talking about how stressed, or distracted, or depressed the parents may be. And the more they are, the more that will interfere with the child’s healthy brain development, unless they get the right support.”
PART 2: When the “right” support is not there
Gabor and Daniel’s Fall 2019 presentation Hello Again: A Fresh Start for Parents and Their Adult Children focuses on the aftermath of imperfect attachment, parenting and childhood experiences.
In this second video, Gabor and Daniel talk about the work that each has undertaken as a parent (Gabor) and an adult child (Daniel) and their hopes for fellow parents and adult children.
Join Gabor and Daniel for a fascinating Friday evening presentation followed by an interactive weekend October 18 – 20. Participants are welcome to join Friday evening only, the weekend only or all three days. Click here for more information about Hello Again: A Fresh Start for Parents and Their Adult Children.