Summary of Gabor Maté's In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction

By IRB Media

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book.

Book Preview:#1 At the crackhouse, the patients often complain about the medication their psychiatrists give them, as it is not enough to alleviate their withdrawal symptoms, but too much for them to handle.

#2 The author works in a building that used to be a hotel, now called the Portland Hotel. The building features wide staircases, wooden balustrades, and musty landings. It replaced an older hotel with character and history, but with much less space and comfort.

#3 The author is the doctor for a nonprofit organization in Portland, Oregon, that provides housing for people who are homeless or have mental illnesses.

#4 The Portland Hotel Society was created in 1991 to provide housing and services to those who would otherwise be homeless.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: Feb 9, 2022
• ISBN: 9781669346043

IRB Media

With IRB books, you can get the key takeaways and analysis of a book in 15 minutes. We read every chapter, identify the key takeaways and analyze them for your convenience.

Book preview

Insights on Levine, Peter A.Mate and Gabor's In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts Close Encounters with Addiction

Contents

Insights from Chapter 1

Insights from Chapter 2

Insights from Chapter 3

Insights from Chapter 4

Insights from Chapter 5

Insights from Chapter 6

Insights from Chapter 7

Insights from Chapter 1

#1

At the crackhouse, the patients often complain about the medication their psychiatrists give them, as it is not enough to alleviate their withdrawal symptoms, but too much for them to handle.

#2

The author works in a building that used to be a hotel, now called the Portland Hotel. The building features wide staircases, wooden balustrades, and musty landings. It replaced an older hotel with character and history, but with much less space and comfort.

#3

The author is the doctor for a nonprofit organization in Portland, Oregon, that provides housing for people who are homeless or have mental illnesses.

#4

The Portland Hotel Society was created in 1991 to provide housing and services to those who would otherwise be homeless.

#5

Many of the patients at the Portland clinic have histories of trauma and abuse, and are distrustful of institutions.

#6

The author visited the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver, Canada, which is known for its extremely high rates of HIV and drug use.

#7

The author’s first patient of the day was a man who had been injecting drugs for twenty-five years. He was listening to CBC radio on the car ride home, and the contrast between the two was jarring.

#8

The author once met a woman who was being slapped and punched by a man she had just given a hundred dollars to buy drugs. When the woman explained to the man that the money was counterfeit, he replied that she was just a sucker who always got taken advantage of.

#9

The author, a psychiatrist, feels compassion for his patients, but at times he has to scorn and judge them due to the harsh realities he faces in his work. He is not immune to the problems of his patients, and understands that he is no different from them.

#10

Many who work in the Downtown Eastside have remarked on the sense of authenticity they’ve experienced there.

#11

Despite all the violence and scams that go on in the camps, there are also many moments of humanity and mutual support.

#12

The truth is that the Downtown Eastside is a reflection of all of us - a reflection of our own truth, pain, and longing.

Reviews for Summary of Gabor Maté's In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts

[erica · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This is a list of things mentioned in the book but there is no cohesion. I couldn't make it past chapter 2