Sat Dharam Kaur has been a practicing naturopathic doctor since 1989, with a focus on women’s health, cancer and mind-body approaches to healing. Since 2012, she has been studying, hosting, working and teaching with Dr. Gabor Maté. She structured his work in a format that could be taught
to others, the Compassionate Inquiry® Professional Online Training.
This post references a short excerpt of Sat Dharam’s story of transformation through Compassionate InquiryⓇ. Listen to her full interview on The Gifts of Trauma Podcast.
Photo Credit: Stockcake
In 2009 I read, In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts. It was a goldmine of information that validated the work I was already doing in the Beyond Addiction program. What attracted me was the author’s approach, and also, who he was. Gabor reveals a lot about himself in his books. I had a sense of familiarity when I was reading his words, the sense that I understood him, that I knew him. It was fascinating.
While reading, I received a strong intuitive message to reach out to Gabor and ask him to teach his approach with me. I kept trying to push this message away, to suppress it, thinking, ‘he won’t work with me.’ This intuition persisted, so eventually I found the nerve to email Gabor. He replied, saying, ”I have a good feeling about this.”
Over the years, my relationship with Gabor has been a transformational journey. It’s a very unusual relationship; very respectful, but in a way, almost impersonal. We’re both doing something to serve and we know that’s what we’re up to. Our connection created something that’s helpful for others, so we each bear a responsibility, a commitment, an understanding that this work needs to be done, and that we’re going to do it.
In 2012 Gabor began teaching in the Beyond Addiction Program. I saw what he was doing with people and the more I observed him, the more I understood his approach. Witnessing his teaching; filming, rewatching and transcribing the recordings, enabled me to see the possibility not only in his approach, but also in Gabor, and what this movement could become.
During our first workshop in Vancouver, I experienced a feeling of profound possibility and significance. Participants sensed something big was emerging, even though no one could fully articulate what it was. There was a collective awareness that we were part of a transformative moment, a sense of changing history and creating a meaningful impact. I’ve had that sense all along, as I was flying across the country, doing all these events with Gabor and recording them.
My husband asked why I kept doing this. My answer was simple. I continued because I knew I wasn’t finished. I could sense something important emerging, I knew it had to be done, but I didn’t know what it would look like. I nurtured this unknown, unnamed possibility like a seed. I kept observing it to see how it manifested. I kept collecting recordings until I finally felt I had enough material for a beautiful structure.
My vision was that Compassionate Inquiry would be Gabor’s message going out full scale, in a structured way. it would support a paradigm shift moving humanity into the realm of compassion. This shift would occur in all aspects of life and work, in the legal system, education, healthcare…I saw that it would have a global reach and be translated into many languages. I also saw that with more practitioners, more healing would be available to individuals around the world.
Today we are maybe 10% of the way to where we might be going, and it’s not up to me. It’s not up to Gabor. Our role was to create it and set it in motion. It’s going to keep going because it’s necessary. Humanity has to complete this shift, so our role is to support it, to use this work to make it happen.
If all of this seems more like a spiritual than a therapeutic approach, that’s a valid perception, as Compassionate Inquiry creates a compassionate, empathetic space for healing that integrates body awareness, mindfulness, and a sense of connection to something greater than oneself.
And while I’m a naturopath, yogi and teacher, primarily I’m a mystic and a visionary. In my early 20s, I saw an astrologer who said I would develop marvelous techniques for humanity needing my help. I didn’t know what he was talking about then, but I think that’s my purpose in this lifetime. And perhaps the Beyond Addiction and Compassionate Inquiry programs are two such ‘marvelous techniques’.
I’m also able to be an open container for all that happens through Compassionate Inquiry, but it’s not me holding it, it’s something bigger than me. That’s where spirituality really comes in. I have a deep trust in the universe. I connect to something bigger and I’m allowing that to carry this whole enterprise, this whole community. We’re all connected to it, or we wouldn’t be here together. Something’s happening in our consciousness that’s bringing us together to create this container and process for humanity.
I have always had a sense of what’s supposed to happen. So no matter who someone is, or what their challenge is, I’m not fazed, because I see what’s possible for that individual. Just as I see what’s possible for all of us together. That’s why I’m here, to make the impossible possible, with an amazing group of conscious people who share this intent. As we do this and support each other, we’re not just creating this container for good things to happen, we’re creating a container where people can access and grow their gifts, their capacities. It’s a space where all of us are used in service to our full capacity. That’s what makes being part of this community so amazing, uplifting and inspiring. We are all being stretched to realize the innate potential within us, in service of humans around the world who are likewise being invited to experience compassion and own their full potential.
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The Gifts of Trauma is a weekly podcast that features personal stories of trauma, healing, transformation, and the gifts revealed on the path to authenticity. Listen to the interview, and if you like it, please subscribe and share.
