Wounds into Wisdom: A Conversation with Rabbi Dr. Tirzah Firestone and Dr. Gabor Maté
In this beautiful conversation, two impassioned trauma specialists and authors, Rabbi Dr. Tirzah Firestone and Dr. Gabor Maté, shared personal experiences and professional challenges working with the burgeoning field of trauma healing across generations. They discussed their families, what propelled them to the work they do, and the transformation that is possible in ourselves and the world when we heal the wounds of the past. Rabbi Firestone’s award-winning book, Wounds into Wisdom, newly released in paperback, and Dr. Maté’s best-selling The Myth of Normal have both been lauded as foundational works and informed this candid conversation between renowned colleagues.
Facilitated by Lab/Shul founder Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie.
Co-hosted by Ayin Press, Monkfish, Lab/Shul, and Science & Nonduality (SAND).
A personal note from Rabbi Tirzah:
I am so grateful to have had this conversation with Dr. Gabor Maté, and I can’t imagine a better way to have officially launched the paperback edition of Wounds into Wisdom, and I would love to hear how this book lands for you and how you are personally intersecting with the field of intergenerational trauma healing. If you don’t yet have a copy yet, you can order online or from your local independent bookseller.
Gabor is for me a big brother. Both of our families of origin were decimated in Nazi Europe, and I think it’s fair to say that our mutual ancestral histories have shaped us and propelled the work we each do in the world. Gabor has just written a most beautiful personal foreword for the new paperback edition of my book, Wounds into Wisdom.
This was a frank and unscripted dialog about the field of trauma healing—in and beyond the Jewish world—and the transformation that is possible when we face the wounds of the past and do the hard work of healing it. We touched on some global concerns, too, like the role that trauma plays as we face the epidemic of hatred and structural violence emerging in so many communities right now, and in particular in Israel/Palestine.
Here’s an excerpt from our closing words at the event:
Love yourself today as the most loving, wise, and warm ancestor would love you. We are all here together in a global community. Let's go forward!
The road ahead beckons us — If you wish to continue the deep work of ancestral healing, please check out upcoming opportunities to study together on my calendar page.